It is inconspicuous. At least at first glance. And that's not just because of the length of her hull. In the harbour, the First 18 SE also looks unspectacular because almost everything about it is trimmed for simplicity.
The cockpit: open and free of tripping hazards. The deck structure: windowless and round like the good old conger. The rig: without spreaders, without backstay. The slipway cabin: bare and empty except for two benches and the winch for the swivelling keel.
More from the shipyard:
- Beneteau First 24 SE: Small cruiser with excessive sailing potential in the test
- YACHT test: What makes the Beneteau First 27 a successful model
- Beneteau First 30: A gliding yacht with cruising qualities in the YACHT test
- Touring regatta boat in top form put to the test: Beneteau First 36 SE
- Beneteau First 44 - boat with broad appeal
- Beneteau First 53 on test: nippy cruising boat with superyacht characteristics
You could walk past her carelessly if it weren't for the chine in the hull, the carbon mast, the foil sails, the gennaker trumpet lashed to the foredeck and the widely extendable bowsprit. All signs of a modern sports boat designed for high sailing performance.
The First 18 SE, a hybrid - simple but fast? "Yes," says Andraz Mihelin, "that pretty much sums it up." The experienced mini-transat sailor from Slovenia helped design the 18-footer. "We wanted to develop a boat that has some of the potential of the minis, but should be manageable and affordable for everyone."
Samuel Manuard's design is based on a likeable, grassroots approach: a lot of fun with little effort for a manageable amount of money.
Price of the Beneteau First 18 SE
- Base price ex shipyard: 32,368 € incl. 19 % VAT.
On the water, the First fulfils almost all expectations. On the first day of testing on the North Sea, 3 to 5 knots of wind are enough to give the little boat a noticeable push. However, the Seascape still seems slightly slowed down - too much wetted surface and, with a crew of three, too much crew weight curb her temperament. She doesn't like to run at more than 3.8 knots.
New day, new start, this time with 4 to 5 Beaufort. No problem for the sea dwarf. Upwind, it bravely climbs the one-and-a-half metre waves at 4.5 knots over the ground. Then, under gennaker, the box literally explodes: 13, 14 knots are now possible in long surfs, even more. The real pleasure!
Shortcomings? Only excessive rudder pressure was a problem during the strong wind test. And the lack of harnesses. According to the shipyard, both points have already been rectified.
YACHT review of the Beneteau First 18 SE
The Beneteau First 18 SE can be characterised as a racer, but it is also a lot of fun off the race course. Rigging is unbeatably easy. There is plenty of berth space in the small cabin.
Design and concept
Simple and functional
Dinghy-type racer
Hardly any living comfort
Sailing performance and trim
Glides on quickly
High-performance fathead large
Easy gennaker handling
- Four mini tourers compared: Read herehow the Beneteau First 18 stacks up against the competition.
The Beneteau First 18 SE in detail
Technical data of the Beneteau First 18 SE
- Design engineer: Manuard YD/EP Studio
- CE design category: C
- Torso length: 5,55 m
- Waterline length: 5,45 m
- Width: 2,38 m
- Depth: 0,18-1,50 m
- Mast height above WL: 8,52 m
- Theoretical torso speed: 6.0 kn
- Weight: 500 kg
- Ballast/proportion: 125 kg/25 %
- Mainsail: 15,60 m²
- Furling genoa (106 %): 9,00 m²
- Gennaker (option): 35,00 m²
Hull and deck construction
Both polyester sandwich with honeycomb core material
Shipyard
Beneteau/Seascape; www.beneteau.com
Distribution
Oleu Watersports, Jachthafen-Promenade, 23774 Heiligenhafen; www.oleu-watersports.de
The test was first published in 2010 and has been updated for this online version.
