Beneteau First 26
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The Beneteau First 26 is a French
sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...
that was designed by
Jean-Marie Finot Group Finot is a French boat design company based in Jouy-en-Josas. Founded by Jean-Marie Finot, the company specializes in the design of fiberglass sailboats. The company also collaborates with designer Pascal Conq as ''Groupe Finot - Conq'' ...
of
Groupe Finot Group Finot is a French boat design company based in Jouy-en-Josas. Founded by Jean-Marie Finot, the company specializes in the design of fiberglass sailboats. The company also collaborates with designer Pascal Conq as ''Groupe Finot - Conq'' ...
as a
cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
- racer and first built in 1984.


Production

The design was built by
Beneteau Beneteau or Bénéteau () is a French sail and motor boat manufacturer, with production facilities in France and in the United States. The company is a large and recognized boat builder, commanding a substantial worldwide market, with its holdi ...
in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
from 1984 to 1991 with about 300 examples completed, but it is now out of production.


Design

The First 26 is a recreational
keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open wat ...
, built predominantly of
fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...
, with wood trim. The deck is a sandwich of
balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...
, fiberglass and
polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...
. It has a deck-stepped mast with
aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
spars, a
masthead sloop A masthead rig on a sailing vessel consists of a forestay and backstay both attached at the top of the mast. The Bermuda rig can be split into two groups: the masthead rig and the fractional rig. The masthead rig has larger and more headsails, a ...
rig, a
raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...
, a slightly
reverse transom A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline. The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transvers ...
, a transom-hung
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...
controlled by a
tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...
and a fixed fin
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
or, optionally, a stub keel and
centreboard A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a ''centreboard trunk'' (UK) or ''centerboard case'' (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised t ...
. It has of headroom in the main cabin and sleeping accommodation for five people. The boat is fitted with a Swedish
Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
2001
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . The design can be equipped with a symmetrical
spinnaker A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a reach (wind at 90° to the course) to downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinnakers are constructed of lightweight fabric, usually n ...
with an area of . The boat has a
hull speed Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to-tro ...
of .


Variants

;First 26 fin keel :This model displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. ;First 26 centreboard :This model displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centreboard retracted and with the centreboard extended.


Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote about the boat, "best features: The cabin layout is refreshingly unusual, with a dedicated space for a navigator's station, a head located aft, and a complete-looking galley (except for no icebox!). Worst features: The diesel engine, housed under the companionway ladder, will make the aft double berth hot in summer (but cozy in winter, if you like sailing among the icicles)."Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 323.
International Marine S&P Global Inc. (prior to April 2016 McGraw Hill Financial, Inc., and prior to 2013 The McGraw–Hill Companies, Inc.) is an American publicly traded corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Its primary areas of business are financ ...
/
McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes referenc ...
, 2010.


See also

*
List of sailing boat types The following is a partial list of sailboat types and sailing classes, including keelboats, dinghies and multihull ( catamarans and trimarans). Olympic classes World Sailing Classes Historically known as the IYRU (International Yacht Racing ...
Similar sailboats *
Beneteau First 265 The Beneteau First 265 is a French sailboat, that was designed by Group Finot and first built in 1990. The Beneteau First 265 design was developed into the Beneteau Oceanis 281 in 1995. Production The design was built by Beneteau in France a ...
*
C&C 26 The C&C 26 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by C&C Design and first built in 1976. The C&C 26 design was developed into the C&C 26 Encounter in 1978. The C&C 26 Wave is a similarly named boat, but is actually a development of the C&C ...
*
C&C 26 Wave The C&C 26 Wave is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by C&C designer Robert W. Ball and first built in 1988. Despite its name, the C&C 26 Wave is a development of the C&C 27 Mark V and not the C&C 26. Production The boat was built by ...
*
Contessa 26 The Contessa 26 is a 7.77 meter (25.6 ft) fiberglass monohull sailboat, brought about when Jeremy Rogers, with a background in traditional wooden boatbuilding along with one of his Folkboat customers, David Sadler, created a modified vers ...
*
Dawson 26 The Dawson 26 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Robert Finch as a cruiser and first built in 1973. Originally known as the Midship 26, the Dawson 26 design was later developed into the Parker Dawson 26, a boat with a ...
*
Discovery 7.9 The Discovery 7.9 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Alex McGruer and first built in 1975. The Discovery 7.9 is a development of the Grampian 26. Production The boat was built by Grampian Marine in Canada between 1975 and 1977, ...
*
Grampian 26 The Grampian 26 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Alex McGruer and first built in 1967. The Grampian 26 design was developed into the Discovery 7.9 in 1975 and which was built in small numbers. Production The boat was built by Gra ...
*
Herreshoff H-26 The Herreshoff H-26 is an American sailboat that was designed by Gordon Goodwin, Sidney Herreshoff and Halsey Chase Herreshoff as a cruiser.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 180-181. Ho ...
*
Hunter 26 The Hunter 26 is an American trailerable sailboat, that was designed by Rob Mazza and first built in 1994. Production The boat was built by Hunter Marine in the United States from 1994 to 1997, but it is now out of production. The Hunter 26 ...
* Hunter 26.5 *
Hunter 260 The Hunter 260 is an American trailerable sailboat, that was designed by Rob Mazza and the Hunter Design Team and first built in 1997. The Hunter 260 is a development of the Hunter 26. Production The boat was built by Hunter Marine in the Un ...
*
Hunter 270 The Hunter 270 is an American sailboat that was designed for cruising and first built in 2000. Production The design was built by Hunter Marine in the United States, but it is now out of production. Design The Hunter 270 is a recreational ke ...
*
MacGregor 26 The MacGregor 26 is an American Trailer sailer, trailerable sailboat, that was designed by Roger MacGregor and first built in 1986, with production ending in 2013. The boat was built by MacGregor Yacht Corporation in the United States. The de ...
*
Mirage 26 The Mirage 26 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by American Robert Perry and first built in 1976. The design is out of production. Production The boat was built by Mirage Yachts in Canada from 1976 to 1981. The Mirage 26 design was ...
*
Nash 26 The Nash 26 is a Canadian sailboat designed by Joe Nash and first built in 1975. Production The boat was built by J. J. Nash Industries in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada, but it is now out of production. Design The Nash 26 is a small recreation ...
*
Nonsuch 26 The Nonsuch 26 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Mark Ellis and first built in 1981. It is one of the series of Nonsuch sailboats. The Nonsuch 26 is a development of the larger, 1978-designed Nonsuch 30. Production The Nonsuch 26 ...
*
Outlaw 26 The Outlaw 26 is an American sailboat that was designed by Philip Rhodes as a cruiser and first built in 1965. Production The design was built by O'Day Corp. in the United States between 1965 and 1968, with 80 examples completed. After pr ...
* Paceship PY 26 *
Parker Dawson 26 The Parker Dawson 26 is an American Trailer sailer, trailerable sailboat that was designed by Robert Finch (naval architect), Robert Finch as a cruiser and first built in 1972.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, ...
*
Pearson 26 The Pearson 26 is a family of United States, American sailboats, that was designed by William Shaw (yacht designer), William Shaw and first built in 1970.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pag ...
*
Sandstream 26 The Sandstream 26 is a Canadian sailboat, that was built in the late 1980s. Production The boat was built by Sandstream Yachts a division of Stanlet Hatch, but it is now out of production. The company built boats from 1985 to 1997 in Stouffvil ...
* Tanzer 26 *
Yamaha 26 The Yamaha 26 is a Japanese sailboat that was designed by the Yamaha Design Team as a cruiser-racer and first built in 1979.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 178-179. Houghton Mifflin ...


References


External links

* {{Sailboat types built by Beneteau Keelboats 1980s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat types built by Beneteau Sailboat type designs by Groupe Finot