First 50
Beneteau · Philippe Briand · 2006
Updated
The First 50 is a 14.97 m displacement racing yacht designed by Philippe Briand and built by Beneteau, first launched in 2006. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 29% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 29% of the boats it races against.
33rd of 46 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 35 starts across 13 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
14.97 m
49′ 1″
Beam
4.37 m
Draft
2.78 m
Displacement
13.4 t
Sail area
132 m²
On the podium
Where a First 50 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
0%
of 35 starts by 5 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 35 starts by 5 boats between 2016 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 50 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Round Aeolian Race 2026 - Campionato Italiano Offshore ORC2026- ORC World Championship2026
- Edison Next Italian Offshore Sailing Championship - Campionato Italiano Assoluto d’Altura2025
- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2025
- 70a Regata dei Tre Golfi2025
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
0%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
0%
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 50 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Dufour 40 (7 meetings), Sly 42 (7 meetings), Corel 45 (7 meetings), HH 42 (7 meetings), X-332 (6 meetings), Elan 410 (7 meetings), First 47.7 (6 meetings), First 31.7 (7 meetings), Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) (5 meetings), Grand Soleil 48 (6 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the First 50 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
6.01
39°
Beam reach
9.61
90°
Broad reach
10.73
135°
Downwind VMG
8.96
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 reach in moderate air, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, 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 on a broad reach 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 50
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.84 | 5.32 | 5.81 | 6.01 |
| 52° | 5.90 | 7.79 | 8.34 | 8.54 |
| 60° | 6.25 | 8.06 | 8.59 | 8.81 |
| 75° | 6.51 | 8.26 | 8.87 | 9.23 |
| 90° | 6.47 | 8.35 | 9.00 | 9.61 |
| 110° | 6.49 | 8.57 | 9.39 | 10.14 |
| 120° | 6.29 | 8.50 | 9.45 | 10.58 |
| 135° | 5.60 | 8.04 | 9.16 | 10.73 |
| 150° | 4.68 | 7.08 | 8.61 | 9.90 |
| Run VMG | 4.05 | 6.13 | 7.53 | 8.96 |
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 930 kg.
Rigging
First 50 rig and sail dimensions
A First 50 carries 18.49 m of mainsail hoist on a 6.49 m boom, a forestay 19.02 m above the deck and a 5.78 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 18 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 123 to 208 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.