First 305
Beneteau · Jean Berret · 1985
Updated
The First 305 is a 9.30 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Jean Berret and built by Beneteau, first launched in 1985. It races in Class C.
Length
9.30 m
30′ 6″
Beam
3.22 m
Draft
1.73 m
Displacement
3.9 t
Sail area
44 m²
On the podium
Where a First 305 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
33%
of 12 starts by 3 boats
Wins
8%
Read from 12 starts by 3 boats between 2018 and 2019, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 305 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Aegean Regatta2019
151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2019- Almyropotamos Race2018
- Aegean Regatta2018
- Evripos Cup2018
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: 3 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: 9 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a First 305 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
First 44.7 (5 meetings), Dufour 34 (5 meetings), Attalia 32 (4 meetings), IMX 38 (4 meetings), Sigma 33 (4 meetings), First 456 (4 meetings), First 45 (Farr) (4 meetings), Dufour 45 (4 meetings), Atlantic 31 (4 meetings), First 32 (4 meetings), First 29 (4 meetings), First 42 (Farr) (4 meetings), Bavaria 350 (4 meetings), JOD 35 (4 meetings), Hanse 370 (4 meetings), Dufour 38 (4 meetings), Discovery 300 (4 meetings), Bavaria Match 35 (4 meetings), Hood 38 (4 meetings), Comet 850 (2 meetings), Sunrise 35 (2 meetings), First 31.7 (2 meetings), Dufour 334 (2 meetings), Comfortina 36 (2 meetings), Albin Ballad (2 meetings), Sun Odyssey 36.2 (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 40 (Paperini) (2 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the First 305 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
4.48
40°
Beam reach
7.21
90°
Broad reach
7.91
135°
Downwind VMG
6.96
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.
This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on the run once the breeze fills, where it goes better than its measurements say it should. It holds that advantage on the beam as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short off the wind when it blows, 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 305
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.84 | 3.90 | 4.41 | 4.48 |
| 52° | 4.37 | 5.76 | 6.29 | 6.46 |
| 60° | 4.62 | 5.97 | 6.46 | 6.66 |
| 75° | 4.77 | 6.14 | 6.65 | 6.99 |
| 90° | 4.79 | 6.31 | 6.78 | 7.21 |
| 110° | 4.87 | 6.44 | 7.05 | 7.75 |
| 120° | 4.70 | 6.34 | 7.03 | 7.96 |
| 135° | 4.20 | 6.05 | 6.84 | 7.91 |
| 150° | 3.61 | 5.49 | 6.55 | 7.49 |
| Run VMG | 3.13 | 4.78 | 5.98 | 6.96 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 430 kg.
Rigging
First 305 rig and sail dimensions
A First 305 carries 9.83 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.29 m boom, a forestay 11.32 m above the deck and a 3.67 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 7 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails