First 36
Beneteau · Sam Manuard · 2022
Updated
The First 36 is a 10.97 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Sam Manuard and built by Beneteau, first launched in 2022. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 79% of the designs it races against. It comes alive as the breeze builds, and gives time away in the light.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 79% of the boats it races against.
20th of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 67 starts across 31 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
10.97 m
36′ 0″
Beam
3.79 m
Draft
2.23 m
Displacement
4.8 t
Sail area
77 m²
On the podium
Where a First 36 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
3%
of 67 starts by 19 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 67 starts by 19 boats between 2023 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 36 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Andros Race 2026 - Eurobank Private Bank Cup2026
Trofeo Regularidad2026- Rodos Cup2026
- Aegean 6002026
73° Loro Piana Giraglia2026
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
18%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
0%
of these races end on the podium
Sharper round the buoys. Short courses reward acceleration and manoeuvring, and that is where this design makes its money.
Who she races against
The designs a First 36 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Este 39 (7 meetings), Dufour 455 (7 meetings), TP 52 (Carkeek) (7 meetings), First 36.7 (7 meetings), Swan 47 (6 meetings), Sun Fast 40.3 (6 meetings), J/35 (6 meetings), Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) (6 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the First 36 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
5.51
39°
Beam reach
9.29
90°
Broad reach
11.75
135°
Downwind VMG
8.79
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 is a boat that wants breeze. Give it a fresh day and long legs and it delivers more than it promised; in a drifter it is working uphill.
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
It falls short upwind when the breeze is soft, giving away time it never gets back.
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 1.8 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a First 36
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.50 | 4.90 | 5.39 | 5.51 |
| 52° | 5.40 | 7.14 | 7.68 | 7.87 |
| 60° | 5.72 | 7.38 | 7.94 | 8.19 |
| 75° | 5.94 | 7.55 | 8.26 | 8.76 |
| 90° | 6.04 | 7.80 | 8.39 | 9.29 |
| 110° | 6.24 | 8.10 | 9.04 | 10.21 |
| 120° | 6.12 | 8.05 | 9.32 | 10.84 |
| 135° | 5.44 | 7.67 | 8.98 | 11.75 |
| 150° | 4.56 | 6.83 | 8.16 | 10.14 |
| Run VMG | 3.96 | 5.91 | 7.08 | 8.79 |
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 680 kg.
Rigging
First 36 rig and sail dimensions
A First 36 carries 14.35 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.68 m boom, a forestay 14.27 m above the deck and a 5.78 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 38 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 100 to 167 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.