First 34.7
Beneteau · Bruce Farr · 2005
Updated
The First 34.7 is a 9.98 m displacement racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by Beneteau, first launched in 2005. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 75% 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 75% of the boats it races against.
40th of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 916 starts across 144 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
9.98 m
32′ 9″
Beam
3.37 m
Draft
2.00 m
Displacement
4.6 t
Sail area
61 m²
On the podium
Where a First 34.7 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
20%
of 916 starts by 43 boats
Wins
6%
Read from 916 starts by 43 boats between 2013 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 34.7 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
66. Yil Donanma Kupasi2026
Round Aeolian Race 2026 - Campionato Italiano Offshore ORC2026
"Πανελληνιο Κυπελο ORCI 2026"2026- Aegean Regatta2026
Trofeo Regularidad2026
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
19%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
19%
of these races end on the podium
Level across both. Plenty of designs fall away once the course gets long — a light hull that thrives round the cans can struggle through a night at sea. This one does not.
Who she races against
The designs a First 34.7 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the First 34.7 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
5.10
39°
Beam reach
8.12
90°
Broad reach
9.26
135°
Downwind VMG
7.54
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 cracked off when it blows, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
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 34.7
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.35 | 4.58 | 5.01 | 5.10 |
| 52° | 5.12 | 6.60 | 7.05 | 7.18 |
| 60° | 5.40 | 6.79 | 7.23 | 7.40 |
| 75° | 5.61 | 6.94 | 7.44 | 7.77 |
| 90° | 5.69 | 7.15 | 7.58 | 8.12 |
| 110° | 5.75 | 7.31 | 8.04 | 8.71 |
| 120° | 5.61 | 7.24 | 8.07 | 9.18 |
| 135° | 5.05 | 6.92 | 7.79 | 9.26 |
| 150° | 4.26 | 6.29 | 7.31 | 8.48 |
| Run VMG | 3.70 | 5.45 | 6.53 | 7.54 |
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 34.7 rig and sail dimensions
A First 34.7 carries 12.69 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.47 m boom, a forestay 13.16 m above the deck and a 4.99 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 72 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 65 to 124 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.