Beneteau
First 31.7
We reply within 2-3 days.
On the page of the architects Jean-Marie Finot and Pascal Conq, the First 31.7 has two lengths: an overall 9.85 m and a hull of 9.50 m. There are two keels, both cast iron: 1.90 m and 1.45 m. The shapes, they write, were taken from the racing Figaro Solo and from the First 310. The freeboard is a little higher. The ballast was reworked: more draught, a heavier weight, a lower centre of gravity, less wetted surface. The waterline in their table is 8.80 m. The beam is 3.23 m. Light displacement is about 3,600 kg. Ballast weight in their table is 1,050 kg. Both draughts are labelled cast iron. Sail area upwind is 53.4 m². The mast stands on the keel and, in their words, is lengthened by about 40 cm.
This page is for someone reading a First 31.7 advert who has not yet decided which keel, and which length, the seller means. On the live chips the figures are now 9.61 m, 3.23 m, and the years 1997-2010, closer to the card file than the opening "2005-2010". We do not put here the band of 400-600 hulls, the length 9.63 m, the beam 3.08 m, about 5,008 kg, an IOR influence, or a score of 8.2 out of 10 from the live page.
At a glance
Quick facts
- Production
- 1997-2010
- LOA
- 9.61 m
- Beam
- 3.23 m
- Model
- First 31.7
Key takeaways
- Best for: active club racers and families who enjoy fast cruising
- Common issue: fin-keel joint moisture and standing rigging age
- Typical price: see FairHelm Market Index - high liquidity performance tier
Offshore rating & survey verdict
Top 3 survey red flags
- The year 2005 on some cards is not the start.
- Wikipedia writes that from 2005 the wooden tiller was changed for a steel one, the wood inside was lightened, Lewmar wi...
- In 2008 there was a limited North E series: still lighter wood, North Sails sails, and Raymarine instruments.
Technical data
- Length overall (LOA)
- 9.61 m
- Beam
- 3.23 m
- L/B
- 2.98
- Production years
- 1997-2010
Calculations and ratios
Brochure numbers need matching units. Open a FairHelm formula page for the classical form, rule of thumb, and limits before you compare listings.
Design history
sailboatdata prints a length of 9.61 m with the same waterline 8.80 m and the same beam 3.23 m. Boat-Specs, on the deep-keel page, updated 15 March 2020, prints both: overall 9.61 m and hull 9.50 m. So 9.61 m can be the overall length, and 9.50 m the hull. The overall 9.85 m remains only with the architects. Displacement on Boat-Specs and sailboatdata is 3,750 kg, with the architects about 3,600 kg. Ballast 1,025 kg against 1,050 kg. Boat-Specs calls the deep keel L-shaped, with a bulb. On the architects' page the word "L" is not there; there is a sharp fin and cast iron. Stated sail area at sailboatdata is 41.53 m². With the architects, upwind is 53.4 m², and that includes a 140 percent genoa. Boat-Specs gives 52.5 m² for upwind. We do not pick one weight or one overall length.
Wikipedia writes production 1998-2010, about 1,500 hulls, the yard at Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez. Bateaux.com on 2 May 2022 writes 1,100 hulls for the same years and "more than a thousand". Boat-Specs puts the first year at 1997 and also "about 1,500". We do not make an average of these numbers. We do not collapse the start year: 1997 or 1998. The same Bateaux.com text says the version with the long keel is approved in category A. On the Boat-Specs deep-keel page the category is also A. The shallow keel is not covered by that line.
Wikipedia also writes that the hull is based on the Figaro Bénéteau and "also stands" on the First 310, Oceanis 300, Oceanis 311, and Oceanis 323. We did not open the pages of those boats. The architects' wording is different: they took the shapes and changed the ballast. We do not call this one boat.
Typical problems
The year 2005 on some cards is not the start. Wikipedia writes that from 2005 the wooden tiller was changed for a steel one, the wood inside was lightened, Lewmar winches were replaced with Harken, and the gelcoat became white or grey. In 2008 there was a limited North E series: still lighter wood, North Sails sails, and Raymarine instruments. A second rig, not widely used, with more area, is named on the page with the word "lac". We do not invent a translation of that word. A 1999 boat, according to readers of the magazine Bateaux, is one the architects put on their own page. That is earlier than 2005.
The internal plastic grid, according to Wikipedia, can be brittle in a grounding. The engine there is 19-21 horsepower, Yanmar or Volvo, with a saildrive. Wikipedia names the successor as the First 30 of 2010, drawn by Juan Kouyoumdjian. We do not measure that boat's success here. Before a deposit, the same stakes as on the live checklist: keel bolts and the grounding history, the age of the rigging, saildrive service, without a kronor table that has no source and without the English badge "Главное".
Annual ownership costs
"From 40,000 euro" in the 2022 article is not this year's price.
Calculators for this boat
Indicative figure for weekend use. The country supplies berth and winter. The insurance line stays the Swedish planning band - not a Danish, German, or Dutch premium. Maintenance stays Swedish too. Not a marina quote.
- Netherlands (annual contract)€3,700 - €6,312
- Sweden (planning bands)€4,950 - €8,550
- Denmark (two harbours, season)€3,771 - €6,191
Antifouling
Litres need waterline length and draft. This page only has length overall and beam, so litres are not calculated here.
Open the antifouling calculatorWetted surfaceSail planAll calculators
Pre-purchase survey checklist
Before the advert, it is worth asking which of the two keels is on the hull and which of the lengths the seller means: 9.85, 9.50, or 9.61. And do not read 2005 as the year of the first boat. Neighbouring pages on the site already exist: First 30.5, First 33, and the comparisons First 305 vs Oceanis 37 and First 305 vs Hallberg-Rassy HR 38, for the fork of First pace against a cabin or a northern cockpit, not for pasting First 31.7 figures.
Expert verdict
FairHelm rating: 8.2/10: One of the most popular cruiser-racers ever; offers exceptional performance and a very practical interior. Survey typically checks the fin-keel joint for moisture and standing rigging calendar age.
Vadim Nareyko, FairHelm Editorial, Last reviewed: 2026-07-12