First 33.7 Racing

Welcome to the world of First 33.7

Racing


Typical Rating Numbers
IMS Rating:		GPH: 664.9 - ILC: 746.5
IRC Ratings:		.958
PHRF Ratings:		123-126 regatta keel (6'10)
		120-123 deep keel (6'2)
		126-132 standard keel (5'2)
ORC Rating:		689.3

Regrettably, there appears to be a lot of confusion in the U.S. about how to properly handicap this boat. I personally believe this is due to inexact French to English translation from the way Beneteau (France) originally designated the keel and option packages. Rather than identifying them as "shallow draft", "standard keel" and "deep draft" as is commonly used (perhaps they didn't want to use the term "shallow draft" on a boat being marketed as a racer/cruiser), the keel configurations were called "standard" for the 5'2 keel, and "optional" for both the 6'2 and 6'10 keels. To add to the confusion, the optional keel boats came with a full width traveler mounted across the cockpit seats (whereas the standard boat's traveler is very short and mounted to the cockpit sole) and a 2-blade folding prop compared to the 2-blade fixed prop on the standard boat. Lastly, for racing many owners opt to remove the roller furling system, so they can use taller head sails. Since both the prop (+/- 3 seconds per mile) and roller furling head sails (+/- 3 seconds per mile) are generally accounted for in PHRF, identical boats are being rated as much as 9 seconds apart.

The real problem occurs when clubs base their handicapping of 33.7s off other clubs' ratings or the U.S. Sailing Annual PHRF Handicaps Listings (The Red, White & Blue Book) – neither of which accurately distinguish between the keels, which prop came with the boat or if a particular skipper is racing with a roller furling headsail or not. Further, the current Annual PHRF Handicaps Listings covering U.S. Sailing affiliated fleets from March 1995 to March 2007 is reporting a non-deep keel Beneteau First 33.7 (they didn't specify which) with a low handicap of 114. The lowest handicap ever reported to us on any 33.7 is 120, so our conclusion is that this is either a typo, some yacht club really dislikes this particular 33.7 owner (just kidding), or (most likely) this boat was racing with a spinnaker in a mixed spinnaker/non-spinnaker PHRF fleet.

I've brought this up with my sailing club as well as U.S. Sailing on several occasions, and the issue was treated with complete indifference. In an attempt to bring a measure of fairness and consistency to the First 33.7 class, I've reclassified the three versions of the First 33.7 below based on how Beneteau designated them in the original French literature and how these boats are rated by some of the more knowledgeable handicappers and major regattas. As an aside, when Beneteau developed this boat, they projected it to have a handicap of approximately PHRF 125.

If you have any feedback in this topic, I'd really appreciate hearing it!

Standard Draft (5'2)
Base Boat (fixed prop, roller furling): PHRF 132
with optimized prop: -3 seconds per mile
without roller furling: -3 seconds per mile

Deep Draft (6'2)
Base Boat (folding prop, roller furling): PHRF 126
without roller furling: -3 seconds per mile

Regatta Keel (6'10)
Base Boat (folding prop, roller furling): PHRF 123
without roller furling: -3 seconds per mile

Click the Polar Diagram above to download in high resolution

Rig Tuning Matrix

V1
Loos
Turns D1
Loos Turns D2
Loos* Turns

0-6 kts

-2

-2

-1

6-9 kts

-1

-1

base

9-12 kts
45

base

25

base

base

12-15 kts

+1

+1

base

15+ kts
49

+2

28

+2

+1

*Base settings for D2s should be fine-tuned under sail to keep rig in column.

Zen in the 2005 Governor's Cup Regatta

Zen drifting along in the 2005 Governor's Cup Regatta

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First 33.7 Safari in Acura Miami Race Week

Safari paces fleet in Acura Miami Race Week

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Second Star skipper J.D. and his tactician Susan

Sailing is a great sport for women
because back-seat driving is the proper form

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Racing Tuning Tips That Really Work

Race Boat Tuning Tip #1: Beneteau USA and France has assisted in tuning tips for our boats. The use of Barber Haulers off the genoa sheets clearly work!! ... place a shackle with a line to the jib sheet and haul it back to the cabin-top winches and you will be able to trim the headsail to new boundaries. Try it.

Race Boat Tuning Tip #2: Move your mast forward at the mast base plate inside the cabin down below. This will allow more rake in your mast.

Race Boat Tuning Tip #3: Replace the factory backstay with a 8:1 purchase system for better control. See the new Farr designed 36.7, they use it and it comes from the factory that way now.

Race Boat Tuning Tip #4: Use clear Teflon coating over your bottom paint for a slick and fast bottom. IT WILL make a big difference and will not harm the anti-fouling capabilities of your bottom paint.

Race Boat Tuning Tip #5: Place jib tracks and cars on the cabin top just behind the shrouds. This will give you better upwind performance when using your # 3 and # 4 sails in heavy air.

Sample Modifications

Backstay: I rigged up an 8:1 cascade system like the one described by Mario Espin (Tuning Tip #3 above), but was dissatisfied with the amount of mast bend I could get (and I'm a rather large guy). Coach Steve LaMay from North U. suggested adding one additional block (notice additional block above the cascade system in far left photo) to effectively double the purchase to 16:1. Much better!

This configuration uses the stock attachment points on the masthead and transom, is extremely light, and has a higher breaking strength than the steel cable it replaced. Plus, you can load up the mast or release it completely within seconds.

Please email me if you'd like information on the specific parts I used, or contact Rod at Mauri Pro Sailing who should still have this whole setup on file. Click on the images below for a larger view.

Mainsheet Fine Tune: Another disadvantage of the short traveler mounted to the cockpit sole – that came in the standard (shallow) draft version of the First 33.7 – is that sheeting in a laminate (carbon or Aramid fiber) sail can be very difficult because those sails don't stretch. With a wide traveler, the main trimmer can always sheet in with the traveler set wide, then haul in the traveler to centerline. With a short traveler, that's not an option.

To get around this issue, our friends at Mauri Pro Sailing suggested double ending the mainsheet and adding a 4:1 "fine tune". This was a real simple fix for approximately $250 US. Just make sure your main trimmer keeps the sheets separate. With a 24:1 purchase, even the smallest sailor can manhandle the big mainsail.