Incognito
First 40.7
Standard production cruiser/racer
2009 RESULTS
1st 40.7 Class, Cowes Week 2009
Since its launch more than a decade ago, Bénéteau’s First
40.7 has become a benchmark among production cruiser/
racers, a fact reinforced by the huge number of IRC
certificates issued – 228 since 1997 in 24 countries.
Even more interesting from an IRC point of view, is that
the First 40.7 was never intended as a strict one-design so
there is a spread of configurations and handicaps which
range from 1.034 to 1.081.
The boat is conventionally rigged and there are plenty of
similarities between a 40.7 and a J 109 such as the keel, the
use of an alloy mast with two sets of spreaders and no
runners or checkstays. The displacement/length ratios
(DLR) are similar too, indicating a similar overall
performance at displacement speeds.
Yet, with her symmetrical spinnaker, the 40.7 has the
ability to square off downwind which, when hugging the
shoreline out of the tide, can sometimes be an advantage.
In the UK in 2009 one of the most successful 40.7s has
been Paul McNamara and Tony Lowe’s Incognito which,
after a closely fought regatta, secured an overall win at
Cowes Week last year.
KEY POINTS
■ An easy boat to sail, a difficult boat to sail well,
Bénéteau’s First 40.7 has been hard to
improve on and continues to be popular for
both class and handicap racing.
■ Conventional racer/cruiser cockpit requires
discipline among the crew to avoid a snake pit
of ropes during manoeuvres.
■ Sail plan dimensions vary across the fleet
■ Keel – low VCG lead keel.
■ Alloy mast
■ Wire rigging
■ Feathering two-bladed prop
■ 139% overlap headsail
■ Symmetrical spinnaker and conventional
spinnaker pole
■ Crew No: 10
0027
IRC2010 Case Studies.indd 27 27/11/09 10:03:02
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68