First 42 (Farr)
Beneteau · Bruce Farr · 1993
Updated
The First 42 (Farr) is a 12.69 m displacement racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by Beneteau, first launched in 1993. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 8% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 8% of the boats it races against.
85th of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 97 starts across 32 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.69 m
41′ 8″
Beam
4.13 m
Draft
1.82 m
Displacement
9.1 t
Sail area
90 m²
On the podium
Where a First 42 (Farr) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
44%
of 97 starts by 7 boats
Wins
22%
Read from 97 starts by 7 boats between 2017 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 42 (Farr) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Aegean Regatta2026- Τρίγωνο Καλλιθέας2026
- "Μακης Πανταζης" - Αγκιστρι2026
- "Αιγινα2026
- 3ος Ιστιοπλοϊκός Αγώνας Α/Θ ¨Πέρδικα 2026¨2026
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
58%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
41%
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 42 (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 42 (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
5.37
40°
Beam reach
8.75
90°
Broad reach
9.27
135°
Downwind VMG
8.12
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 one is at home going to windward. Windward-leeward courses give it more of what it is good at than a coastal race does.
Where it gains
Its best ground is across the wind when it blows, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off when it blows, giving away time it never gets back. That is a displacement hull working to its designed speed.
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 42 (Farr)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.38 | 4.71 | 5.25 | 5.37 |
| 52° | 5.26 | 6.97 | 7.56 | 7.76 |
| 60° | 5.61 | 7.22 | 7.78 | 8.02 |
| 75° | 5.86 | 7.44 | 8.02 | 8.44 |
| 90° | 5.79 | 7.53 | 8.19 | 8.75 |
| 110° | 5.72 | 7.64 | 8.41 | 9.23 |
| 120° | 5.51 | 7.52 | 8.36 | 9.45 |
| 135° | 4.91 | 7.11 | 8.11 | 9.27 |
| 150° | 4.11 | 6.30 | 7.69 | 8.74 |
| Run VMG | 3.56 | 5.46 | 6.85 | 8.12 |
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 700 kg.
Rigging
First 42 (Farr) rig and sail dimensions
A First 42 (Farr) carries 14.34 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.25 m boom, a forestay 15.53 m above the deck and a 4.67 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 20 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 100 to 127 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.