Nearly 300 First 375s were sold during a four-year production run. The model found favor with cruising and racing skippers alike, with success in both fields.
Design and Construction
The hull is hand-laid solid fiberglass and resin, with substantial scantlings in high-stress areas. The keel joins a moderate stub. On period examples, this joint could show a narrow crease where fairing material had fallen away.
Bénéteau offered two keel configurations: a standard 6 ft 5 in draft and a shallow 5 ft 6 in draft. The shallow-draft version came with a slightly shorter rig.
The First 375 measures 37 ft 1 in overall, 33 ft 2 in on the waterline, and 12 ft 6 in in beam. Displacement is about 15,400 lb—a substantial mass, as test sailors noted. Even so, the boat surprised them with its acceleration and upwind speed.
A deep fin keel and large spade rudder give the boat infinitely maneuverable close-quarters behavior, with only a hint of prop walk from a feathering prop.
Rig, Sailing Performance, and Handling
The standard keel-stepped mast has double spreaders and rises 49 ft above the deck. On the shoal-draft version, mast height is reduced to 47 ft 6 in. A babystay, adjustable from the cockpit, checks mast pumping in heavier seas. The large overlapping genoa, however, could be a handful during tacks.
In production cruising form, the First 375 proved easy to handle and well mannered for families. It could also be powered up for success around the buoys when required.
The IOR-influenced narrow stern doesn’t provide the off-wind surfing ability of a modern, wide-transomed design. Still, the 375 performs admirably upwind and reaching. One tester called it the perfect coastal cruiser for inland waters, with proven offshore capability.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The cockpit is small by modern standards. Its two angled, vertical coamings are too low to provide real back support.
Bénéteau offered two interior layouts. One has the galley to port, a generous double aft cabin, and a voluminous cockpit locker to starboard. The other puts the galley to starboard and includes a single-berth aft cabin plus a separate double cabin, with the saloon table also to starboard. In both layouts, the head is aft and opposite the galley. The alternative three-cabin arrangement squeezed the heads and navigation space.
Warm teak cabinetry runs throughout the interior. In the main cabin, a U-shaped settee to port wraps around a table attached to the mast. Stowage is unusually good.
Bénéteau described the 375 as a very beautiful, habitable cruiser for six to eight—an elegant boat to set sail on.
Engine and Refit Considerations
The factory engine was the sturdy Volvo Penta 2002, a 28-hp diesel driving a fixed propeller through a shaft and strut. It is fully capable of reaching the boat’s 7.7-knot hull speed. At 2,800 rpm, the boat makes 6 to 6.5 knots, with power in reserve for adverse conditions.
A Beta 30 has been installed as a direct replacement using the same beds, shaft, strut, and prop.
Many First 375s, like other boats of this type, will have led a hard life. That possibility should form part of any assessment of a boat’s refit needs.
Verdict
The First 375 is Jean Berret’s production derivative of a winning Admiral’s Cup hull. It was built in meaningful numbers and earned respect in both cruising and racing.
This is no lightweight flyer. Its narrow stern limits the off-wind surfing available from a modern design, but the boat remains quick and well mannered. Below deck, it offers teak-lined comfort and unusually good stowage. Those strengths must be weighed against the small cockpit, limited back support, and the possibility of a hard-used history.
Pros
- Race-derived hull based on a successful 1985 Admiral’s Cup design, with proven seaworthiness
- Deep fin keel and spade rudder provide precise, maneuverable handling
- Two distinct interior layouts, teak joinery, and unusually good stowage
- Direct-replacement Beta 30 repower path using the original beds
Cons
- Small cockpit with low coamings and poor back support
- Large genoa can be a handful
- Narrow IOR stern limits off-wind surfing
- Many examples are likely to have had a hard service life
