First 30 is European Performance Cruiser of the Year 2026

The BENETEAU First 30 has been crowned European Yacht of the Year 2026 in the Performance Cruiser category by a professional jury consisting of the test directors and chief editors of the twelve leading sailing magazines in Europe, marking the fourth and by far most significant major international distinction for our new planing cruiser.

Competing in a category that included established names like the JPK 1050, XR 41, and Dragonfly 36 trimaran, the First 30 stood out for its unique combination of planing performance and cruising versatility.

The jury's decision confirms what sailors, the public, and the industry have been saying all year—the First 30 has changed the game.

What the Jury Said

Accessible and fun. The new First 30 wins in the Performance Category but would also be perfect for a hypothetical Young Yachting Category. A small boat, easy to handle and with an excellent quality/price ratio. If we add the price/performance ratio, she is definitely on the top step of the podium.

Alberto Mariotti, Italy

She sails unbelievably smooth and fast, upwind through steep waves as well as downwind in big breeze. She handles and surfs like a dinghy, easily in the double digits. Both Beneteau and the building yard Seascape did some challenging product development and production in making such a value-for-money product available for a wide audience.

Marinus van Sijdenborgh de Jong, Netherlands

A TEAM SUCCESS

The First 30 is the result of an intense, close collaboration between BENETEAU and Seascape, joining forces to create something almost contradictory: the joy of planing—once reserved for highly skilled sailors—made accessible.

Working with a big team of highly capable but equally opinionated people was always challenging, but this award proves we hit the target.

We thank the jury and couldn't be prouder.

In Their Own Words

The competition was amazing: Dragonfly 36, JPK1050, and XR41. The award is only as valuable as the competition you have, so this is as good as it gets.
So what does it take to make a 30-footer that beats the best boats in the world? It takes a lot of very smart people who can work together, I tell you that.
So this is a big applause to our teams in Slovenia and in France that put their brains together and their hands together and built this boat together. It is a small boat, looks simple, but I promise you that the development was amazingly hard, and the result is the First 30, and I could not be prouder to be part of that team.

Andraž Mihelin, CEO of Seascape and BENETEAU First Range Manager

The competition was tough—we competed against JPK, XR 41... it was scary for a moment. But we mixed all the right ingredients, and the team created a very attractive boat in terms of performance and price. This is going to hit the market big time—and it already has, as the boat is sold out for a year in advance. I sincerely hope it brings younger people into this wonderful sport of sailing so they can be out there enjoying what we all love

Lorenzo Argento, designer

With the First 30, we challenged the assumption that more automatically means better. Through iterative design and real-user validation, we precisely aligned performance, liveability, and emotion to create a new kind of value — a boat that feels just right: clear in purpose, welcoming in use, and confident in what it offers.
Rather than adding more, we focused on adding better. By challenging established norms, we defined a balance where performance, comfort, and character naturally reinforce each other

Luka Stepan, director of SITO

Facts & Figures about the Beneteau First 30

Over 130 boats sold in 17 countries in the first year on the market, 50 boats delivered in 2025, hull 51 was exhibited at Boot Düsseldorf.

Project partners

Teams of Seascape and BENETEAU were joined by highly talented partners:

Samuel Manuard (naval architect) – modern planing hull geometry
Lorenzo Argento (designer) – overall design
SITO – structural engineering and interior design
Pure Design & Engineering – technical development
Seascape & BENETEAU R&D teams – performance optimization

Major Awards for the First 30

Yacht Style Award (Singapore)
British Yachting Award – Performance Yacht of the Year (5,000+ sailors worldwide)
Voile Magazine Voilier de l'Année 2026 – Overall Winner (France)

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An Icon Reborn

Launched at Boot Düsseldorf in January 2025 under the slogan “The Icon is Reborn”
A reference to the legendary BENETEAU First 30 (1977), which sold nearly 1,000 units and created the performance cruiser category
Nearly 50 years later, the new First 30 introduces a forward-looking concept: a planing cruiser with lightweight construction, innovative hull geometry, and smart interior design delivering exhilarating planing performance alongside comfortable cruising capability