First 35 (Farr)
Beneteau · Bruce Farr · 2009
Updated
The First 35 (Farr) is a 10.66 m displacement racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by Beneteau, first launched in 2009. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 86% 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 86% of the boats it races against.
23rd of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 471 starts across 106 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
10.66 m
35′ 0″
Beam
3.64 m
Draft
2.20 m
Displacement
5.6 t
Sail area
71 m²
On the podium
Where a First 35 (Farr) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
23%
of 471 starts by 31 boats
Wins
8%
Read from 471 starts by 31 boats between 2010 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 35 (Farr) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
66. Yil Donanma Kupasi2026
Round Aeolian Race 2026 - Campionato Italiano Offshore ORC2026- 25. Bosphorus Cup2026
"Νικολαος Σαρικαβαζης 2026"2026
Klaipėda ORC European Championship2026
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
23%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
24%
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 35 (Farr) actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the First 35 (Farr) 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
5.20
39°
Beam reach
8.32
90°
Broad reach
9.48
135°
Downwind VMG
8.04
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 on a broad reach in a strong breeze, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on the run as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
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 downwind.
How fast is a First 35 (Farr)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.44 | 4.71 | 5.11 | 5.20 |
| 52° | 5.25 | 6.81 | 7.22 | 7.35 |
| 60° | 5.53 | 7.00 | 7.42 | 7.58 |
| 75° | 5.72 | 7.14 | 7.67 | 7.96 |
| 90° | 5.77 | 7.34 | 7.77 | 8.32 |
| 110° | 5.83 | 7.48 | 8.21 | 8.86 |
| 120° | 5.66 | 7.40 | 8.25 | 9.29 |
| 135° | 5.08 | 7.08 | 8.02 | 9.48 |
| 150° | 4.30 | 6.45 | 7.56 | 8.78 |
| Run VMG | 3.73 | 5.58 | 6.84 | 8.04 |
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 640 kg.
Rigging
First 35 (Farr) rig and sail dimensions
A First 35 (Farr) carries 13.98 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.80 m boom, a forestay 14.38 m above the deck and a 4.54 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 54 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 82 to 136 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.
Other designs under the same name
The name has been carried by more than one design. They are different boats.