In Production from @ 1998 to 2008
Sailing World
October 29, 2001
A Cruising World Boat of the Year with a racing package and an IMS rating
that makes it more than competent on the racecourse.
by Peter Danjou
The April sun and a warm southwesterly put a smile on
Paul Neilsen’s face as we departed Falmouth, Mass., in his new Beneteau First
40.7 Tiberius. However, like any new owner, especially the new owner of a
Cruising World Boat of the Year in the cruiser/racer category, Neilsen probably
would’ve been smiling in a hailstorm.
Normally we might leave such a boat to Cruising World’s
readers, but the 40.7 has also gained an international reputation as an IMS
winner. In fact, two of the three boats on Australia’s Kenwood Cup team are
40.7s so we decided to take a closer look. The 40.7, designed by Farr Yacht
Design Ltd., comes with only one interior configuration. The three-cabin layout
has plenty of light, wood, and generous 6’5” headroom, and the nav station has
a large chart table, comfortable seat, and plenty of storage.
http://www.sailingworld.com/sailboats/beneteau-first-407
Practical Sailor
Posted Fri, 02/24/2006 – 12:37pm
Practical Sailor, November 1, 1999
This Bruce Farr-Designed speedster performs
well in round-the-buoy races, yet its three-cabin interior also makes it a
comfortable seasonal cruiser.
Beneteau began building boats in France in
1884 when Benjamin Beneteau opened a shop for the purpose of constructing
trawlers a Croix-de-Vie. Eighty years later, under the direction of his
granddaughter Annette Roux, Beneteau built its first fiberglass sailboat. It is
the largest builder of production sailboats in the world, producing twice as
many boats as its nearest competitor.
BoatPoint.com.au
Puffy white
clouds scoot across the sky as though someone has kicked a tuft of dandelions
in a field. The clouds signpost a breeze which swirls about the harbour like
one of those oscillating desk fans – one moment no wind, the next, enough
pressure to k
These weren’t
perfect sailing conditions, they were testing ones.
Ideal for a sail on the new Beneteau First 40.7, the latest in production-yacht
haute couture.
Designed by Bruce Farr and Associates, the 40.7 bears a slinky hull with a
clean and efficient deck, and weight-conscious interior. It’s a yacht which
will transform a halfway handy crew to a club-racing pro as fast as a
Queenslander might down a rum and coke –
Well, almost.
And while the 40.7 still has an air of French flair, looking a picture on the
marina or riding at anchor off a beach, it’s most comfortable when it’s out
sailing. After all, this is what it has been designed for.
http://www.boatpoint.com.au/reviews/older-than-1999/beneteau-first-407-8824
Boats.com
No One’s Calling Them “Beach Balls” Anymore
Posted Fri, 02/24/2006 – 12:35pm
The Beneteau 40.7 has swept IMS racing around
the world this summer
Whichever way you look at it, the racing
successes of the Beneteau 40.7 have been quite phenomenal, and it would seem
that its bigger sister, the Beneteau 47.7, is heading in the same direction. It
doesn’t seem to matter which system of handicapping has been used, the 40.7
comes out on top; and the 47.7 proved at Ford Cork Week and Cowes Week that it
is an able performer as well.
Cruising World, March 1999
Best Cruiser-Racer
Beneteau First 40.7
There’s more
to a Boat of the Year prize winner than finely sculpted fiberglass, tightly
manufactured joinerwork that addresses function as well as form, and an
emergency steering system that actually works. If a boat has some aesthetic
appeal, covers the bases with regard to craftsmanship and seaworthiness, and
still brings a grin to the crustiest judge when she heels to a puff, then she’s
in the running. After all, sailing is supposed to be fun, not a penance.
There’s no
doubt that Beneteau takes performance seriously when they commission Bruce
Farr, who’s been on top of the racing world for several years, for their newest
production boat. In some areas of this year’s competition, first impressions
didn’t always survive the ensuing sea trial. In the case of the Beneteau 40.7,
they did. Dockside, the judges were generally pleased with the layout of the
accommodations and the standard to which everything was finished. The decor is
clean, the layout functional, and there are such special Beneteau touches as
the window shades that retract into the aluminum handrails running the length of
the coachroof carlings. The settees will serve as sea berths, and there’s a
small but adequate galley and a comfortable nav desk with space for electronic
accoutrements – everything necessary, below decks, for a summer of cruising …
or more.
Sailing
Perry Design Review: Beneteau First 40.7
Another versatile winner from the team of Bruce Farr and
Beneteau
1998 by Bob Perry
Let’s take a
look at what the French company Beneteau, with the help of the Bruce Farr
office, can do with the same general racer-cruiser parameters. The Beneteau has
3 feet 2 inches of LOA on the X-Yacht, and that shows in the accommodations.
Like the X-Yacht, this design is being marketed as a boat that lets you have
the best of both worlds.
The 40.7 has
also seen success on the race course in its first season. I’m sure that both
X-Yachts’ and Beneteau’s European race successes have something to do with
having near-professional (or “factory”) race crews on board. But
that’s to be expected with competition being what it is today. Regardless, this
is a fast boat and that’s what we have come to expect from Bruce Farr.
Yachts and Yachting
Peter Bentley tests the latest racer/cruiser from Beneteau
by Peter Bentley
There are features on the Beneteau 40.7 that work well while others are far from perfect. This is a package that offers compromise sailing by the bucket load. Certainly not an out-and-out
racer, the 40.7 has some aspects of cruising ability that have been biased more toward performance than one might expect from a boat of this type.
A double-reefed main and number three blade headsail soon had us making good progress under sail. As might be expected from a Bruce Farr design, the 40.7 is a real delight to steer upwind with little more than fingertip inputs required from the helmsman to keep
her moving easily through the waves. Increasing heel sees the helm loading up marginally, with minimal traveler movements sufficient to keep things nicely under control. Even hard-pressed with the rig wildly unbalanced, the rudder shows no sign of loosing grip and the wheel can be severely abused without any apparent ill effects.
Beneteau First 40.7
and 47.7 Tuning Tips
When the design office of Bruce Farr and Associates started their
relationship with Beneteau, few observers would have believed the success and
popularity that was to follow. The list of designs is vast that have been drawn
by Farr and built by Beneteau. Of late two designs have proved to be
devastatingly effective offering value for money, performance, competitive
handicapping under both IRC and IMS and genuine cruising potential. They are
the Beneteau First 40.7 and big sister the 47.7. With over one hundred and
eighty 40.7’s and fifty 47.7’s sailing their success is unquestioned.
Racing fleets of 40.7’s have strongholds in Spain, France, United
Kingdom and Australia. Primarily campaigned within large handicap events these
boats appear to be equally at home under both of the major handicap rules used
around the globe. IMS results and fleet numbers have been impressive with wins
at the Copa Del Ray, Hamilton and Hayman Islands and Commodores Cup. At IRC
events around our own shores these boats can regularly be seen at or near the
front of their respective classes.
RCR Yachts
Racing a Brand-New Beneteau First 40.7
by Bill Golden
This summer I had the pleasure of crewing
aboard a customer’s brand-new Beneteau First 40.7 in the Tuesday night race
series at one of the local clubs here in Rochester, NY. RCR Yachts has
now sold three of the boats to local customers so I was particularly interested
in having the opportunity to race on the boat on a regular basis. The 40.7
certainly lives up to the rave reviews it has received since its introduction
in 1999: it is fast, fun and easy to handle. The Tuesday Night series at the
Genesee Yacht Club are intended to be inclusionary, and the Club encourages all
types of boats to participate. And although the primary goal is fun, folks
sometimes get a little competitive.
.
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