Beneteau First 285 Buyer's Guide
The Beneteau First 285 is a Groupe Finot-designed 28-foot fractional sloop built by Beneteau from 1985 to 1993, with 451 examples produced. On the used market it shows up as a light-displacement racer-cruiser that still makes sense for a sailor who wants club-race pace one weekend and a simple cabin the next, offered in bulb- or wing-keel versions that change where she can comfortably cruise.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 285 carries a solid fiberglass hull with balsa-cored decks and a molded interior pan that forms berth flats and cabin furniture while a bonded grid stiffens the structure. Two keel choices define the used fleet: a bulb keel drawing 5 feet 3 inches for upwind bite, or a wing keel drawing 3 feet 10 inches for thinner water. A sugar-scoop transom with a water-deployable swim ladder and an opening transom portlight mark the aft end, and the boat was sold with tiller or wheel steering. Cast-iron ballast and a 9-foot 10-inch beam give good form stability, while a 10-gallon fresh tank, 10-gallon waste tank, and a 6-gallon water heater cover basic liveaboard needs.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats you will look at carry an autopilot, a bimini, and a chartplotter as commonly fitted gear. Often-seen additions include spinnaker or asymmetric spinnaker kite setups, hot water, and a cockpit shower. Less common owner upgrades run to heating and solar. For a buyer, the kite and cockpit-shower cluster matters most: a spinnaker package extends light-air range but adds deck hardware to inspect, while a cockpit shower paired with the noted bilge-drainage quirk deserves a hard look at how it is plumbed.
What to Inspect
Owners report deteriorating headliners and cracked portlights that eventually leak, and the leak path is the item to chase: seepage gathering at the foot of a bulkhead may rot the plywood and lift its plies cracked portlights that eventually leak. A shower draining into the shallow bilge is flagged as undesirable on this model shallow bilge is not desirable, so confirm any cockpit or head shower routes to a proper sump or overboard, not the bilge. The manual bilge pump in the starboard coaming should be present and free.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats turn up across the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Germany, and Spain. When you go to look, keep a short list: confirm keel type and draft for your waters; test every portlight for cracks and trace bulkhead bases for damp; verify shower drainage does not enter the bilge; check headliner condition; and note whether the prop is the original folder or an upgraded feathering unit. A clean, dry bulkhead base and a routed shower sump are the difference between a tidy pocket cruiser and a rot repair.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Beneteau First 285. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 14 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25 | 1 | $25,000 | — |
| May 25 | 4 | $15,000 | -40.0% |
| Sep 25 | 9 | $17,772 | +18.5% |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $30,803 | +73.3% |
| Jan 26 | 2 | $36,201 | +17.5% |
| Feb 26 | 3 | $17,500 | -51.7% |
| Mar 26 | 2 | $22,791 | +30.2% |
| Apr 26 | 7 | $19,950 | -12.5% |
| May 26 | 10 | $15,000 | -24.8% |
| Jun 26 | 5 | $10,500 | -30.0% |
| Jul 26 | 5 | $17,234 | +64.1% |
| Aug 26 | 3 | $27,790 | +61.3% |
| Sep 26 | 5 | $19,820 | -28.7% |
| Oct 26 | 3 | $5,303 | -73.2% |
Where they're listed
Beneteau First 285 listings appear across 8 countries. United States has the most listings with 20 (44.4%), followed by United Kingdom and Australia.
Country view
45 listings · 8 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $15,000 | 20 | 2 | 44.4% |
| United Kingdom | $19,820 | 17 | 10 | 37.8% |
| Australia | $35,095 | 2 | 1 | 4.4% |
| Ireland | $11,145 | 2 | 0 | 4.4% |
| Spain | $25,763 | 1 | 0 | 2.2% |
| France | $40,625 | 1 | 0 | 2.2% |
| Netherlands | $29,683 | 1 | 0 | 2.2% |
| New Zealand | $27,790 | 1 | 1 | 2.2% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
11 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franchi First 31.7 | 31.53' | $ 50,405 | 65 | 18 |
| Beneteau First 35 | 35.17' | $ 53,467 | 46 | 7 |
| Beneteau First 285You are here | — | $ 17,500 | 45 | 14 |
| Hunter 28.5 | 28.42' | $ 12,500 | 26 | 8 |
| BENETEAU First 29 | 29.67' | $ 19,322 | 24 | 7 |
| Beneteau First 325 | 32.48' | $ 27,277 | 21 | 3 |
| Beneteau First 32 | 32.5' | $ 19,602 | 15 | 4 |
| Beneteau First 25 | 24.61' | $ 8,401 | 11 | 4 |
| Jeanneau First 28 | 28.21' | $ 26,145 | 10 | 3 |
| Beneteau First 35.7 | 34.58' | $ 55,240 | 10 | 4 |
| Feeling 286 | 27.07' | $ 20,162 | 6 | 0 |