First 29
Beneteau · Jean-Marie Finot · 1984
Updated
The First 29 is a 8.67 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Jean-Marie Finot and built by Beneteau, first launched in 1984. It races in Class C.
Length
8.67 m
28′ 5″
Beam
3.01 m
Draft
1.63 m
Displacement
3.4 t
Sail area
43 m²
On the podium
Where a First 29 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
18%
of 34 starts by 2 boats
Wins
6%
Read from 34 starts by 2 boats between 2018 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 29 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Aegean Regatta2026
Shorthanded Regatta2024- Regatta Port Varna - General Broker Cup2024
- Aegean Regatta2024
- Shorthanded Regatta2023
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: 9 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
18%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a First 29 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the First 29 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
4.51
40°
Beam reach
7.21
90°
Broad reach
7.73
135°
Downwind VMG
6.88
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.
It does most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is across the wind when it blows, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage to windward as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short on a broad reach in a strong breeze, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
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 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a First 29
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.81 | 3.83 | 4.40 | 4.51 |
| 52° | 4.31 | 5.67 | 6.26 | 6.44 |
| 60° | 4.55 | 5.88 | 6.40 | 6.64 |
| 75° | 4.70 | 6.04 | 6.57 | 6.98 |
| 90° | 4.61 | 6.19 | 6.75 | 7.21 |
| 110° | 4.71 | 6.28 | 6.96 | 7.71 |
| 120° | 4.54 | 6.20 | 6.93 | 7.84 |
| 135° | 4.10 | 5.92 | 6.75 | 7.73 |
| 150° | 3.54 | 5.38 | 6.45 | 7.39 |
| Run VMG | 3.07 | 4.69 | 5.88 | 6.88 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 450 kg.
Rigging
First 29 rig and sail dimensions
A First 29 carries 9.15 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.28 m boom, a forestay 10.66 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 6 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 49 to 58 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.