Beneteau turned again to Farr Yacht Design for the new Beneteau First 40, the replacement for the very successful First 40.7. Beneteau describes the boat as being designed for cruising but adaptable for racing. That adaptation certainly proved itself in the recent Rolex Sydney to Hobart race, where "Two True", one of the first new Farr-designed Beneteau First 40 stock production racer/cruiser to be imported into Australia, won IRC overall by 42 minutes from another new First 40, Wicked (Mike Welsh) after a close race-long duel in which they followed a similar strategy - stay well east of the rhumbline.

The First 40 comes in two configurations: shallow and deep draught.

Prinicipal specifications:
Hull length: 12.24 m
LOA: 12.58 m
Beam: 3.89 m
Light displacement: 7900 kg.
Minimum shallow draught: 1.95 m
Minimum deep draught: 2.45 m
Total sail area: 98 m2
CE Certification: A12-B12-C12

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