- From 6,000 euros
- 969 units from 1982 to 1997
It's true that we don't hear much about it any more... And yet, from 1982 to the end of the 1990s, it was THE benchmark one-design. The end of production led to a decline in the activity of this regatta class, although it remained for a time in overdrive on Spanish shores (Hispanic clubs bought dozens of boats).
Fast but demanding, this low freeboard racer has trained hundreds of crews in regattas. Today, with its pivoting keel, it remains easy to transport on the road and can compete well in interseries. But this sturdy hull can also be transformed into a coastal cruiser for a couple with little regard for comfort.
Bateaux.com diagnosis
Former glory of Bénéteau, the Class 8 is indestructible, or almost. The most abused units in the club are scratched, the listons dented... but the decks remain rigid and the masts in place. Like the pivoting keels fitted to the smallest models on the market, it's more often than not the bronze nut and stainless steel endless rod that cause problems, not to mention the axle and wedging system. A word of advice: grease the mechanism regularly!
"Initially, we wanted to make a complete boat that could do regattas but also take the family out for outings, like a day-boat."
Jean-Marie Finot, architect of the First Class 8.
The benefits
Disadvantages
- Quickly steer your truck into the breeze
- Bastaque management
- Requires 5/6 crew to be well led
But what's missing?
Smoother at the helm... apart from that, this rustic regatta yacht is still an excellent way of skimming the waters on the cheap.
The equivalent today?
The J80 offers precisely that, a much more pleasant helm feel, a larger cockpit and a huge asymmetric spinnaker... but with its fixed keel and stacked mast, it is far more demanding to transport on the road.
