Beneteau First 36 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The First 36 is a fully cored, vacuum-infused hull and deck using CoreCell foam in the hull and PVC in the bulkheads, with a vacuum-infused vinylester skin. Seascape's CTO noted that using foam took 200 kg out of the hull, and Pure Design helped eliminate balsa as a core material. Sandwich bulkheads replace structural plywood, and the lightweight liner set weighs just 60 kg for an estimated 200 kg saving. The builder claimed the boat is built to the same standard as a pure racing boat, and writing in Sailing World, reviewers praised its build quality. The structure is a web where everything except the fridge is part of the puzzle, and all scantlings were optimized by Pure Design and adapted by Manuard and Hajnšek to labor-cost targets. A 1.5-tonne cast-iron keel and unfussy Z-Spars aluminum rig come as standard, with a 30 hp Yanmar saildrive moving 10,582 lb of lightship displacement on a 33-foot-8-inch waterline and 12-foot-6-inch beam.

Rig and Handling

Manuard's hull carries a hint of scow-type bow with considerable forward buoyancy and plenty of rocker, making the boat responsive to longitudinal weight distribution. The mast is well aft, stretching the J dimension and opening the foredeck for a quiver of headsails, with two tack points and four halyards covering masthead gennaker, code sail, fractional gennaker, and staysail. The standard deck-stepped Z-Spars section uses Dyform wire; a square-top main was rejected for added mast weight and runner complication. Primary winches sit on sloped coamings, and a higher-than-average steering-wheel position lets the helmsman slide forward toward the mainsail winch shorthanded. In full crew mode the winch layout lets one or two sailors sit in and work mainsail or primaries, with cross-sheeting to windward possible. Jefa steering drives high-aspect twin rudders on stainless stocks; testers found the long dual rudders give a power-steering feel upwind and let you push while staying in control. The boat is optimized for shorthanded adventure racing, and the positioning of six winches and deck gear was validated on mock-ups and a full-scale testbed.

Performance

The design team strove to balance an easily planing hull with upwind ability, and the standard version will fully plane in a moderate breeze. Test sailors saw planing begin at high 8-knot boat speeds in around 12 knots of wind, with double-figure speeds reached near 14 knots; one jury group recorded 10 to 13.5 knots under Code 0 at 90 degrees and up to 14.5 knots under kite at 120 degrees, while a top speed of 18.3 knots was logged. Upwind she is quick even in light air at around 7 knots, but pinching below 45 degrees true costs half a knot. With a very high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and 860 square feet of upwind area, she is arguably the only mainstream production cruising yacht that can plane in moderate winds.

Accommodations

The interior was laid out first and foremost as a three-cabin cruiser, offering about the same living volume as the legendary First 40.7. A tall, slender central fridge with a removable cutting board completes the L-shaped galley, described as the largest of its class, and a fold-down dinette table creates a safe corridor through the saloon. Roomier 6-foot berths flank the dinette, a gigantic V-berth fills the bow, and large quarter berths sit under the cockpit; the identical aft cabins convert to singles with work space. Owners wanted a lounge rather than a dining room and their nav station back, and the boat delivers a full-sized navigation table and proper nav station. The heads is a jetliner-size compartment with a stowaway sink, though reviewers found it comparatively small and fiddly with an inward-opening door. Two portlights per cabin aid light and airflow, and sectional indirect lighting with a red racing option runs at night.

Cockpit and Deck Gear

In racing layout the wide cockpit removes table and bench extensions to open the work area, while cruising swaps in cushioned benches that add seating and storage, around a table seating six. An ultralight 8 kg foam-core swim platform aids water access without hurting performance, and an offshore foredeck hatch plus removable benches show the function-first priority. Harken, Ronstan, Spinlock, and Antal gear were combined for optimal performance, with all running rigging left exposed and led aft to six clutches per side; jib sheets pass through low-friction rings on in- and outhaul purchases. A carbon steering wheel and generous space between wheels and cockpit walls round out the ergonomic, modest, and ergonomically brilliant deck.

The Verdict

The First 36 is a versatile and powerful machine that serves many masters, hitting the sweet spot between comfort, performance, utility, and high-tech construction. It planes where others displace, yet cruises with a real nav station and three cabins.

Pros