{"id":74712,"date":"2022-12-16T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=74712"},"modified":"2023-08-15T13:08:29","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T17:08:29","slug":"beneteau-first-36-boat-of-the-year-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/sailboats\/beneteau-first-36-boat-of-the-year-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Beneteau First 36, Sailing World 2023 Boat of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Boat <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Boat of the Year judge Greg Stewart helms while fellow judge Chuck Allen handles sail trim. The judges sailed the boat with additional crew on the rail, but did maneuvers in doublehanded fashion to confirm the efficiency of the cockpit for shorthanded sailing. <\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Sailing World Magazine\u2019s annual Boat of the Year tests are conducted in Annapolis, Maryland, following the US Sailboat Show. With independent judges exhaustively inspecting the boats on land and putting them through their paces on the water, this year\u2019s fleet of new performance-sailing boats spanned from small dinghies to high-tech bluewater catamarans. Here\u2019s the best of the best from our <\/em>2023 Boat of the Year nominees<\/em><\/a> \u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Total Package<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  • Beneteau First 36 2023 Boat of the Year<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Stated purpose: Shorthanded racing, club racing, coastal cruising<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Crew: Solo to six<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Praise for: Build quality, deck layout, versatility<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Est. price as sailed: $345,000<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Like a runaway, the Beneteau First 36 careens across a westerly-whipped Chesapeake Bay. The boat\u2019s big-shouldered spinnaker and mainsail are silhouetted in the early October morning light. It\u2019s making trees on the Eastern Shore as we peg the throttle down to keep chase in a 19-foot RIB. The four crewmembers on board are having a casual conversation\u2014like no big deal\u2014when a cold and meaty gust fills the spinnaker. The leech flickers, and the boat surges forward onto plane. Twin rudders zipper the slick streaming out from the transom as the helmsman, hands at 10 and 2 on the carbon steering wheel, effortlessly weaves the boat across waves tops. The boat is, as the saying goes, on rails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWicked,\u201d is how senior Boat of the Year judge Chuck Allen summarizes his experience when he steps off. \u201cThat boat is going to be hard to beat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n