Overview
The Beneteau First 40 is a Bruce Farr racer-cruiser built by Beneteau, built from 2007 according to sailboatdata.com. Its place in this catalog rests on its ocean racing record: 22 different boats of the design have finished ocean races in the official results (Sydney Hobart).
Design and Construction
sailboatdata.com lists the underbody as fin with bulb and spade rudder, 40.16 ft overall on a 35 ft waterline, with 12.75 ft of beam and 8.04 ft of draft. Displacement is about 16,614 lb with 6,610 lb of ballast, and the fractional sloop carries about 848 sq ft. Sail’s staff describe the hull as injection-molded in a closed mold with polyester resins, fiberglass and a balsa core, with a structural inner liner bonded throughout and a balsa sandwich deck. Two keels were offered, a shallow version drawing 6 ft 4 in and a lead cast-iron T-keel drawing 8 ft, and the T-keel weighs about 760 lb less than the shallow one.
Ocean Racing Record
Ariel (R Forster (1) NSW) finished the Sydney Hobart (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022). Navy One (A Burrows) finished the Sydney Hobart (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025). Two True (Andrew Saies) finished the Sydney Hobart (2009, 2011, 2012, 2016). Wicked (Mark Welsh) finished the Sydney Hobart (2009, 2012, 2016, 2019). Other finishers include Breakthrough, Mayfair, Fruit Salid 3, Chancellor, Blink, Flying Cloud.
Sail’s test crew sailed the First 40 off Marseille and found the rudder feel extremely light and well balanced upwind in 5 to 8 knots of true wind, and made 6.7 knots and more with minimal effort in 15 to 22 knots with three aboard. They noted the removable cockpit lockers can be left on the dock during racing. On the down side, because the saloon table is on the centerline the saloon is not great for laying out sails when racing, and the reviewer wanted more handholds. Launched in Europe about a year before the review, the design had sold about 100 boats and scored first and second places under IRC in the most recent Rolex Sydney Hobart.
