Beneteau First 31.7 Review, Specs and Used Buying Notes

The First 31.7 and the Finot school of small fast boats

Search for first 31.7 and you land on one of the quieter success stories in Beneteau's performance range. The boat came from Groupe Finot, the office of Jean-Marie Finot, which had already drawn the First 310 of 1990 and the Figaro Solo singlehanded one-design. Sailboatdata groups the Figaro Solo, the First 310, the First 31.7, the Oceanis 300 and the Oceanis Clipper 311 as boats with shared origins, so the 31.7 is best understood as the cruiser-racer branch of a family that also produced a cruising sloop and a solo ocean racer.

Production started in 1998, during the years when Beneteau gave its First models a ".7" suffix (21.7, 25.7, 27.7, 31.7, 36.7, 40.7 and 44.7). Archived Beneteau range pages show the 31.7 still listed in August 2007, in September 2008 and in February 2010. By August 2010 its slot had been taken by the Juan Kouyoumdjian First 30, which puts the end of the run at 2010. Beneteau's own description of the time pitched it as a boat that combined pleasure on the helm and sensitivity in tuning with simplicity and safety of use, and then went cruising once the racing season was over.

What the Beneteau 31.7 numbers really promise

On paper the 31.7 is a light boat with a moderate rig. Sailboatdata lists 8,267 lb of displacement on a 28 ft 10 in waterline, which gives a displacement to length ratio of about 153, firmly in light territory. Reported sail area is 447 sq ft, and the sail area to displacement ratio of about 17.6 is lower than many buyers expect from a First. The point is that a boat this light does not need a huge rig to be quick, and the moderate sail plan keeps loads manageable for a crew of three or four.

Ballast is 2,260 lb of cast iron in a bulbed fin, roughly 27 percent of displacement. That is a low ratio, and it tells you the boat relies on hull form and crew weight on the rail for stability. Expect it to heel early in a building breeze and to reward a crew that reefs or flattens the main before the boat is overpowered. Theoretical hull speed is 7.2 knots, but a light fractional boat like this can exceed it off the wind once a spinnaker is up.

The comfort ratio of about 18.6 and a capsize screening value of 2.1 put the 31.7 in the coastal and inshore racer category. It is a boat for club racing, overnight distance races in settled weather and summer cruising, not a platform for open ocean passages.

A fractional rig that suits a small crew

The 31.7 carries a fractional sloop rig with an I of 38.9 ft and a J of 11.3 ft, so the foretriangle is small and the mainsail does most of the work (the main triangle is about 227 sq ft against roughly 220 sq ft for a 100 percent foretriangle). For a cruising couple that is good news. Headsails are small, sheet loads are light and the mainsail can be depowered with backstay, vang and traveler instead of an early headsail change.

For racing, the same layout means the boat is sensitive to mainsail trim. If you plan to race, a good main and a light-air jib are the first places to spend. When you look at a used boat, ask what the sail inventory is and how old each sail is, because a tired main costs more speed on this design than a tired genoa does on a masthead cruiser.

Two private cabins inside a club racer

Beneteau marketed the 31.7 with two private cabins and a separate head compartment, which was the point of the boat. You get a forward cabin, an aft cabin and a saloon with settees that serve as extra berths for a delivery or a regatta weekend. For two couples on a short cruise, or a family with young children, that is enough. For anyone used to the volume of a modern Oceanis, it will feel compact.

Tankage is where the racing priorities show. Sailboatdata lists only about 8 gallons (30 liters) of diesel and 42 gallons (159 liters) of water. Eight gallons is fine for motoring in and out of harbor and the occasional calm, but it is not a cruising range, so owners who plan longer trips usually carry jerry cans. Check what a seller has added: a cockpit table, a dodger, a refrigerator conversion and LED lighting all make the boat more pleasant but also add weight to a light hull.

A small diesel and simple systems

Sailboatdata records the original engine as a Yanmar diesel of about 21 hp. That is a reasonable match for an 8,300 lb hull, enough to push into a short chop and handle docking, but not a lot of reserve against a strong headwind and current. On any boat now well over 15 years old, the engine is where survey money goes first: ask for hours, service records, the age of the exhaust elbow and the condition of the drive and its seals.

Electrical systems on these boats were basic from the factory. A typical example today will have a mix of original wiring and later additions for chartplotters, autopilots and AIS. Look for neat runs, proper fusing and a battery bank sized for what has been fitted. Small, simple systems are part of the 31.7's appeal, and a boat where they have stayed simple is often the better buy.

Buying a used Beneteau 31.7 for sale today

Every Beneteau 31.7 for sale in the US is now 16 to 28 years old, and clean, well documented examples are not common, so a good one can take some searching. Our 2026 estimate for asking prices runs from about $30,000 for an early boat that needs sails and engine work to about $78,000 for a late, well equipped example. Many of the best boats have spent their lives racing, which can mean either meticulous care or hard use, and the survey is the only way to tell which.

The iron keel deserves attention. Cast iron fins need their coating maintained, and rust weeping at the keel to hull joint or blistered fairing on the fin is common on neglected boats. It is a fixable job, but price it in. Also look hard at the rudder, because a spade rudder on a light, quick boat that has been raced hard will show wear in its bearings first.

If you are comparing boats, prioritize structure (deck core, keel and rudder), then sails, then engine. Electronics and cosmetic upgrades are the easiest things to add later and the hardest to recover at resale.

First 310, Oceanis 311 and First 30, the family around the 31.7

The First 310 (1990 to 1995, 496 built) is the closest relative and the boat most often confused with the 31.7 in listings. It is shorter at 31 ft, lighter at about 7,050 lb and carries a little more sail, so it is the livelier of the two, while the 31.7 is a slightly larger, more grown-up boat with a bulbed keel. The Oceanis 311 and Oceanis 300 come from the same Finot lineage but are cruising boats with shallower keels and more interior volume.

When the 31.7 left the range in 2010, the First 30 by Juan Kouyoumdjian took over the small First slot with a wider, more modern hull. If you want a 30 to 32 ft Beneteau that is clearly a racer-cruiser and not a cruiser, the 31.7 sits in the middle of that timeline and is usually cheaper than a First 30 of similar condition.

What a First 31.7 costs to keep each year

Running costs are modest by sailboat standards. A realistic yearly budget in the US is about $5,000 to $14,000, covering slip or mooring, haul-out and bottom paint, insurance, engine service and a reserve for rigging and sails. The low end assumes a mooring and a do-it-yourself owner. The high end assumes a marina slip in an expensive area and an active racing program, where sails become the largest single expense.

Plan on standing rigging replacement every 10 to 15 years if the records do not show it has been done, and budget for a new mainsail every few seasons if you race seriously. A light boat is cheap to haul and paint, which offsets some of the sail spending.