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Research 2015 - Beneteau - ASA First 22

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New Beneteau-ASA First 22 Set to Debut at Annapolis Sailboat Show

Beneteau and the American Sailing Association (ASA) have announced the world premiere of the ASA First 22 at the upcoming Annapolis Sailboat Show, October 9-13 2014.

Beneteau America and the ASA initially announced their partnership at last year’s Annapolis boat show and are now eager to reveal the fruit of their collaboration, a new ASA-exclusive sail training vessel using Beneteau’s popular First 20 as its inspiration.

THE PERFECT TRAINING VESSEL

The new boat is being produced in the USA at Beneteau’s factory in Marion, South Carolina. Some of its features include an extended cockpit to give students and instructors more room, a rig designed specifically for sail training, and ergonomic and safety innovations to ensure that every sail is comfortable and safe.

The research and development team at Beneteau used input from ASA instructors, schools, and leading competitive sailors to refine and adapt the Finot, Conq & Associates design of its very successful First 20. This collaboration has produced a singularly modern sail training vessel to make learning how to sail easier, safer and more fun!

“Throughout the process, we have sought the input and feedback of a representative group of ASA affiliated schools and instructors. Since they have influenced the initial design of the boat and continue to offer valuable input, we’re confident the new ASA First 22 will be a great success,” noted Lenny Shabes, ASA’s founder and chairman of the board.

STRATEGIC POSITIONNING

“This project is particularly relevant and exciting to Beneteau; building small sailing vessels to invite more people to experience the thrill of sailing is exactly what our company’s success is built upon,” explained Laurent Fabre, President of Beneteau America. “We feel very fortunate to partner with ASA to offer a new and exciting boat for their associated schools to attract new sailors. We’re confident this new vessel will enhance their students’ and instructors’ time on the water. And it’s just the beginning!”

The ASA First 22 will be offered at $29,900 MSRP.

Fabre further explained that Beneteau America negotiated a leasing program exclusive to ASA affiliate schools to help them get equipped quickly, while minimizing the upfront investment.

The new ASA First 22 will be revealed at the 2014 Annapolis Sailboat Show, October 9th – 13th.

Naval Architect: Finot – Conq

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Length overall Hull length L.W.L. Hull beam Light displacement Draft – Swing keel board up (down) Bridge clearance

STANDARD SAIL LAYOUT AND AREA

Mainsail (classic) Genoa (100 %) Asymmetrical spinnaker

CE CERTIFICATION (PROVISIONAL)

Category C – 5 people Category D – 5 people

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FOUND: Owner's Manual for ASA First 22

• Thread starter unfeast
• Start date May 25, 2020
• Beneteau Owner Forums
• Ask A Beneteau Owner

I am having trouble locating the owner's manual for the [2015] First 20/ASA First 22 (same hull and keel, different layout). In particular, I am interested in the schematic, parts list, and maintenance procedure for the keel-lifting mechanism. The seller reports an occasional small amount of water entry via the keel mechanism while sailing. Is this common with Beneteau lifting keels? Can it be remedied by a good greasing or some other maintenance? And (OT) I understand there is a device made to ease in the lowering of the mast. But without the basic owner's manual or much else out there on the internet, I am having trouble going ahead with the purchase.  

I'd start by signing up for an account here: http://spareparts.beneteauusa.com/ I don't see any documentation available as a spare part for F20/ASA22, but there are some diagrams on the site that might be useful.  

Is that site maintained? It doesn’t use SSL and looks like something out of 1997. I expected to see a “This site best viewed in Netscape Navigator” gif at the bottom. At any rate, “I” have signed up for it. We’ll see if “I“ get access, as it appears it is a manual approval process. Thanks!  

Davidasailor26

Haha, yeah, it looks a little long in the tooth, but it is THE place to go for Beneteau specific parts. As a slight consolation they do switch over to an SSL site before you buy anything.  

UPDATE: I Have received a Beneteau ASA First 22 Owners Manual. It’s in French, but Google Translate has helped. Alas, there are no specific instructions for maintenance of the jack screw.  

Attachments

• FIRST_22_Owner's Manual in French.pdf 3.8 MB Views: 538

I also own a 2015 First 22. I have never experienced ingress of water via the keel. I would not accept this as normal and, as with any purchase of a used boat, would recommend a professional survey prior to completing the purchase. I have my mast stepped by a boatyard so do not use any devices. However, I think Catalinadirect.com may have something which might work for you. I sail my First 22 on Lake Tahoe; it's a wonderful lake boat. Sporty and comfortable for 4-5 crew. I do have an owner's manual (in English) but don't have access to it right now. (It's on the boat and I'm not.) BTW: Lifting the keel is a chore. It takes about 80 turns on the manual winch. I use a Milwaukee V28 drill with a right angle adaptor and a winch bit which makes raising the lowering the keel a cinch.  

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Design Review: Beneteau First 21.0

We recently came across this review of our learn-to-sail boat, the Beneteau First 21.0 .  It’s sometimes called the First 210.  Many Europeans call it the Baby Ben .

It’s the smallest sailboat made by the largest (and oldest) sailboat manufacturer in the world.  It’s two and a half editions, or generations, or models old depending on how one defines that.  Started with the First 21.0; became the First 20.  (Boat didn’t shrink.)  Then, Beneteau and ASA (American Sailing Association) teamed up to produce a slightly modified version – that’s the “half” to which I refer – called the ASA Trainer or First 22.  (Again, the boat didn’t grow.)  The chief difference on this one is that they made a smaller cabin and larger cockpit.

But, all versions have these things in common:

• Hull.  (Boat body)  The size and shape are the same.
• Keel.  (The fin that stops the boat from going sideways and from flipping over.)
• Rudders.  (Steering fins.)  Yes, plural.  There are two.
• Rig.  The spars (poles that hold the sails up, out, etc), and basic sailplan, are the same except for the squared-off top of the mainsail on the newer boats.

Bob Perry, a highly esteemed naval architect and author, with a regular column on design in Sailing magazine, penned this article some time ago. Here are his words, and some pics we saw fit to slip in…

Perry on Design: the Beneteau First 21.0.

(Bob’s prose appears below in quotes.  Any editorial notes I couldn’t resist are indented in parentheses as I’ve done here.)

“Let’s go small and look at a trailerable boat. This one is from the board of Group Finot and built by Beneteau. It is a very different approach, abandoning tradition and going after speed and convenience with modern design features.

“The benefit of this type of boat is the ability to move easily to exotic or semi-exotic locations for regattas. The 210 will make a great daysailer or a camp-style cruiser. While trailerable sailboats are seldom examples of refined design, the First 210 shows design innovation aimed at sparkling performance and eye appeal. This boat is also unsinkable.

“With an LOA of 21 feet, the First 210 shows a modern, round bilge hull form with a very broad transom to give it dinghylike proportions. Look carefully at the plan view, deck layout or interior. Note the location of maximum beam. In most modern designs the maximum beam is located at or around station six. If you use the same system of establishing stations and break the 210’s DWL into 10 segments, you will find the max beam around station nine! There is even a curious little hook in the deck line right at station nine. The result of this shape is extreme maximization of the small volume available in 21 feet and a wide platform aft to optimize the righting moment effect of crew weight.

(We’ve always called this boat a big dinghy with a keel on it.  A dinghy is a sailboat that can flip over and requires the crew’s weight on the rail to hold it down.  The Beneteau First 21.0 is very sensitive to crew weight, and reacts immediately to changes – but it won’t flip over if the crew fails to react.  That makes it ideal for learning and training.)

“The extremely high-aspect-ratio centerboard ( ed. note: it’s a ballasted swing keel, not a centerboard or centerboard keel) is housed in an odd shaped nacelle below the hull for a board-up draft of 2 feet, 3 inches. Almost every appendage is a candidate for “ellipticalization” these days, and I find it interesting that the designers have ended this board in a sharp point. In profile, the rudder looks ridiculously small until you realize that there are in fact two rudders. They are canted outboard at 15 degrees. With this extreme distribution of beam aft a normal rudder would pull almost clear of the water at high degrees of heel. With the two rudders, when the boat is heeled one of the rudders will still be at an effective working angle with the water. This is a slick way of reducing the required draft of the rudders. Note that the draft of the twin rudders is the same as the draft of the board housing. The rudders are linked through the member at the top of the open transom.

(The design was great by itself, but what puts it over the top is the twin rudders.  Sailboats lean to the side naturally, as shown in the pic above. The more they lean, however, the less effective their rudder (steering fin) becomes.  It loses its bite on the water, so it has to be held to one side to go straight.  This creates drag and further reduces its effectiveness.  But the twin rudders on the First 21.0, each one angled outward, become straight when the boat heels a normal amount, and when the boat heels too much, the rudder angle isn’t bad. This makes for a forgiving feel that allows students to learn from mistakes rather than be confused or overwhelmed by them.  And that makes them better able to sail any boat afterward.)

“There are no overhangs on this little packet. The bow profile shows a hint of concavity to allow some flare into the forward sections. There is also a tiny amount of tumblehome in the midsection with a moderate BWL.

“The shrouds are taken to the deck edge allowing a small jib to be sheeted inside. The mainsheet sheets to a single attachment point on the cockpit sole. All halyards lead aft to jammers within easy reach of the helm. The spar is deck stepped with a hinged step. The interior is a one piece GRP molding with small sink and one burner stove. The portable head is under the V-berth. The small interior space is divided by a trunk that carries that top of the swing keel. A hinged leaf table is attached to this trunk. The four berths are all adult sized.

“On deck, the swim ladder and outboard bracket fit neatly between the twin rudders. The two cockpit lockers contain a space specifically for the outboard fuel tank. The bubblelike desk is striking and set off by a varnished mahogany toerail.

“The First 210 appears to combine careful styling with performance and safety. The general approach to this design is similar to the Mini-Transatlantic Class, but the boat is not as radical in proportions as a true mini-transat racer. Beneteau’s tooling of molded parts is as good as any in the business and their approach to finish and style is perhaps the best in the business. These aspects combine to ensure that the little 210 will be a standout.”

(“Mini-transat” refers to the Mini 6.5 class boat: 6.5 meters, basically the same as the first 21.0.  It’s a serious racer.  How serious?  They are raced singlehanded across the Atlantic – with spinnaker.  No shit. They have twin rudders like the Beneteaus.  This class is also raced doublehanded for some regattas.)

We love this boat, and while they’re fewer and farther between, and much more expensive to buy than the boats more commonly used in sailing schools (J-24’s and Sonars come to mind), they’re worth it as they just work better for teaching.

“Don’t take our word for it!”  Everyone says they have the best boat.  But this is the only design ever endorsed for sailing instruction by a national sail training or sailing school organization such as ASA or US Sailing.

Here are a couple of related links…

• Bob Perry’s web site
• Mini 6.5 class web site (Mini Transat)

8 thoughts on “Design Review: Beneteau First 21.0”

This is a great article. I’m a newb and in Japan looking at a “Baby Ben ” for sale. Before this article I thought it was special , now I’m in love

I doubt you’ll be sorry if you get one! They’re super versatile. Some of our new Club members this past season had a lot of time on J/24’s and 105’s prior to joining us, and they fell in love with the Baby Ben by comparison to the J/24. The First 21 is a pedigree design that happens to be comfortable, ergonomic and also very forgiving. Good luck! Send us a pic if you get one.

The Beneteau First 21.0 is definitely a nice boat. It would be interesting to know why Europeans call it “Baby Ben.” I would be grateful if you could tell me!

For a long time, it was the smallest Beneteau made. They now make one or two models smaller than it. So, the family grows…

Is it safe to dry out on the mud? I would like to use in the Solent but many anchorage’s dry out.

Hi Graham: While we’ve seen plenty of photos of boats adry on the Solent, etc, we’ve not experienced that for ourselves. The 21 has a retractable keel, and if left to its own devices, the hull will lower down to the trailing edge of the keel if the keel is supported on the bottom. If not, it will sink down into the mud and the hull will rest on it. The hull is wide and relatively flat further aft, so that would keep the boat level. However, the rudders on the older models (if not all) do not retract. If they rested on firmer substrate, they could be damaged. So, the net-net? Dunno! But, if the bottom is soft, you should be fine.

Any idea where to get the outboard engine vertical track mount? I really just need the part that slides up and down that the outboard mounts to. Thanks!

I MIGHT have an extra – DM me through the site’s contact page and I’ll keep in touch with you about it!

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Choosing Your Offshore Escape Vessel

By: John Neal, mahina.com Sailboats

The dream of buying a boat and sailing to exotic islands is a powerful and exciting one and an important part of achieving that dream is selecting the right boat to take you over the horizon in safety and comfort. Here’s how to successfully go about it.

It’s All About Sailing

First, ensure that you enjoy sailing and living on a boat, and unless you plan on single handing, that your partner does as well. If you’re new to sailing, sailing and navigation lessons are an excellent starting point. Try a 7–10-day ASA live aboard cruising/learning experience. Even better, consider a course in an area you’re interested in eventually cruising on your own. If the Caribbean is one of your dream cruising destinations there are several ASA liveaboard programs in the British Virgin Islands which is hard to beat as a fun venue for gaining skills and experience. 

Educate Yourself

Read boat reviews, scan owner’s group websites for troublesome problems specific to certain makes or models, read about yacht design and safety. Go sailing on as many different types of vessels as possible and consider crewing on local races. Take courses on navigation, offshore passage making, marine weather, sail repair and diesel engine maintenance. If your cruising plans include ocean crossings, consider signing up for a sail-training passage where you’ll be standing watch and learning 24/7. The more time and energy you put into obtaining skills important to cruising, the better yacht selection choice you’re likely to make and the more self-sufficient you’ll likely be.

Be Realistic

Many people searching for their dream boat have unrealistic expectations or get fixated on specific design issues. If your plans are for serious offshore cruising, ensure that safety and seaworthiness rate higher on your priority list than in-port comfort and interior volume. Compromise is important when selecting any boat. Chances are you will not find any boat in your price range that exactly meets all your criteria, so be prepared to be flexible.

You should plan to purchase your boat at least 1 – 2 years before departure bearing in mind that it may take 6-12 months of serious shopping to find a boat that meets your criteria. If the boat you purchase is over 15 years old and in need of some work it can easily take 6-12 months or longer to get it offshore-ready. You’ll also want to allow time to become familiar with sailing your boat and getting accustomed to living aboard.

Planning on cruising as a couple? Then each of you must be prepared to singlehand your boat, being conscious of your abilities and limitations. Seasickness or illness may incapacitate either of you, leaving the other person to handle everything. Safety dictates a boat with manageable sails, a dependable windvane selfsteering system and a powerful, dependable autopilot. 

If you’re planning on purchasing a boat over 42’ and aren’t as strong as you used to be, consider increasing your level of fitness and the option of selecting a boat with or adding a furling mainsail, bow thruster and possibly electric winches. This equipment adds cost, maintenance, weight and complexity but being able to easily handle your boat is important and adds to the enjoyment of cruising.

Go Newer and Smaller

To purchase a newer yacht that isn’t going to need an expensive, time-consuming refit, you may need to downsize your ideal size requirements. If this means purchasing a 12-year-old 38’ boat instead of a 20-30-year-old 45’-50’ boat, you will be far ahead; having more time to cruise and reducing your overall cost of ownership. Also, maintenance, insurance and moorage costs go up exponentially with the length of boat.

Boat Age vs Your Age

The older you are, the newer the boat you purchase should be. If you’re in your 20’s, you’ll likely feel like you have more time and energy than money. You’ll have the energy and motivation to work hard on a bare bones boat and then be keen to set sail, with or without a lot of gear that older people frequently deem necessary. If you are over 60 and inexperienced, you should consider a boat less than ten years old. 

Age of Boat vs Time and Cost of Ownership

The older your boat is, the more time and money it will take to go cruising.

On a boat 20+ years old, you can easily spend an additional 50% to 100% of the purchase price replacing rigging, sails, tanks, engine, and electronics and upgrading the electrical system. This refitting process frequently takes one to two years. With a boat that is new or less than ten years old much of the refit time and cost and is saved. 

Another good option is to purchase an older boat that has recently been refit by the seller and is ready to go. It will likely cost slightly more than comparable boats of the same age but will cost far less than outfitting an older boat that has only coastal equipment aboard. 

Finding Your Boat

Websites like YachtWorld.com are invaluable as they cover most of the world. Bargain basement boats priced under $30,000 are easier to find on For Sale By Owner (FSBO) sites. If you’re within six months of purchasing and have your financing in order, you may consider using a buyer’s broker. They should have connections to potential boats that you may not be aware of and save you time by cutting through the “broker babble”.

Market Trends

Currently it’s a seller’s market in North America, with the very limited inventory of quality, offshore-capable boats in the under $100,000 and under $200,000. European prices and inventory are currently substantially better than North America. Catamarans are the hottest category, particularly in North America.

Distress Sales

You may come across vessels that have recently had substantial and expensive upgrades completed yet haven’t cruised anywhere. Often these boats are the result of people who, during the refit and preparation process, have had health or financial hurdles arise or become too exhausted to go cruising. If the sellers have selected quality equipment and undergone an intelligent refit, these distress sales can represent excellent savings of time and money. It’s still imperative to get the right boat for your plans as a great deal on the wrong boat is still the wrong boat. 

Where to Purchase

It is wise to spend considerable time researching and deciding where you most want to cruise and just as importantly, where will be an easy place to purchase and outfit a vessel. Insurance agents and underwriters frequently recommend that you charter in your destined cruising grounds first, at the same time research the selection and prices of boats available, boat yards and outfitting services.

If you’re interested in cruising specific areas before planning long passages, purchasing a boat on location may be a good choice.

• This article is taken from a free 65-page e-book, Selecting and Purchasing an Ocean Cruising Sailboat , by John Neal.
• Download a free list of 158 builders & 424 models of offshore capable cruising boats .
• Boat Selection Consultation & Mentoring Service from mahina.com

LIVE SEMINAR ● OCTOBER 12 ● ANNAPOLIS, MD

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About The Author

Since 1976 John Neal professionally consulted with over 10,000 sailors seeking cruising boats. His experience in the marine industry is unique; 408,000 offshore miles and 50 years worldwide ocean sailing experience plus boatbuilding, surveying and previously owning a yacht brokerage.

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