The Beneteau 34.7, also sold as the First 34.7 and the First 10R, is a French sailboat that was designed by Bruce Farr as a cruiser-racer, optimized for International Rating Certificate racing and first built in 2005.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

Beneteau 34.7
Development
DesignerBruce Farr
LocationFrance
Year2005
No. built125
Builder(s)Beneteau
RoleCruiser-Racer
NameBeneteau 34.7
Boat
Displacement9,965 lb (4,520 kg)
Draft6.58 ft (2.01 m)
Hull
Typemonohull
Constructionglassfibre
LOA32.75 ft (9.98 m)
LWL28.67 ft (8.74 m)
Beam11.08 ft (3.38 m)
Engine typeYanmar 21 hp (16 kW) diesel engine
Hull appendages
Keel/board typeFin keel with weighted bulb
Ballast3,682 lb (1,670 kg)
Rudder(s)Spade-type rudder
Rig
Rig typeBermuda rig
I foretriangle height43.25 ft (13.18 m)
J foretriangle base12.08 ft (3.68 m)
P mainsail luff42.00 ft (12.80 m)
E mainsail foot14.90 ft (4.54 m)
Sails
SailplanFractional rigged sloop
Mainsail area380 sq ft (35 m2)
Jib/genoa area377 sq ft (35.0 m2)
Upwind sail area757 sq ft (70.3 m2)

Production edit

The design was built by Beneteau at their US plant in Marion, South Carolina, starting in 2005, as a 2006 model year. Production ended in 2009, with 125 boats completed.[1][3][5][7][14][15][16]

Design edit

The Beneteau 34.7 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of glassfibre, with wood trim. The hull is solid fibreglass below the waterline; above the waterline the hull and the deck are balsa-cored. It has a fractional sloop rig, with a keel-stepped mast, two sets of swept spreaders and composite, or optional carbon fibre, spars with steel rod standing rigging. It has a retractable carbon fibre bowsprit. The hull has a slightly raked stem, an open reverse transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a large 63 in (160 cm) diameter wheel and a fixed iron fin keel with a weighted "torpedo" bulb, or optional shoal-draft keel. A larger rudder was a factory option. The boat displaces 9,965 lb (4,520 kg) empty and carries 3,682 lb (1,670 kg) of lead ballast.[1][2][3][5][7][9][17][18][19]

The boat has a draft of 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) with the standard keel and 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) with the optional shoal draft keel.[1][3][5][7][9]

The boat is fitted with a Japanese Yanmar diesel engine of 21 hp (16 kW) for docking and manoeuvring. The fuel tank holds 19.2 U.S. gallons (73 L; 16.0 imp gal) and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 26.4 U.S. gallons (100 L; 22.0 imp gal).[1][3][5][7]

The design has sleeping accommodation for three people in two cabins. It has a double berth in the starboard aft cabin and a single in the port aft cabin. There are two straight settees in the main salon around a drop-leaf table. The galley is located on the port side, just forward of the companionway ladder. The galley is L-shaped and is equipped with a two-burner stove, an icebox and a sink. A navigation station is opposite the galley, on the starboard side. The head is located in the forepeak. Cabin headroom is 71 in (180 cm).[1][3][5][7][9]

For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with an asymmetrical spinnaker flown from the retractable bowsprit.[17]

The design has a hull speed of 7.17 kn (13.28 km/h).[1][3][5][7]

Operational history edit

In a 2007 review of the First 10R for Sailing World, Tony Bessinger wrote, "we test-sailed the First 10R in a breeze that stayed between 6 and 10 knots for the duration of our sail. With the 150-percent overlapping genoa, the 10R powered up quickly as the wind hit its top end for the day. Upwind, we recorded between 5.8 to 6.5 knots on the handheld Garmin Gecko GPS. Sailing downwind with the asymmetric, we reached a high of 7 knots."[13]

In a 2021 Yachting World review of the Beneteau First 34.7, Matthew Sheahan wrote, "under way she has a solid, dependable, chunky feel to her helm. Lock to lock is just over half a turn, which on most boats would produce a twitchy feel, but not aboard the Beneteau First 34.7. In fact, it took me some time before I realised."[19]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g McArthur, Bruce (2023). "Beneteau 34.7". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b McArthur, Bruce (2023). "Beneteau First 10R". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Sea Time Tech, LLC (2023). "Beneteau 34.7". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  4. ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2023). "Beneteau First 10R". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Ulladulla. "First 34.7 Beneteau". Sailboat Lab. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  6. ^ Ulladulla. "First 10r beneteau". Sailboat Lab. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Bénéteau 34.7 Deep draft Sailboat specifications". Boat-Specs.com. 2023. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  8. ^ "First 34.7 Deep draft Sailboat specifications". Boat-Specs.com. 2023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d "First 34.7 Shoal draft Sailboat specifications". Boat-Specs.com. 2023. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  10. ^ "First 10R Deep draft Sailboat specifications". Boat-Specs.com. 2023. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  11. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2023). "Bruce Farr". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  12. ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2023). "Bruce Farr". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  13. ^ a b Bessinger, Tony (27 July 2007). "Beneteau First 10R: A One Design That's Not Afraid to Rate". Sailing World. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  14. ^ McArthur, Bruce (2023). "Beneteau". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  15. ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2023). "Beneteau". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Bénéteau Sailboat builder". Boat-Specs.com. 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Beneteau First 10R". Sail Magazine. 29 March 2006. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  18. ^ Kerr, John. "Beneteau First 10R". Canadian Yachting. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  19. ^ a b Sheahan, Matthew (3 May 2021). "Beneteau First 34.7 review: from the archive". Yachting World. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.

External links edit