trainer
Member
Not seen much mention of First yachts on forum, are they rare. Should I consider a First as a first boat? Any of you guys any views or experience of them?
mark
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mark
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First 33.7
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Salty
Well-Known Member
I've got a First 35S7. Nice boat - fast, good accomodation, well built. Obviously the Firsts are the more 'racey' of the Beneteau range, which means they have relatively more sail and bits of string compared to their Oceanis boats which are more obviously 'cruisey' in nature. That means it can be a bit of a handful short-handed in a decent breeze, but the flip side is that it can show a clean pair of heels to most other AWBs.
Mine was ex-charter and despite having had a tough life was still in pretty good condition - so they seem to be well built. Mine was from 1994, the survey (I bought it in 2000) showed up nothing untoward.
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Mine was ex-charter and despite having had a tough life was still in pretty good condition - so they seem to be well built. Mine was from 1994, the survey (I bought it in 2000) showed up nothing untoward.
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trainer
Member
That would explain why the 'details' talk about how much she has been raced. If a boat has been raced - is that a problem or does it show that someone who knows what they are doing has been using her, how does 'charter' compare with 'raced'?
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mark
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Salty
Well-Known Member
The advantage of charter was that it was definitely reflected in the price, whereas an ex-race boat is less likely to be (partly because it will be sold on the strength of all the race extras, various sets of sails, probably loads of electronics, etc etc. Ex-charter may not have been sailed that much... it's the engines that take an absolute hammering. Mine was completely shot, but the only thing on the boat that had suffered from charter abuse.
I wouldn't count on ex-race meaning an owner who knows what he's doing. Even if he does, he'll have had six gorillas on board who'll winch the buggery out of everything in the happy knowledge that its not their boat. Certainly the rig will have had a lot of strain: broaches / accidental gybes / going aground at speed while tide hopping are all part and parcel of racing.
I'd think of it a bit like a car: would you buy a used car that had been raced on a track even if the owner was a well known driver? Of course if you're looking to race yourself then you may as well buy a boat that's been raced...
So in summary, I'd be very careful about buying ex-race and ex-charter, but slightly more relaxed about ex-charter, IMHO. Get a good survey if you do go ahead - mine was useful in spotting a couple of things I'd have never have noticed which I had repaired at the vendors expense before buying.
If you want any specific advice on Firsts, feel free to PM me.
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I wouldn't count on ex-race meaning an owner who knows what he's doing. Even if he does, he'll have had six gorillas on board who'll winch the buggery out of everything in the happy knowledge that its not their boat. Certainly the rig will have had a lot of strain: broaches / accidental gybes / going aground at speed while tide hopping are all part and parcel of racing.
I'd think of it a bit like a car: would you buy a used car that had been raced on a track even if the owner was a well known driver? Of course if you're looking to race yourself then you may as well buy a boat that's been raced...
So in summary, I'd be very careful about buying ex-race and ex-charter, but slightly more relaxed about ex-charter, IMHO. Get a good survey if you do go ahead - mine was useful in spotting a couple of things I'd have never have noticed which I had repaired at the vendors expense before buying.
If you want any specific advice on Firsts, feel free to PM me.
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Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Funny you should mention that
>Even if he does, he'll have had six gorillas on board who'll winch the buggery out of everything <
Went for a jolly on a First 36.7 this summer. Unfortunately the No 1 genny wasn't available. The previous day the boat had been raced. They hoisted the genoa rock hard. Then they wound on some backstay tension, and pulled the head out of the genny. Hey ho.
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>Even if he does, he'll have had six gorillas on board who'll winch the buggery out of everything <
Went for a jolly on a First 36.7 this summer. Unfortunately the No 1 genny wasn't available. The previous day the boat had been raced. They hoisted the genoa rock hard. Then they wound on some backstay tension, and pulled the head out of the genny. Hey ho.
<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>
david_e
Well-Known Member
I have a 31.7, bought it new a year ago although it had been raced by the dealer twice (and won convincingly). Mine is set up primarily for cruising although I did put perfromance crusing sails and spinaker on it, it is no more difficult to sail than any other boat in practice.
To echo what has already been said about performance, it is a slippery well behaved boat that sails really well. We race ours occasionaly (this is my passion) and with a novice crew have had good results. When we go cruising, mainly day sailing, the benefit of the First is that you can enjoy the sail as much as the journey if you get my drift.
They are very well built although the "you get what you pay for" formula comes into play - they are not a Swan - in particular with the interior fittings. That said, we have done countless week-ends and over 40 recorded passages this year and she still looks like new inside.
Buying an ex-race boat can be no worse than an ex cruiser. Many a race owner will spend, spend, spend to keep the boat in good nick and invariably most will be experienced owners who use the boat regularly. This is better than a boat that has been sat idle, gently corroding away. You need to make enquiries, see the log book, look at the race results in the club, talk to people who know the boat and then make your own mind up about a realistic price before getting a survey - then look at the evidence, don't be put off by myth!
PM if you want more info.
Good luck.
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To echo what has already been said about performance, it is a slippery well behaved boat that sails really well. We race ours occasionaly (this is my passion) and with a novice crew have had good results. When we go cruising, mainly day sailing, the benefit of the First is that you can enjoy the sail as much as the journey if you get my drift.
They are very well built although the "you get what you pay for" formula comes into play - they are not a Swan - in particular with the interior fittings. That said, we have done countless week-ends and over 40 recorded passages this year and she still looks like new inside.
Buying an ex-race boat can be no worse than an ex cruiser. Many a race owner will spend, spend, spend to keep the boat in good nick and invariably most will be experienced owners who use the boat regularly. This is better than a boat that has been sat idle, gently corroding away. You need to make enquiries, see the log book, look at the race results in the club, talk to people who know the boat and then make your own mind up about a realistic price before getting a survey - then look at the evidence, don't be put off by myth!
PM if you want more info.
Good luck.
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Jeremy_W
Well-Known Member
I trimmed main on a 337 for a couple of seasons' racing round the cans. There's a lot of power in the rig so be careful to reef early as the wind rises or it will get hairy very quickly. So find a reefing system that your crew can work quickly and smoothly. The yacht's delightful to sail in light winds (as all overpowered yachts are).
Down below the curved settees are very tasteful but I never worked out how many berths there were (or how many were actually useable at sea) because I only ever raced and never cruised the yacht. On the "owner" version there's a port locker so large you have to send search parties down there - you'd need to sort out a racking sytem of some sort down there or after a rough channel crossing everything will be in such a jumble that you'll be unable to find anything.
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Down below the curved settees are very tasteful but I never worked out how many berths there were (or how many were actually useable at sea) because I only ever raced and never cruised the yacht. On the "owner" version there's a port locker so large you have to send search parties down there - you'd need to sort out a racking sytem of some sort down there or after a rough channel crossing everything will be in such a jumble that you'll be unable to find anything.
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beancounter
Well-Known Member
I did my Day Skipper earlier this year on a First 33.7 (East Anglia Sea School have 3). To my (relatively inexperienced) eye, she seemed to handle the rather choppy conditions well - certainly the Memsahib (who was on board doing her CC, and is by her own admission a bit of a wuss when it comes to bad weather) was not fazed by the boat's response.
Given the "cruiser/racer" billing of the boat, living aboard was not radically different to the out & out cruising yachts we've had on flotilla. The somewhat asymetric forecabin (due to the intrusion of the heads compartment), was a little odd though.
EASS have these boats available for charter if you fancy trying one
John
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Given the "cruiser/racer" billing of the boat, living aboard was not radically different to the out & out cruising yachts we've had on flotilla. The somewhat asymetric forecabin (due to the intrusion of the heads compartment), was a little odd though.
EASS have these boats available for charter if you fancy trying one
John
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qsiv
Well-Known Member
Re: Funny you should mention that
I once sailed with Angus Primrose on Green Highlander, before she was handed over to her owner. The genny was a bit long in the foot, so as a good lad (I couldnt have been more than 12), I stopped winching when the clew reached the block. A stream of anglo saxon ensued, and I was 'encouraged' to wind the excess sail through the block, so the sail could be sheeted in tight....
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I once sailed with Angus Primrose on Green Highlander, before she was handed over to her owner. The genny was a bit long in the foot, so as a good lad (I couldnt have been more than 12), I stopped winching when the clew reached the block. A stream of anglo saxon ensued, and I was 'encouraged' to wind the excess sail through the block, so the sail could be sheeted in tight....
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