Beneteau First 47.7 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Beneteau offered two-, three-, and four-cabin configurations when the boat was new, and on the used market the three-cabin owner version is the more commonly encountered arrangement. The two-cabin version — with its expansive owner's cabin forward spanning the full beam, a large aft guest cabin to port, and the galley area aft to starboard left partly open for storage — appeals strongly to liveaboard buyers and couples doing extended passages, and examples do come up. The four-cabin charter variant exists but is less frequently seen in private brokerage. Across all layouts the saloon is genuinely large, with the dinette to starboard and a port settee sharing generous headroom under a mid-cabin skylight and a run of opening ports that keep the space bright.

The keel choice matters and is worth confirming early in any survey conversation. Three draft options were offered: a standard shoal keel, a mid-draft option, and a deep racing bulb. Racing-configured boats will also often have the taller mast, twin-groove headstay, and full spinnaker running rigging — a meaningfully different boat from the cruising version with its shorter rig.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

The used fleet skews heavily toward well-equipped passages-ready boats. Autopilot, chartplotter, and radar are commonly fitted, reflecting the bluewater and coastal-cruising use most owners put these boats to. Electric winches appear on a significant portion of available examples, and bow thrusters are frequently found, particularly on boats that have spent time in crowded Mediterranean harbours. Teak decks and a bimini are widely seen, along with a dodger, swim platform, spinnaker gear, hot water systems, and air conditioning — the last being almost expected on boats that have lived in warmer climates.

Owner upgrades worth looking for include watermakers, which are a common addition among bluewater sailors, and in-boom or on-boom furling mains added by owners wanting simpler single-handed sail handling. AIS transceivers and inverters appear regularly as well. Heating systems are a sometimes-seen addition on boats that have migrated toward northern Europe or higher latitudes.

What to Inspect

The 47.7's hull laminate uses a combination of chopped strand mat and woven rovings over a latticework structural matrix, an improvement over older Beneteau inner-tray construction. That said, these are older hulls, and a thorough moisture survey of the laminate is non-negotiable. Pay close attention to keel-to-hull attachment, especially on deep-keel racing examples that may have seen hard offshore use or grounding events; keel bolt condition is a critical survey item on any bulb-keel Farr design.

Below-decks construction uses lightweight panel mouldings and teak-ply infills fastened with simple screws, and creaking floorboards and Velcro-fastened headliners were noted even on new examples, so some interior wear and loosening should be expected on older hulls. Check all locker doors, cabinetry fastenings, and any structural bonding at bulkheads.

Engine placement under the cockpit floor on the 47.7 can result in noticeable noise and vibration under power, a characteristic noted in original press testing. Inspect the motor mounts for deterioration and confirm the propeller specification — an over-pitched MaxProp was identified as a contributing factor to vibration in some examples, and many owners have addressed this over the years. The Yanmar diesel itself is a widely supported unit, but check service records carefully.

Deck hardware and the running rigging will reflect whatever use the boat has seen. Racing-rigged examples may have more hours on their standing rigging than their cruising counterparts, and the Sparcraft spars should be inspected carefully, particularly at spreader roots and at the mast base. Lewmar winches and clutches are standard and well-supported, but check for wear on the primaries.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The First 47.7 is widely available across North America, with a healthy presence on both US coasts. Examples also surface regularly in Australia, New Zealand, Croatia, and Portugal, reflecting both the boat's charter-fleet past and its appeal to serious bluewater sailors who have cruised the Mediterranean and Pacific circuits. The model is well-known enough that marine surveyors in major sailing centres will be familiar with its common issues.

For a buyer considering a First 47.7, the key decision points are: racing rig or cruising rig, keel depth, and interior layout. All else being equal, a well-maintained cruising-rigged example with a mid-draft keel represents the most versatile buy for most sailors.

Pre-purchase checklist:

• Commission a full out-of-water survey; moisture readings throughout the hull laminate
• Inspect keel bolts and keel-hull interface for any sign of weeping or movement
• Confirm keel type (shoal, standard, deep racing bulb) and draft implications for your intended waters
• Confirm rig configuration — standard cruising mast or taller racing mast, headstay type
• Test under power; note vibration level and cross-reference propeller pitch against spec
• Check engine mounts and raw-water impeller service history
• Review all standing rigging age and inspect spreader roots and mast base
• Assess interior joinery and floorboard condition; budget for cosmetic refreshment on older hulls
• Verify autopilot, chartplotter, and any installed electronics are operational
• Confirm watermaker service history if fitted