Beneteau First Class 12 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Beneteau First Class 12 means chasing a scarce mid-eighties Finot design, with fewer than 100 ever built and the French yard's name on the hull. She is a 39-foot IOR monotype with a lead fin keel and a fractional rig that the record calls significantly overrigged — a distinctive boat, but one you will not trip over at every listing.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The 39-foot hull and IOR monotype brief mean belowdecks space follows the IOR form, and the three-cabin owner version is the layout you are most likely to be shown.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, radar and chartplotter are commonly fitted to these boats, and a buyer should treat their presence as expected rather than exceptional. Beyond those two, the brief offers no other equipped-item tiers to plan around, so judge the rest of the inventory on the individual hull.
What to Inspect
The build facts warrant a close look at a few points. Confirm the lead fin keel for signs of grounding damage and check that the 6.89–7.19 foot draft matches the hull's loaded condition, since the boat can only enter major marinas at that depth. With a significantly overrigged fractional rig, inspect the 125.8-foot halyards and 98.2-foot mainsheet for fatigue at the half-inch and 0.55-inch diameters the spec calls for, and verify the lead keel-to-hull joint bedding given the 4,674 pounds of ballast carried low.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats are found in the United States. For a buyer, the short list is:
- Verify keel-to-hull joint and lead fin condition
- Check halyard and sheet diameters against the overrigged rig spec
- Confirm draft against marina access before committing
- Inspect three-cabin layout for ex-charter wear
- Expect radar and chartplotter as standard fitted gear
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Beneteau First Class 12. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
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