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Beneteau First 235
Links & Interests

Updated
10/21/18
Link Additions etc ~ Contact kh  • 
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Beneteau First 235 Forum 1200+ Members | 60,000+ posts
beneteau235.com's dedicated First 235 Forums offer excellent F235 owner support. With over 50,000 posts and 1000 members, this is one of the most well represented Beneteau models online in the World.   There are categories for General F235 posting, F235 Parts Swap, F235s For Sale, Racing Tip/Tuning, Trailering-Mast Step Issues, and the New First 235 Class Section, now in development. IF you are a Beneteau F235 owner, you need to be here! Posts are editable - Private Messaging - Searchable Database.... Not to mention, some classic characters. We now have a First 235 Owner Directory w/pictures of each boat!

Beneteau USAOnline Parts OrderingFirst 235
The USA Beneteau factory page based out of Marion, South Carolina. Not a lot on the little First 235 but they recently changed the site offering one notable advantage: Online Ordering.  You can now look up parts and place orders for the F235 although one might just miss chatting with Ward.

See our NEW Beneteau Factory Parts ID Drawing & List

12/09: Beneteau First 235 via BeneteauUSA
They finally linked to beneteau235.com

US Spars
US Spars is the USA supplier of the original French company, Z Spars, which made the F235 mast and boom (Z190 & Z160).   They can replace both spar sections along with all fittings, including the various upgrades that have come along over the years.  beneteau235.com has a dedicated US Spars page with all information relating to the First 235 including both mast and boom line drawings with parts ID and direct order form. See the latest Spreader Base upgrade kit along with the mast base comparisons between the early and later F235.  Please visit that page at:
Beneteau First 235 US Spars Info & Ordering
Beneteau France
The main Beneteau headquarters in France.  This link is directly to their sailboat section as pictured in the screenshot to the right.  After perusing the Beneteau France site, taking a look at the models offered, one immediately notices they still make sub 32ft offerings for EU customers.  Within the First Series, they currently offer the First 27.7, First 25.7, and First 21.7.  Beneteau USA doesnt believe that anything under 32 feet will bring enough profit.
Beneteau-Owners.com
UPDATE 12/09: Sadly, this site, once a great resource, is now down - kh This is THE Beneteau owners site that holds a load of information and details on all Beneteau models with a small number of articles and posts dealing directly with the First 235. Unfortunately, it's down a good percentage of the time due to the complexity of the build with problems coming up while the owner is offshore on his boat.  Best to check back frequently if you find it down.  It's been known to be offline for weeks at a time, however.  One of the better owner supported Beneteau Resource sites.
Beneteau Owners.net Beneteau Owners Net Forum
UPDATE 10/18: Still alive and kicking, but barely ~ kh.   Beneteau 235 Specs, Reviews, Pics, Classifieds - Not as many contributors as the Beneteau Owners.com site but MORE direct boat reviews dealing with the First 235. This is a nice site with the owner reviews providing some insight (14 owner reviews currently active). The forums are less active but an option for questions. Owner emails accessible.
Finot Groupe Design - First 235 (Now in English)
A wonderful little page from the Groupe Finot site on their 235. It actually holds more info than the Beneteau USA site. It would be even more remarkable if I could read French. Note the detailed French article on the 235, a 10 page full test, NOW Translated!.
Italian Beneteau First 235 Online
10/18 Sad to say that Ezio's great Italian site is now offline. Ezio Cantone and Fabrizio Andrighetto started this Italian site dedicated to the First 235. Some neat shots and interesting info and mods here. Ezio and a small group of F235 owners have come together for some great F235 competition, too. Each of the boats in the group gets a dedicated page within this frames site. There is even a small forum. The rub is the site is totally in Italian but I've exchanged some mails with Ezio and his love of the little First 235 is readily apparent. Drop by and say HELLO!
Beneteau First 235 Owner Reviews via Sailnet
Sailnet was sold in October of 2005 and went through a design change. There is a new collection of owner reviews from sailnet.com, now entered via forums. This was a good site for looking up owners comments on a variety of boats to compare and the new owners are trying to bring it back to its full glory.  Fx Sails will likely be working a deal with the owners of the First 235.
Yacht World Used Beneteau 235 Search
Care to see the latest Beneteau First 235s on the used market? Yacht World's Used Boat Search is always a good place to start although surely not the best place to find the bargains, regardless of craft. At the time of this writing, there were about seven or eight F235's for sale across the country.
SV PRANA - First 235 Voyage to Bahamas
This is an intriguing site as it's one of the ONLY records of someone LIVING and traveling quite a distance (though not that far from land) in his F235 - specifically from Texas to the Bahamas with his Husky! Thomas Burnett had little cruising experience and basically learned as he went via his newly purchased First 235, Prana. The pictures and text with his site are worth the time. It has an unusual feel and I read it in one sitting. It was taken offline for a few years but I've since talked to Thomas and worked up a new site, featuring his interesting comments and great pics.  Live the trials & tribulations of the adventure. NOW ONLINE-Updating
Helia - Peter Mohr's Beneteau F235
10/18 Unfortunately, Peter's site is no longer full functional. Peter lives in Germany and sails his extremely nice F235 at Chiemsee Lake near the Alps. Then for three weeks in summertime, Pete cruises the Mediterranean Sea off Croatia! What amazing sailing grounds which we get to see along with Helia, Peter's great F235 loaded with mods and a great bottom job. Peter is the only one I know who pulls his rig with a BMW 5 Series. Go Peter!
Boomkicker Online K0750
I've got one that was on my 235 when I bought it. Makes holding boom up very easy, and gives better sail shape off the wind making the vang work more effectively as well. A great accessory for the F235, especially if you already have a high quality boon vang Note: It's installed so it pushes boom past horizontal! In other words, when raising the sail for first time to examine, avoid head scratching and look to see if boat has ye olde boom kicker installation, especially if your sail resembles a grocery bag! (Dont ask).  Shop around on the net for the best pricing.
Rigid Vang option from Gauhauer
The rigid vang is the best option to fully replace the vang and actually makes sense as the cost and performance choice when starting from scratch. Eliminates need for topping lift (as does Boomkicker) and put the solution in one package. Gauheuer is the most cost effective rigid vang solution.
Mars Metal Company - Custom F235 Keel
Makers of custom lead keels and the fabricator for the new Leif Beiley designed lead F235 fin keel. This is the place to go for the all LEAD fin with improved foil, lower weight in bulb, and increased depth resulting in a more stiff and capable upwind beast. They are currently on HOLD for the new F235 lead fin. We need a minimum of 5-6 orders.  See F235 Forums on topic.
ONE PERSON Mast Raising/Lowering System: F210/F235
This is a thorough article from Terry Ellis on his Mast raising and lowering system he uses on his First 210. Since the rigs are practically identical, this system would likely work on the F235 as well. Article includes text and drawings of system
Minis in America | The Mini Store
10/18 Sadly, another expired domain name. "I’ve realised it’s impossible to just walk away from racing these awesome 21 foot offshore weapons. Whatever the weather, the sport is just crazy and thoroughly addictive."- Phil Sharp, UK sailor
And so goes the opening line of this site dedicated to Mini sailing in America. Minis in America is a new organization with a singular purpose - to bring the "Mini", a 6.5 Meter (21 foot) open class, ocean racing sailboat to North America. The Mini - hugely popular in Europe but still relatively unknown in North America, is a beast of a little boat, capable of handling ocean crossings with speed.  The site is really interesting with some great photos and up-to-date info on the latest on the Mini movement in the USA. Includes a section on USED offerings here as well. And tooling has begun on a brand new Mini from Owen Clarke Design - the M6.5 - the first Production Mini to be built in America. Target launch date is late Fall '06. GREAT SITE!
Newsgroup POST: Leaks in my 235
Newsgroup POST: Keel Horror Story #2: Bye Bye Wings
Two interesting Newsgroup posts that broach some issues with leak issues and the potential for the wings to come apart from the main keel.  There is misinformation here but I included it for reference.
More Wing or Fin debate from Catalina 34 Site
This article actually raises some good points and has really made me question the wing keel on several fronts, including the inability to lean to get off, the anchor in the mud, and the fact that the rudder is sometimes longer than the Keel ala 235.  The wing utimately has a foot less draft or so at only 2'9 so it's a positive for those with depth issues via their sailing grounds.  On the other hand, when you do run aground, the wing can sometimes be harder to get off.
Telling Tales - Understanding the ins and outs
This is a neat online resource complete with diagrams and animations concerning the reading and understanding of sail trim along with details on using your "tell tales" for better trim, heading, and boat speed. An excellent site!
First 235 Articles - Available for order

YACHTING WORLD 1987 (2 pages)
PRACTICAL BOAT OWNER 1989 (2 pages)
YACHTING WORLD 1989 (7 pages including others)
PRACTICAL BOAT OWNER 1997 (9 pages including others)


Prices: Individual tests £2.50 for the first or only test; £2.00 for each individual test supplied.

Postage: All prices include first class postage in the UK. Overseas orders postage is extra.

To order: Call or fax with full details of the test(s) required and include your name, address, telephone number, credit card number and expiry date. Call +44 (0)1926 407116 (Monday-Friday 10-5 UK time) or fax +44 (0)1926 407117.

If you want to use our special fax service (reports usually sent within an hour) just ask for details; Please note that there is an extra charge for faxing reports.

Or send your order to:
Copy Shop (ybw), PO Box 138, Warwick, CV35 7LX, UK


©2003-2011 by Beneteau235.com ~ Kelly Holsten • site design & hosting by kh @ ivol.com