Beneteau First 44 Boats For Sale

The Beneteau First 44 is a performance cruiser that sits between the First 36 and First 53 in Beneteau's First range, with a low coachroof, reverse sheer line and wide side decks. The hull and appendages are the work of Roberto Biscontini, who spent 25 years designing America's Cup boats including for Team New Zealand, while Lorenzo Argento handled the deck, interior and styling. It comes in two programs: a standard configuration aimed at short-handed crews and fast cruising, and a performance version geared toward full-crew racing. Both share the same vacuum-infused balsa-sandwich hull, but the performance boat adds a carbon rig, a deeper keel and more sail area while stripping out weight, down to deleting the anchor windlass. Buyers researching the Beneteau First 44 for sale will find boats fitted with teak decks and cruising trim as well as more race-focused examples on 3Di Raw sails.

Beneteau First 44 performance is built around an easily driven displacement hull. The standard aluminum mast carries 106 square meters of sail; the optional carbon mast stands 1.5 meters taller and carries 126 square meters. The standard keel is a 2.2-meter T-shaped full cast-iron unit, with a lighter cast-iron fin and lead-bulb performance keel saving 300 kilos. Under plain sail the boat makes 7.1 to 7.3 knots upwind and around 8 knots on a reach, and at 32 degrees of heel it stays balanced and light on the wheel. Flying a 207-square-meter A2 asymmetric, it settles at 9 to 9.5 knots, regularly touches 10 and tops out at 10.8 knots. The 10-ton displacement keeps it sporty without becoming extreme.

The helm station has twin rudders and twin composite wheels, with consoles on both sides carrying 12-inch Garmin plotters and Garmin instruments. Each side has the Yanmar electronic throttle, bow thruster and anchor windlass controls, plus buttons for the optional water ballast. That ballast system fills two 350-liter tanks in the aft cabins via electrical pumps, putting the equivalent of four crew on the rail so a short-handed crew can match a fully crewed boat. On the cruising layout all lines lead aft under the combings to a self-tailing Harken 60 and Harken 46 at each wheel; the performance boat moves to six winches and a German-style mainsheet for crew freedom.

The cockpit keeps maximum beam nearly all the way aft, with side decks that step down to platform level. The transom drops electrically to a large bathing platform and opens into a tender garage that swallows a fully inflated 2-meter dinghy. The cruise version runs a roughly three-quarter-width traveler on a 6:1 purchase, with twin-cylinder hydraulic split backstays. Cockpit sole lockers hold two gas bottles and a self-inflating liferaft, and the aft cabins limit the lockers to sole depth, so deep stowage lives in the garage or the forward sail locker.

Below decks the First 44 runs a single three-cabin, two-head layout. The mast is set further aft, which lets Argento place a transverse dining table between two facing couches rather than a C-shaped settee, seating six and converting to an extra berth with electrical legs. The forward master has a central double, a full hanging locker and its own head with a properly sized sink. Two aft cabins flank the companionway, the port one slightly wider, and the aft head is larger than standard with a separate shower stall. The L-shaped galley carries a three-burner hob with oven, a large twin-door refrigerator with a freezer and a single deep sink, and headroom runs to about 198 centimeters.

Build quality reflects a dedicated factory and team producing this model alone, with white lacquered surfaces balanced against light wood. As shown in cruising specification with teak and performance options, the Beneteau First 44 price runs around £476,000. Anyone weighing a Beneteau First 44 review against their own use should note this is a boat that rewards active trimming rather than a hands-off cruiser: the 57-horsepower Yanmar with sail drive and three-bladed folding propeller returns 8 knots at 2,600 rpm and just over 8.5 knots at 3,000 rpm, but the sailing payoff comes from setting the rig up properly.



Currently, there are 772 boats available for sale for Beneteau boats. Prices range from $9,900 to $2,396,700, with an average listing price of $245,467. The inventory includes 262 new boats and 510 used boats. The selection consists of 330 powerboats and 442 sailboats. 101 boats have been added to the marketplace in the past month. Popular boat types include Sail Cruisers, Racer/Cruiser, Power Cruisers, Sports Cruiser, and Trawler. boats are most popular in Norwalk, South Dartmouth, Shady Side, Point Pleasant Beach, and San Diego. There have been 2,047 boats listed on MarineSource that have sold in the past year. August is the most common month for new and used boats to be added to MarineSource, so be sure to check back regularly. May is the most common month for boats to sell, so be sure to beat the rush! The most common activities for boats are overnight cruising, sailing, day cruising, long distance cruising, and yachting. Most boats contain with heads, with cabins, depth sounder, heated interior, and joystick. boats tend to have an average of 1 engine. It is common for boats to have Yanmar engines or Mercury engines or Volvo engines.