Beneteau First 30 (Juan K.) Buyer's Guide
The Beneteau First 30 (Juan K.) is the 2011–2015 finale of the First 30 line, drawn by Juan Kouyoumdjian with input from Michel Desjoyeaux and built by Beneteau USA in Marion, SC. For a shopper scanning the used market, she presents as a 32-foot performance cruiser-racer with twin rudders, a bulb keel, and a square-top rig that reads more offshore campaign than weekend pootle.
Layouts on the Used Market
The boat’s profile is consistent across the production run: a plumb bow with short fixed sprit, maximum beam carried well aft, and a wide transom with outboard twin rudders. Below, the saloon uses two three-seater settees around a drop-leaf table that owners can pull for racing, while a forward V-berth and an aft double of roughly 6-foot-11 by 4-foot-11 inches define sleeping space. The forward berth measures about 6-foot-7 by 4-foot-11 but has a pinched foot; the aft berth looks large yet loses a shoulder corner. Headroom is near six feet. The head has a forward-facing toilet with good heeled bracing, and the galley pairs a pair of gimbaled burners with a sizable fridge but minimal stowage and no full oven. A very large starboard locker and a bow-located 42-gallon water tank round out the practical volume.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most examples will show the standard aluminum mast, with the carbon rig a rarer owner or factory option. The 20-horsepower Yanmar diesel with sail drive and the pair of 70-ampere-hour batteries define the power side; a 105-percent jib helps light-air drive where the swept-back spreaders forbid a big genoa. Factory details worth checking include the dedicated anchor well forward and the port cockpit liferaft locker, plus the leeward-positionable bilge-pump strainer on a hose. Buyers should look at whether a previous owner added a canvas deck cover or an upgraded sail inventory, but the structural and rig fundamentals are what matter most on this design.
What to Inspect
The twin rudders sit far from the centerline sail drive, so you cannot use engine thrust to pivot the stern—test sailors found low-speed maneuvering relies entirely on the rudders’ own authority anchor. The wide swept-back spreaders and mast-well-aft placement limit headsail size; inspect the rigging terminals and the square-top main’s luff hardware, as the sail shape is unconstrained by backstay or runners anchor. The injection-molded balsa-cored deck should be checked for softness or delamination around the huge starboard locker and the liferaft locker, where hardware loads concentrate anchor.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Regional availability is not itemized here, so cast a wide net across normal brokerage channels. For a quick read at the slip:
- Confirm the carbon rig is present only if advertised; standard is aluminum
- Check the leeward bilge-pump hose pickup is intact and movable
- Look for deck core soundness at starboard locker and cockpit lockers
- Note the tight aft berth shoulder and minimal galley stowage before committing to extended cruising
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
2 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J Boats J/92 | 30' | $ 39,407 | 14 | 7 |
| Beneteau First 10 R | 32.75' | $ 79,000 | 14 | 4 |