First 44.7
Beneteau · Bruce Farr · 2003
Updated
The First 44.7 is a 13.35 m displacement racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by Beneteau, first launched in 2003. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 78% 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 78% of the boats it races against.
21st of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 208 starts across 55 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
13.35 m
43′ 10″
Beam
3.97 m
Draft
2.62 m
Displacement
9.6 t
Sail area
110 m²
On the podium
Where a First 44.7 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
17%
of 208 starts by 16 boats
Wins
5%
Read from 208 starts by 16 boats between 2010 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 44.7 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
25. Bosphorus Cup2026
Aegean Regatta2026- EAYK-TAYK Dogu Ege Yat Sampiyonasi2026
- Friendship Regatta2026
- 32nd Cyclades Regatta - '262026
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
14%
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 44.7 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the First 44.7 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
5.79
38°
Beam reach
9.17
90°
Broad reach
10.28
135°
Downwind VMG
8.66
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 downwind in moderate air, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage upwind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short off the wind in a strong breeze, 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 upwind.
How fast is a First 44.7
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.90 | 5.25 | 5.62 | 5.79 |
| 52° | 5.91 | 7.54 | 7.96 | 8.14 |
| 60° | 6.22 | 7.75 | 8.18 | 8.38 |
| 75° | 6.46 | 7.94 | 8.46 | 8.77 |
| 90° | 6.39 | 8.00 | 8.61 | 9.17 |
| 110° | 6.29 | 8.18 | 8.94 | 9.60 |
| 120° | 6.13 | 8.11 | 8.99 | 10.07 |
| 135° | 5.50 | 7.73 | 8.75 | 10.28 |
| 150° | 4.61 | 6.89 | 8.21 | 9.59 |
| Run VMG | 3.99 | 5.97 | 7.33 | 8.66 |
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 800 kg.
Rigging
First 44.7 rig and sail dimensions
A First 44.7 carries 17.27 m of mainsail hoist on a 6.23 m boom, a forestay 17.50 m above the deck and a 5.61 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 36 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 106 to 195 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.