Beneteau First 44 Performance Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Beneteau First 44 means weighing two distinct personalities built on the same Biscontini/Argento hull. Introduced as the completion of a renewed First range, the 48-foot performance cruiser links the First 36 and First 53 in size and ethos, and used examples will present as either a cruising-oriented deck plan or a race-minded performance version with different winch, rig, and ballast configurations.
Layouts on the Used Market
Every First 44 carries a three-cabin, two-head interior with a six-seat saloon table opposite the settee and nav station, and Argento's layout echoes the larger First 53. The forward cabin uses a peninsula double that trades stowage for berth length, so buyers who live forward should plan supplemental storage. Two deck layouts were offered from new: the cruising version optimizes for shorthanded sailing with two winch pairs per side, while the performance version adds pit winches and cross-winching clutches. The performance hull also deletes the windlass and its battery and fits lithium service batteries with smaller tanks to save roughly half a tonne.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The most consequential upgrades cluster around the rig and energy systems. The optional carbon two-spreader mast stands 1.8 meters taller than the standard aluminium rig and adds 11 square meters of upwind sail area plus larger Code 0 and spinnaker capacity; some boats also carry the 1.5-meter performance carbon bowsprit versus the cruising 1-meter bowsprit with integrated anchor stowage. On the power side, the 57 hp Yanmar with saildrive and folding prop is standard, but the performance version's lithium house batteries and deleted windlass are a buyer-notable divergence. Beneteau's Seanapps system is fitted for onboard monitoring. Water-ballast tanks — twin 80-gallon units, or 300 liters per side in some descriptions — are filled by electric helm-station pumps and act as a shorthanded racing aid equivalent to rail weight.
What to Inspect
The water-ballast system is the headline known item: tanks are filled and emptied individually by electric pumps from the helm stations, taking three to four minutes per cycle, so verify pump operation and tank integrity. The performance version's lighter deep 2.6 m keel with iron fin and lead torpedo bulb should be checked for bulb and fin bonding, and the deleted windlass means no anchor gear battery to test on those boats. Carbon rigs, where fitted, use discontinuous rod rigging and a textile backstay with Harken hydraulics — inspect terminals and hydraulic cylinders. Forward-cabin stowage is absent by design, not defect, but confirm no owner modifications compromised structure.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Buyers should rely on broad brokerage searches to locate available boats. When you step aboard, confirm which version you are viewing, test the water-ballast pumps, and decide whether the carbon rig and performance keel justify the lost windlass and tank capacity.
- Identify cruising vs performance deck and rig before negotiating
- Exercise both water-ballast tanks and timed fill/empty cycle
- Check carbon rig terminals and Harken hydraulic backstay if equipped
- Verify keel bulb and fin on the 2.6 m deep-draught version
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Beneteau First 44 Performance. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $558,366 | — |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
10 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance 44 Performance | 44.85' | $ 331,099 | 51 | 11 |
| Beneteau First 44.7 | 44.83' | $ 139,999 | 50 | 16 |
| Performance 40 Performance | 40.42' | $ 117,539 | 47 | 6 |
| Beneteau First 44 | 46.42' | $ 497,022 | 36 | 6 |
| Beneteau First 36 | 39.33' | $ 370,962 | 29 | 5 |
| Solaris 44 | 44.62' | $ 558,295 | 18 | 5 |
| X-Yachts Xp XP 44 | 45.54' | $ 549,819 | 17 | 1 |
| Grand Soleil 44 | 47.08' | $ 498,141 | 8 | 1 |
| Salona 44 | 44.29' | $ 219,000 | 8 | 2 |
| C&C 44 | 44.17' | $ 55,900 | 2 | 1 |