Designed by Group Finot for Beneteau and based on their racing Figaro hull design, the Beneteau First 300 is an agile, fast 30ft racer-cruiser that is responsive to helm and sails as fast as many much bigger boats. She has a tall 40ft mast with a 9/10th fraction rig and end-to-end pole spinnaker. Puffin has a Harken furling genoa as well as changable No.1 and No.3 laminate gibs, spinnaker and gennaker depending on the mood you're in, and dacron and laminate mainsails. She has a draft of 1.82m with a fin keel with lead bulb, meaning that she stands up well to her canvas. She has a long waterline, with a nearly vertical stem, allowing her to maximise her speed potential. This does mean that she needs careful setup and handling in choppy conditions compared with Kestrel, but she may well put Kestrel to shame in flat water and light airs.
Down below, she has 6 comfortable berths, nav table, heads, and a 2 hob cooker. She has an 18hp Volvo engine with excellent access for maintenance and a straight shaft to a folding propellor. There is also a diesel heater for comfort in the colder times of the year.
Length overall: | 9.05 m |
Length waterline: | 8.86 m |
Beam: | 2.98 m |
Draft: | 1.82 m |
Air Draft: | 14.38m + 0.6m VHF = 15m |
Displacement: | 3100 kg |
Water tank: | 90 ltrs |
Fuel tank: | 30 ltrs |
Sail area: | 52 sqm |
I: | 12.28 m |
J: | 3.67 m |
P: | 11.34 m |
E: | 3.85 m |