The last post of the season, I mean, the armchair sailing season 😀. Before the end of the month, I will fly to the south of Italy to start the sailing season, and for some months I will have too much fun for having time to continue with the blog.
I don't know why they have made such bad work with the drawings, and such good work with the photos, but it is better to do good work with the real thing than with the drawings. Have a look at a previous article about the First 36 with some comparisons with the competition:
https://interestingsailboats.blogspot.com/2021/11/new-first-36-much-awaited-yacht.html
Unfortunately, the head is as bad as I thought it was, and having an unpractical foldable washing basin on a boat with these dimensions, a boat that will be more used for cruising than for racing, does not make sense. It would be way better if they had opted for a two-cabin layout (instead of a three-cabin one), with one of the aft cabins transformed into storage space, using the rest of the space for a "normal" head.
The First 36 would make a lot of sense if it had managed to follow the previously announced program intentions. Andraz Mihelin has stated about that: The First 36 would offer almost the same performance as a Pogo 36, for the price of a Dehler 34 (with a price lower than 150,000 euros).
But the lack of a decent head diminishes the First 36 cruising potential, as much as the price, which is nowhere near "less than 150 000 €", neither near the one of the Dehler, but very close to 200 000 € (198 000) and I bet that after the first boats, that price will rise, while a Pogo 36 costs 172 473 € and a Dehler 34, a bit slower but with a better cruising interior, costs 168 900 € (all prices at the shipyard without taxes).
The First 36 costs much more than the Dehler 34, costs even more than the Pogo 36, and it is very near in price of faster and better racing boats, like the Sunfast 3600 or the JPK 10.80. It has also to compete with the J112e which, like the JPK, has a great racing record (the J112e is a bit more expensive).
First 36 head, with foldable washing basin |
We will see how the First 36 sells, but one thing is for sure, it would sell much better if they had managed to keep its price similar to the one of the Dehler 34 😉.
I finally got to see a J112e in real life last weekend, here in Barcelona. It was set up for racing and looked amazing - very sportive. I was ambivalent about it before but now quite like it, even though I've never sailed one. I didn't see if it is a local boat but if it is I might try to get a ride during the season.
ReplyDeleteThe only drawback is the price. If one wants to cruise in comfort and at the same time to compete at high-levell with top results the only other option is the JPK 10.80.
ReplyDeleteThe interior of the J112e is just a bit nicer and better but liking one more than another (in what regards the way they sail) it is a personal thing. The J112e is probably faster in light winds and upwind, but in stronger winds the JPK 10.80 is considerably faster and that makes it probably faster overall.
But on the med there are lots of light winds and when cruising normally one avoids stronger winds and that makes the J112e even more interesting as a cruising sailboat.
The First 36 looks like it is heeling over quite a bit in the videos. It is not very stiff?
ReplyDeleteThen again, if it was not heeling over the drag from the wetted surface would be high.
I guess this is the dilemma for wider boats going upwind something you often describe in your Boat tests.
Leif
By the technical information you can see that it is typical of this type of boat (beamy) that takes a lot of stability from the hull form.
DeleteI don't think the stability (stiffness) is bad but it is not an upwind boat and if you push the boat and pass the optimal hull form stability heel angle, than the boat will heel quickly to a point that is not dangerous but that will not be good for sailing speed (too much drag).