First 41
Beneteau · Jean Berret · 1988
Updated
The First 41 is a 12.30 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Jean Berret and built by Beneteau, first launched in 1988. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 63% 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 63% of the boats it races against.
59th of 159 in its class.
Updated — Race Edge up from 36 to 61. It now races in Class C rather than Class B, and is set against a different field. The gain shows most in medium and heavy air.
This design has been found in real race results — 177 starts across 41 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.30 m
40′ 4″
Beam
3.90 m
Draft
1.97 m
Displacement
7.5 t
Sail area
85 m²
On the podium
Where a First 41 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
10%
of 177 starts by 5 boats
Wins
2%
Read from 177 starts by 5 boats between 2018 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 41 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Πορος 2026"2026
Lliga Creuers2026- Rodos Cup2026
- XXX Lliga Social CMPO2026
- "Φιλιας Σ.ε.ν.α.δ.π. - Ν.ο.δ2026
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
8%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
14%
of these races end on the podium
Better the longer it gets. Boats that settle into a groove and hold it gain ground once the course stops turning.
Who she races against
The designs a First 41 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the First 41 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
5.15
40°
Beam reach
8.52
90°
Broad reach
9.41
135°
Downwind VMG
8.06
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 across the wind in moderate air, where it goes better than its measurements say it should.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off 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 beam reach.
How fast is a First 41
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.45 | 4.69 | 5.06 | 5.15 |
| 52° | 5.31 | 6.88 | 7.30 | 7.44 |
| 60° | 5.63 | 7.12 | 7.54 | 7.71 |
| 75° | 5.86 | 7.31 | 7.80 | 8.14 |
| 90° | 5.76 | 7.42 | 7.99 | 8.52 |
| 110° | 5.79 | 7.55 | 8.28 | 9.02 |
| 120° | 5.62 | 7.48 | 8.29 | 9.39 |
| 135° | 4.95 | 7.08 | 8.02 | 9.41 |
| 150° | 4.12 | 6.29 | 7.55 | 8.73 |
| Run VMG | 3.58 | 5.45 | 6.81 | 8.06 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 480 kg.
Rigging
First 41 rig and sail dimensions
A First 41 carries 15.11 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.10 m boom, a forestay 15.02 m above the deck and a 4.60 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 14 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 82 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.