Figaro Beneteau 3 is the first production foiling monohull yacht in the history of sailing

With the 48th Solitaire du Figaro — the big French single-handed yacht race open to amateurs — having just kicked off on June 4 in Bordeaux, the Groupe Beneteau Racing Division has taken the opportunity to update its progress on the heir to the current Figaro Beneteau 2, the all new Figaro Beneteau 3, a fully foiling solo flyer that will be the first production-built foiling monohull yacht in the history of sailing.

Though Beneteau says it's still a little early to print the ‘announcement of birth’ of what we guess might be Baby Benny, the exciting new yachting creation is said to be going from strength to strength in the privacy of its hangars.

When it launches this October, the Figaro Beneteau 3 will be the first foiling monohull production yacht in the history of sailing, the French yachtmaker says. The 35 footer will eventually make its fleet debut in the Solitaire due Figaro in 2019.

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"In terms of timing, we’re pretty much on track, give or take a couple of weeks," says a delighted Marc Vaillier, head of the program within Groupe Beneteau.

"There are still some additional tweaks, which require a little more time, but we’re managing to stick to our schedule," he adds.

HULL TAKES SHAPE
The hull of the prototype, on which the first sea trials and balance procedures will be conducted before mass production of this flying one-design foiling monohull, is certainly taking shape.

Having been infused, the hull has just had all its bulkheads fitted, the engine’s drive train is in place, and the keel reinforcements are in position. The deck, it too infused, is complete and removed from the mould. The deck fittings will be installed next.

The boatbuilders will dry fit the deck to check all the elements conform and the secondary polyester mouldings (engine housing, companionway) are in place.

The mast is expected to be stepped in July, as the various pieces of the jigsaw gradually come together at Groupe Beneteau’s yard. All the peripheral elements relating to the foils are in the pipeline.

KEEL AND RIG
With an LOA of 10.85m, the foiling monohull will have her ballast fitted in early July and the foils installed the following week.

But it's only after sea trialling that Beneteau will make final decisions about the position of the keel and, ergo, the exact configuration of the keel housing.

The sails have been designed and all that’s left is a discussion to outline the finishing touches between the North Sails sail loft and Yoann Richomme, winner of the 2016 Solitaire Bompard le Figaro, and consultant skipper on the prototype as head of the Measurement and Safety Committee within the Figaro Class.

SEA TRIALS
The new Figaro Beneteau 3 will launch in France’s Vendée region and undergo two months of testing. The sea trials of this very first one-design foiling monohull, designed by naval architects Van Peteghem-Lauriot Prévost, are scheduled for late July and will run for two months.

These trials will assess things like the position of the keel in relation to the mast, which will enable the hull structure to be confirmed. Another crucial point that requires validation and a long test phase is the position of the hardware, which can come down to fine adjustments in millimetres. The resulting decisions will influence the positioning of the reinforcements to the deck foam.

PRODUCTION IN OCTOBER
After all this, the manufacture of the first foiling monohull production yachts in the history of sailing can then commence.

"We have every intention of being in full working order to supply the production line from early October," concludes Vaillier.

Meantime, the Figaro Beneteau 2 will be finish her final season of offshore racing before a much-deserved retirement.

Specifications: Figaro Beneteau 3
LOA: 10.85m
Hull Length: 9.75m
Max Hull Beam: 3.47m
Light Displacement: 2900kg
Certification: ISO Cat A/World sailing

More at this Figaro Beneteau 3 website.