Beneteau First 30E

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The Mauric-designed First 30 of 1976 was more popular worldwide – 1,000 built compared to 443 for this Jean Berret 1980 replacement which was the one that caught on in the UK. Below decks, the design shows its age a little but she gives nothing away in performance. She was, in fact, a detuned IOR half-tonner. With a foot more beam than the Mauric 30, the 30E featured a proper double aft cabin but couldn’t manage a permanent chart table, relying instead on a fold-down one. The heads was amidships. She had a huge saloon table for the crew of seven, though there was only stowage for four or five. The fit-out was fairly basic but improved as production ran on.

LOA 9.3m (30ft 6in), LWL 8.22m (26ft 11in), beam 3.22m (10ft 7in), draught 1.7m (5ft 6in), displacement 3,400kg (7,500lb). Price guide: £23,000 to £30,000. YM Test report May 1996.