First 325
Beneteau · Jean Berret · 1985
Updated
The First 325 is a 9.87 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Jean Berret and built by Beneteau, first launched in 1985. It races in Class C.
Length
9.87 m
32′ 5″
Beam
3.38 m
Draft
1.83 m
Displacement
4.6 t
Sail area
54 m²
On the podium
Where a First 325 finishes when she goes racing.
0
Wins
1
Seconds
0
Thirds
1
Starts
Not enough races yet for a percentage — these are the counts so far. We keep collecting results, so this will fill in.
Read from 1 start by 1 boat between 2020, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 325 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Μιλτος Γιαννουλης2020
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
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Not enough data yet: 1 race over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a First 325 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Met too few times for a figure:
Dehler 34 (Stadt) (1 meeting), JPK 960 (1 meeting), Sunrise 35 (1 meeting), Bavaria Cruiser 36 (1 meeting), Dehler 36 (Stadt) (1 meeting), Moody 33 (1 meeting), Sun Odyssey 32.1 (1 meeting), First 32 (1 meeting)
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
4.68
39°
Beam reach
7.44
90°
Broad reach
8.12
135°
Downwind VMG
7.11
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 upwind once the breeze fills, where it outruns what it looks like on paper.
Where it pays
It falls short on a broad reach once it pipes up, 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 upwind.
How fast is a First 325
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.09 | 4.20 | 4.63 | 4.68 |
| 52° | 4.73 | 6.09 | 6.53 | 6.64 |
| 60° | 4.97 | 6.26 | 6.68 | 6.84 |
| 75° | 5.12 | 6.40 | 6.85 | 7.19 |
| 90° | 5.03 | 6.54 | 7.06 | 7.44 |
| 110° | 5.11 | 6.63 | 7.27 | 8.03 |
| 120° | 4.94 | 6.54 | 7.21 | 8.22 |
| 135° | 4.43 | 6.25 | 7.04 | 8.12 |
| 150° | 3.79 | 5.72 | 6.75 | 7.74 |
| Run VMG | 3.29 | 4.98 | 6.13 | 7.11 |
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 400 kg.
Rigging
First 325 rig and sail dimensions
A First 325 carries 10.90 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.60 m boom, a forestay 12.68 m above the deck and a 3.92 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 3 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 64 to 81 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.