2022 Beneteau First 36 teased ahead of official debut

The new Beneteau First 36 is a collaboration between French ocean racing naval architects Sam Manuard Yacht Design, New Zealand-based structural engineers Pure Design & Engineering, Italian designer Lorenzo Argento – who worked on Beneteau’s first First – and Slovenian research and innovations group Gigodesign.

The Beneteau First 36 is first and foremost a shorthanded sailing boat. Its budget-conscious design includes an aluminium mast and cast iron keel.

“Designed by sailors, for sailors, the boat has no features without purpose,” Beneteau said.

“Thanks to its wide modern hull, the largest living space in its class will offer comfort comparable to the successful Beneteau First 40.7, with plenty of smart solutions to make living onboard a great experience.”

According to Beneteau, the First 36 will have a very low displacement that will help it plane in medium winds even when fully crewed. It said the First 36 would aim to be a perfect short-handed club racer and a capable family cruiser.

“Details like an offshore hatch on the foredeck or removable cockpit benches show the priority of sailing functionality over style used throughout the design process,” Beneteau said.

“Standard aluminium rig and cast iron keel were chosen to keep the boat accessible, yet, Sam Manuard brought his experience and focused on perfecting the shape and design of these two key ingredients for a great sailing experience. 

“The draft of 2.25 metres was chosen as a compromise between performance and ease of use.”

The cockpit also features six winches, which suits both short-handed – with lines running to the windward side – and fully crewed “legs in” sailing.

In cruising mode, the Beneteau First 36 uses the cockpit as a dinette, with an ultralight swim platform folding out of the transom.

Below decks, the Beneteau First 36 will feature three separate accommodations – two abaft and one forward in the bow.

Separating the forward and aft accommodations is a large saloon space including two lounges, a navigator’s station with a full-size map table that’s big enough to double as an away-from-home office, a compact galley with a central fridge, and a wet head.

The Beneteau First 36 will have its first showing at Boot Dusseldorf, Germany’s premier boat show, in January 2022.