I'm doing research on a mid 80s Beneteau First 375 but I'm having difficulty finding any information on construction details. I have requests in to Beneteau and to a local Beneteau dealer without any success/response. Does anyone know or have knowledge or documentation on how these boats were manufactured? I have the original sales brochure for the boat (all in French) and have an owners manual, but that still doesn't describe the build. Any information would be most helpful.
Beneteau First 375
- Thread starter bvermeer
- Start date
What kind of information are you looking for? Beneteaus are production boats that are built the way most production boats are built, with an interior pan/liner using either vinylester or polyester resins. I believe the keel is cast iron.
Here's some reading: SailboatData.com - FIRST 375 (BENETEAU) Sailboat
Beneteau First 375
Looking at purchasing a 375. Any advice out there. Joe H
forums.sailboatowners.com
You may have found this, but some info at these sites:
www.boat-specs.com
sailboat.guide
sailboatdata.com
Greg
First 375 Deep draft (Bénéteau) - Sailboat specifications - Boat-Specs.com
The First 375 is a 37’ (11.27m) cruiser-racer sailboat designed by Jean Berret (France). She was built between 1985 ...
Beneteau First 375 — Sailboat Guide
Beneteau First 375 is a 37′ 0″ / 11.3 m monohull sailboat designed by Berret-Racoupeau and built by Beneteau starting in 1985.
sailboat.guide
FIRST 375 (BENETEAU) - sailboatdata
Shoal draft: 5.60’/1.71m ALT. SHORT RIG: I: 47.60’/14.51m J: 13.70’/4.18m P: 41.70’/12.71m E: 13.80’/4.21m SA 100%: 613.79 ft2/57.02 m2
sailboatdata.com
Greg
I'm looking for specific construction information. What kind of layup, deck cored with what, fiberglass pan with stringers, hull/deck joint? Typical factory information. I've been aboard two 375s and am quite impressed with the quality of the underlying structure.
Thank you for your replies! I have the sailboat data pages but those don't define how the hull was built. What type of resin, hull/deck joint, pan construction, stringers, deck core, etc. I've been aboard two 375s of that era, have worked on one of them, and am quite impressed with the underlying structure. You'd think that there would be documentation out there somewhere.
Look up "Beneteau boat construction video" online. Boat Test has a good one, but it is blocked from being posted on other websites (such as this one), so you need to look it up independently.
Be aware that it may not discuss possible issues with the different techniques, much as a video about wooden boatbuilding might not mention rust issues with steel nails, for example, or dry rot.
Be aware that it may not discuss possible issues with the different techniques, much as a video about wooden boatbuilding might not mention rust issues with steel nails, for example, or dry rot.
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Quite sure the hulls are solid layup (ie not cored).. The keels may be cast iron vs lead - I think they were options. Decks will, of course, be cored; our '91 Bene appears to be foam cored on deck.
The 375 is a pretty nice boat, IMO, with a good interior although she will be subject to some of the IOR influenced behaviors in certain conditions.
The biggest downfall of that era of Beneteau is the foam-backed vinyl used to line the hull surfaces and some overheads.. guaranteed to break down over time and start to sag and become unsightly. We have removed virtually all of it and replaced with panels or planking.
Good luck!
The 375 is a pretty nice boat, IMO, with a good interior although she will be subject to some of the IOR influenced behaviors in certain conditions.
The biggest downfall of that era of Beneteau is the foam-backed vinyl used to line the hull surfaces and some overheads.. guaranteed to break down over time and start to sag and become unsightly. We have removed virtually all of it and replaced with panels or planking.
Good luck!
I had one, great boat, I believed the hull was solid FG and the deck was cored. There is a pan/liner/grid thing the inside. The keel is iron, the big negatives are Volvo diesel ( expensive to fix) and the foam vinyl liner that by now probably has already failed.
I own one. I'm sure there is polyester resin in the (solid) hull layup; balsa core in he deck. If you've been aboard a couple you probably saw the structural grid under the cabin sole - transverse ribs ('floors') laminated into the bottom of the hull, connected at the ends by longitudinal ribs that also serve as a base for the furniture. There are other fiberglass liners throughout the boat, especially in the head compartment and staterooms, I think more for appearance than structural. The chainplate tie rods are anchored to a pair of massive longitudinal stringers, maybe 8 feet long, that are laminated to the inside of the hull. I never had much reason to look into the hull/deck joint since it appears to be bulletproof. The rudder shaft tube is supported by very substantial laminated gussets all around.
Strange as it may seem, my Volvo engine is still ticking away quite nicely. I had the head and injectors reconditioned a couple of years ago, but the bottom end seems to be fine. Be aware that there was an issue with the splines on the transmission input shaft - surely by now it would have turned up and been repaired on all boats, but I would inquire with the owner.
Strange as it may seem, my Volvo engine is still ticking away quite nicely. I had the head and injectors reconditioned a couple of years ago, but the bottom end seems to be fine. Be aware that there was an issue with the splines on the transmission input shaft - surely by now it would have turned up and been repaired on all boats, but I would inquire with the owner.
Thank you all for your responses. They have been informative and confirm what I have observed. Interesting note on the Volvo - the boat I'm looking at also had a nicely running Volvo that was replaced last year with a Beta, purely for future reliability - off-shore plans. Thanks again.
