Figaro 3

Sailboat specifications

The Figaro 3 is a 32’ (9.75m) single handed racing sailboat designed by VPLP Design (France). She is built since 2017 by Bénéteau (France). She has been awarded "2019 - SAIL magazine - Best Performance Boat 31ft and over" and "2019 - Sailing World - Boat of the Year: Overall Winner".

Find out more about the Figaro 3 on Boat-Spec's blog: European Yacht of the Year 2018.

Figaro 3's main features

Model

Figaro 3

Hull type

Monohull

Category

Single handed racing sailboat

Sailboat builder

Bénéteau

Sailboat designer

VPLP Design

Country

France

Construction

GRP (glass reinforced polyester):
Sandwich fiberglass polyester (vacuum infusion)

First built hull

2017

Last built hull

Still in production

Award(s)

2019: SAIL magazine - Best Performance Boat 31ft and over
2019: Sailing World - Boat of the Year: Overall Winner

Appendages

Keel and foils : L-shaped keel (with bulb) and 2 Chistera foils

Helm

Single tiller

Rudder

Twin spade rudders

Unsinkable

Trailerable

Standard public price ex. VAT (indicative only)

About

177 000 €

(2020)

Figaro 3's main dimensions

Overall length: 35’ 7”10.85 m
Hull length: 32’9.75 m
Waterline length: 29’ 6”9 m
Beam (width): 11’ 5”3.47 m
Waterline beam (width): 8’ 2”2.5 m
Draft: 8’ 2”2.5 m
Light displacement (M_LC): 6393 lb2900 kg
Ballast weight: 2425 lb1100 kg

Figaro 3's rig and sails

Upwind sail area: 753 ft²70 m²
Downwind sail area: 1555 ft²144.5 m²
Mainsail area: 425 ft²39.5 m²
Jib area: 328 ft²30.5 m²
Asymmetric spinnaker area: 1130 ft²105 m²
Rigging type: Sloop Marconi 9/10
Mast configuration: Deck stepped mast
Rotating spars: No
Number of levels of spreaders: 2
Spreaders angle: Swept-back
Spars construction: Carbon fiber mast and aluminum boom

Figaro 3's performances

Upwind sail area to displacement iThe ratio sail area to displacement is obtained by dividing the sail area by the boat's displaced volume to the power two-thirds. The ratio sail area to displacement can be used to compare the relative sail plan of different sailboats no matter what their size. Upwind: under 18 the ratio indicates a cruise oriented sailboat with limited performances especially in light wind, while over 25 it indicates a fast sailboat.: 370 ft²/T34.42 m²/T
Downwind sail area to displacement iThe ratio sail area to displacement is obtained by dividing the sail area by the boat's displaced volume to the power two-thirds. The ratio sail area to displacement can be used to compare the relative sail plan of different sailboats no matter what their size.: 765 ft²/T71.06 m²/T
Displacement-length ratio (DLR) iThe Displacement Length Ratio (DLR) is a figure that points out the boat's weight compared to its waterline length. The DLR is obtained by dividing the boat's displacement in tons by the cube of one one-hundredth of the waterline length (in feet). The DLR can be used to compare the relative mass of different sailboats no matter what their length: a DLR less than 180 is indicative of a really light sailboat (race boat made for planning), while a DLR greater than 300 is indicative of a heavy cruising sailboat.: 113
Ballast ratio iThe Ballast ratio is an indicator of stability; it is obtained by dividing the boat's displacement by the mass of the ballast. Since the stability depends also of the hull shapes and the position of the center of gravity, only the boats with similar ballast arrangements and hull shapes should be compared. The higher the ballast ratio is, the greater is the stability.: 38 %
Critical hull speed iAs a ship moves in the water, it creates standing waves that oppose its movement. This effect increases dramatically the resistance when the boat reaches a speed-length ratio (speed-length ratio is the ratio between the speed in knots and the square root of the waterline length in feet) of about 1.2 (corresponding to a Froude Number of 0.35) . This very sharp rise in resistance, between speed-length ratio of 1.2 to 1.5, is insurmountable for heavy sailboats and so becomes an apparent barrier. This leads to the concept of "hull speed". The hull speed is obtained by multiplying the square root of the waterline length (in feet) by 1.34.: 7.28 knots