The new First 30 is a bold choice for one of the largest sailboat builders in the world. An entirely new design by Juan Kouyoumdjian (with technical input from double Vendee Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux), it features twin rudders, torpedo keel, full-width traveller and no backstay.
As the rockstar designer du jour, getting Juan K to take on a moderately priced 30-foot sailboat is a major coup. (for those who don’t know, Juan K is perhaps best known as the designer of the 2005 Volvo 70 winners, ABN Amro 1 and 2. Then he designed the winner of the 2008 – 2009 Volvo Ocean Race, Ericsson 4.)
Juan’s influence is heavily felt on this boat, working within the parameters set by Beneteau. You see it in the shape of the hull, with the short, fixed bowsprit, wide hips and blunt bow. The aggressive rig. The full-width traveller in the stern, and gross and fine-tune controls on the mainsheet. The foot-braces on the deck. The First 30 is optimised for IRC racing, with a choice of aluminum or carbon rigs, at least in Europe.
So the design is bold and innovative. But how does it sail? How does it look down below? Would you spend a week with your family on it? Read on for more…
Pros
First off, this is a fast boat. Torpedo keel, wide stern designed for surfing, and aggressive rig (SA/D ratios of around 25). We’ll have to see how the rating turns out (preliminary IRC is 1.001, or about 92 PHRF), but overall, the boat promises to be a fantastic downwind ride, while being fast enough upwind for you to enjoy it. I’d expect this to be a good choice in any venue which gets 15 to 20 knots regularly due to its surfing potential.
I really like the twin rudders – these add great control while being heeled over, while also eliminating vibration from the prop wash on a traditional, single rudder. Of course, you can’t direct the thrust of the 20 horsepower saildrive in the same way, but with a boat of this small size, you have pretty good control manuevering. The twin rudders also help the boat maneuver under sail.
The boat sails well, too. In our 6 to 10 knots, both uphill and downhill, it almost sailed itself. Even when relatively powered up with a big asym chute, you could let go of the beefy tiller and it would continue on its own.
The sail control systems are fantastic. Really love the traveller – full width (and I do mean full – check out those photos) – and with easy-to-use control lines. No backstay at all – use the traveller, the mainsheet, vang sheeting, and, ultimately, a reef if it is over 20. Low-profile roller furler on the jib is another nice touch – lets you put a little more sail area on it down low.
The design team also really nailed the little things – for example, netting underneath the traveler cars to keep any lines up and out of the way, the spinnaker halyard coming back on the port winch, allowing you to cross-sheet during the set. Also, foot supports (although please get some non-nylon bushings so they don’t drive you crazy with their squeaking) in the cockpit. Farther aft, the foot blocks aft to allow the helmsman to stand comfortably out of the way of a dedicated main and jib trimmer. Adjustable jib cars. Beefy lifeline supports. Hockey-pucks on the exit of the clutchs to allow easy cross-sheeting. Great tiller design and strength. Innovative mainsheet system. On-deck life raft. Bottom line: the sailing setup is one of the best I’ve seen.
What about cruising? First, the good. This boat has a real interior. The overall design down below is well executed. This is a good layout. Aft head, forward main cabin, quarterberth for kids or race crew. It works. To have a full navigation station, forward stateroom with standing room and closing doors, and kitchen on a 30 foot race boat is impressive. Six feet of head room, including in the head / shower. And there is good storage in the starboard quarter due to the wide beam. Remarkable.
Down below, the navigation station with a flip-up chair is a really positive solution for a 30 foot boat. The shallow keel has a electric bilge pump with an attached hose and strainer so that you can reach the other sections of the bilge as the boat heels.
For cruising, the sail controls actually work pretty well too. There is a full six feet of headroom in the cockpit under the boom – an important safety issue. No backstays simplifies the controls. The big cockpit is comfortable for guests, with wide sitting area for the driver or for lounging in the cockpit. No traveller to step over, either. It would be hard to rig a dodger, however, although it apparently is a relatively dry boat – hard to tell in the Chesapeake chop.
Cons
Topside, overall this boat is sorted out, but there are a couple things which didn’t quite work for me. It does have the usual Beneteau non-skid, and a white plastic look – not my favorite. But the non-skid worked well on my bare feet and sailing shoes. Stylistically, the ‘eyebrows’ look over the window is a bit much, but may be slightly functional as well.
We will have to see about the racing potential of this boat – I was concerned about the lack of a 155% jib for the PHRF racer (the shrouds go all the way outboard). But with the mast moved back, the jib ends up being a big 107% or so. It is a shame that so much of a boat’s worth is defined by racing performance and rating rules, but this is the First series, after all.
But several things down below made me think it was not as well polished as the topsides. Things which I noticed on my early version – hopefully they’ll be fixed by the later hull numbers. First, the ‘handrails’ down below – a thin birch piece – will not last past the first offshore trip in this vessel – really not sure what they were thinking (the First 35 has robust steel handrails). Second, the light next to the nav station – permanently attached – prevents you from opening the access panel for the electronics. Third, the handle for the aft stateroom hits the safety bar for the stove. You can use it to hold the door open if you jam it in, but it isn’t a delicate solution. Finally, due to the placement of the engine, you lose a portion of the aft stateroom. Instead of a double, you end up with a single with some extra space along the centerline. Also, the joinery work has a lot of sharp edges which would beat you up over time as you access the cabinetry.
Fuel and water will be limited, but this isn’t a boat you’re likely to sail across an ocean.
Conclusions
This is an impressive boat. The more you look at it, the more you realize the design team really put a lot of effort into getting the systems right for sailors. Go though the Pro list – they nailed all the key sail handling systems. On the down side, this is a production boat built to a price point. You see that down below with cabinetry and a look and feel which is on par, but not better than the typical Beneteau offering. This is a good looking interior, but not one built with a price-no-object ethos.
In the end, it is all about value. With a base price of $100,000, plus an extra $25k for sails and electronics, this is a lot of bang for your buck. You can’t get a good 10-year-old J/105 for that. Compare to the Jenneau SunFast (PHRF around 81, at $182,000 sailaway), and the J/95 (PHRF 109, at $179,000 with the carbon rig, including $20k of sails, electronics and delivery fees). In the end, you could take this boat out for the weekend series with the race crew, and then cruise with a family for a week. You’d get some looks, but you’d also have more time exploring the town.
Recommended
3.5 stars (out of four)
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