Figaro 1
Beneteau · Jean-Marie Finot · 1992
Updated
The Figaro 1 is a 9.15 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Jean-Marie Finot and built by Beneteau, first launched in 1992. It races in Class C.
Length
9.15 m
30′ 0″
Beam
3.23 m
Draft
1.81 m
Displacement
2.9 t
Sail area
48 m²
On the podium
Where a Figaro 1 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
23%
of 13 starts by 1 boat
Wins
8%
Read from 13 starts by 1 boat between 2021 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Figaro 1 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2026- LA GRANDE BOA 2026 - Trofeo Com.te Belloni2026
- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2025
- Coppa Regina dei Paesi Bassi2025
- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2024
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: 7 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: 6 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Figaro 1 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Dufour 44 (7 meetings), Sun Fast 37 (7 meetings), First 260 (7 meetings), First 33.7 (7 meetings), Elan 310 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 40 (Paperini) (5 meetings), Pogo 50 (3 meetings), First 34.7 (3 meetings), J/122 (2 meetings), Bolt 37 (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 44 (Polli) (2 meetings), X-35 (3 meetings), M 34 (2 meetings), Este 39 (2 meetings), J/112 (2 meetings), IMX 40 (2 meetings), T 34 (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 43 (Maletto) (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) (2 meetings), Elan 31 (Humphreys) (2 meetings), Pierrot 9.16 (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 39 (Maletto) (4 meetings), Dufour 34 (2 meetings), Swan 54 (2 meetings), Centurion 40 (2 meetings), Swan 45 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 65 (1 meeting), Solaris 55 (1 meeting), First 45 (Briand) (2 meetings), Farr 30 (1 meeting), Comet 41 (1 meeting), Sun Odyssey 45.2 (1 meeting), Comet 45 (1 meeting), M 37 (1 meeting), Bonin 31 (1 meeting), Sun Fast 3600 (1 meeting), Archambault 40 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Figaro 1 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
4.62
40°
Beam reach
7.97
90°
Broad reach
9.66
135°
Downwind VMG
7.79
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
The stronger it blows, the better this design looks. On a windy coastal course it is in its element; on a light-air windward-leeward it has to be sailed well to hold on.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a broad reach once it pipes up, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage downwind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short upwind when it blows, giving away time it never gets back. That is a hull that will lift and run given enough breeze.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 1.2 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Figaro 1
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.19 | 4.32 | 4.63 | 4.62 |
| 52° | 4.86 | 6.29 | 6.66 | 6.74 |
| 60° | 5.12 | 6.50 | 6.89 | 7.02 |
| 75° | 5.31 | 6.68 | 7.20 | 7.50 |
| 90° | 5.34 | 6.78 | 7.34 | 7.97 |
| 110° | 5.42 | 7.03 | 7.77 | 8.45 |
| 120° | 5.29 | 6.96 | 7.92 | 9.09 |
| 135° | 4.75 | 6.66 | 7.68 | 9.66 |
| 150° | 4.03 | 6.05 | 7.17 | 8.76 |
| Run VMG | 3.48 | 5.25 | 6.48 | 7.79 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 220 kg.
Rigging
Figaro 1 rig and sail dimensions
A Figaro 1 carries 11.19 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.77 m boom, a forestay 12.28 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails