First 10
Beneteau · Bruce Farr · 2006
Updated
The First 10 is a 9.98 m displacement racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by Beneteau, first launched in 2006. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 77% of the designs it races against. It is at its best in light air and struggles to hold that once it blows.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 77% of the boats it races against.
38th of 159 in its class.
Length
9.98 m
32′ 9″
Beam
3.37 m
Draft
1.99 m
Displacement
4.5 t
Sail area
70 m²
On the podium
Where a First 10 finishes when she goes racing.
Not enough data yet to show how this design finishes. It has not been found in the race results we have collected so far.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 10 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
No regattas found yet.
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: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a First 10 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Not enough data yet to say who this design races against. No result we have collected puts it on the water beside another design we track.
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
5.13
38°
Beam reach
8.18
90°
Broad reach
9.66
135°
Downwind VMG
7.55
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.
There is no obvious weak spot here. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a broad reach when it blows, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short across the wind once it pipes up, giving away time it never gets back. That is a displacement hull working to its designed speed.
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 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the downwind.
How fast is a First 10
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.56 | 4.78 | 5.07 | 5.13 |
| 52° | 5.42 | 6.80 | 7.10 | 7.20 |
| 60° | 5.69 | 6.95 | 7.28 | 7.41 |
| 75° | 5.87 | 7.07 | 7.53 | 7.80 |
| 90° | 5.80 | 7.15 | 7.65 | 8.18 |
| 110° | 5.91 | 7.40 | 8.08 | 8.72 |
| 120° | 5.79 | 7.36 | 8.21 | 9.21 |
| 135° | 5.18 | 7.07 | 7.98 | 9.66 |
| 150° | 4.38 | 6.43 | 7.44 | 8.63 |
| Run VMG | 3.80 | 5.57 | 6.55 | 7.55 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 570 kg.
Rigging
First 10 rig and sail dimensions
A First 10 carries 12.80 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.50 m boom, a forestay 13.17 m above the deck and a 5.01 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 9 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 100 to 112 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.