Beneteau began the project in 2019 after surveying First “Point 7” owners and dealers. The Slovenian yard Seascape had conceived the boat in 2018 and coordinated the design team under CTO Kristian Hajnšek, making this its first new Beneteau. Samuel Manuard designed the hull, keel, and rig; Lorenzo Argento handled the design; and Pure Design & Engineering was responsible for the structure.
The result was named Sailing World’s 2023 Boat of the Year, where it was the obvious and unanimous choice. It also won the performance category in the European Yacht of the Year awards with unanimous jury votes.
Design and Construction
The First 36 has a fully cored, vacuum-infused hull and deck. It uses CoreCell foam in the hull and PVC in the bulkheads, along with a vacuum-infused vinylester skin. Seascape’s CTO said that using foam removed 200 kg from the hull, while Pure Design helped eliminate balsa as a core material.
Sandwich bulkheads replace structural plywood. The lightweight liner set weighs just 60 kg, for an estimated saving of 200 kg. The builder claimed that the boat is built to the same standard as a pure racing boat, and Sailing World’s reviewers praised its build quality.
The structure forms an interconnected web in which everything except the fridge is part of the puzzle. Pure Design optimized all scantlings, which Manuard and Hajnšek then adapted to meet labor-cost targets.
A 1.5-tonne cast-iron keel and an unfussy Z-Spars aluminum rig are standard. The First 36 has a lightship displacement of 10,582 lb, a 33-foot-8-inch waterline, and a 12-foot-6-inch beam. Auxiliary power comes from a 30 hp Yanmar saildrive.
Hull, Rig, and Handling
Manuard’s hull has a hint of a scow-type bow, considerable forward buoyancy, and plenty of rocker. That makes the boat responsive to longitudinal weight distribution.
The mast sits well aft, lengthening the J dimension and leaving the foredeck open for a quiver of headsails. Two tack points and four halyards accommodate a masthead gennaker, code sail, fractional gennaker, and staysail. The standard deck-stepped Z-Spars section uses Dyform wire. The team rejected a square-top mainsail because it would add mast weight and complicate the rig with runners.
Primary winches sit on sloping coamings. The steering wheels are higher than average, allowing the helmsman to slide forward toward the mainsail winch when sailing shorthanded. With a full crew, the layout allows one or two sailors to sit in and work the mainsail or primary winches, and the jib sheets can be cross-sheeted to windward.
Jefa steering controls high-aspect twin rudders on stainless-steel stocks. Testers found that the long twin rudders gave the helm a power-steering feel upwind and allowed the boat to be pushed while remaining under control.
The First 36 is optimized for shorthanded adventure racing. The positions of its six winches and other deck gear were validated using mock-ups and a full-scale testbed.
Performance
The design team sought to combine an easily planing hull with good upwind ability. Beneteau says the standard version will fully plane in a moderate breeze.
Test sailors found that planing began at boat speeds in the high 8-knot range in around 12 knots of wind. The boat reached double figures in close to 14 knots. One jury group recorded speeds of 10 to 13.5 knots under Code 0 at 90 degrees and up to 14.5 knots under kite at 120 degrees. A top speed of 18.3 knots was also logged.
Upwind, the First 36 is quick even in light air, making around 7 knots. It isn’t a boat to pinch, however: sailing below 45 degrees true costs half a knot.
With 860 square feet of upwind sail area and a very high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, the First 36 is arguably the only mainstream production cruising yacht able to plane in moderate winds.
Accommodations
The interior was laid out first and foremost as a three-cabin cruiser, with about the same living volume as the legendary First 40.7.
The L-shaped galley, described as the largest in its class, includes a tall, slender central fridge topped by a removable cutting board. A fold-down dinette table creates a safe passage through the saloon. Roomy 6-foot berths flank the dinette, a gigantic V-berth fills the bow, and large quarter berths extend beneath the cockpit. The identical aft cabins can also convert to singles with work space.
Owners said they wanted a lounge rather than a dining room, as well as the return of a proper navigation area. The First 36 provides both a full-sized navigation table and a proper nav station.
The heads is a jetliner-size compartment with a stowaway sink. Reviewers nevertheless found it comparatively small and fiddly, with an inward-opening door. Each cabin has two portlights to improve light and airflow. At night, sectional indirect lighting includes a red racing option.
Cockpit and Deck Gear
In racing configuration, the wide cockpit dispenses with the table and bench extensions to open the working area. For cruising, cushioned benches add seating and storage around a table that seats six.
An ultralight 8 kg foam-core swim platform improves access to the water without hurting performance. An offshore foredeck hatch and removable benches further reflect the boat’s function-first priorities.
The deck layout combines equipment from Harken, Ronstan, Spinlock, and Antal. All running rigging remains exposed and leads aft to six clutches on each side. The jib sheets run through low-friction rings mounted on inhaul and outhaul purchases.
A carbon steering wheel and generous clearance between the wheels and cockpit sides complete a deck layout that is modest in appearance and ergonomically excellent.
The Verdict
The First 36 is a versatile, powerful boat designed to serve several kinds of sailor. It finds a convincing balance among comfort, performance, utility, and high-tech construction. It can plane where other boats remain in displacement mode, yet still offers three cabins and a proper navigation station for cruising.
Pros
- Planes in a moderate breeze, with documented 18-knot potential
- Vacuum-infused foam-core structure saves weight without structural plywood
- Twin rudders and well-considered winch geometry suit both shorthanded and fully crewed sailing
- Largest-in-class galley and full nav station within an interior offering First 40.7-level volume
Cons
- Heads compartment is small and fiddly, with an inward-opening door
- Not a pointer; pinching below 45 degrees true costs speed
- Aft cabins rely on convertible space rather than hanging lockers
