The Beneteau First 305 is a French sailboat that was designed by Jean Berret as a cruiser-racer and first built in 1984.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]}

The design was built by Beneteau in France, and also in Marion, South Carolina, United States, starting in 1984 as a 1985 model year and was built until 1989, with 644 boats completed.^{[1][2][3][4][5][9][10][11][12][13]}

The First 305 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of glassfibre, with wood trim. The hull is solid fibreglass and the deck is balsa-cored. It has a masthead sloop rig, with a deck-stepped mast, two sets of unswept spreaders and aluminium spars with continuous stainless steel wire standing rigging. The hull has a raked stem, a reverse transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel or optional shoal draft keel. It displaces 7,939 lb (3,601 kg) empty and carries 2,976 lb (1,350 kg) of cast iron ballast.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The boat has a draft of 5.58 ft (1.70 m) with the standard keel and 4.33 ft (1.32 m) with the optional shoal draft keel.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

A version was also built with stub keel, daggerboard and twin rudders, for anchorages that dry out.^[13]

The boat is fitted with a Swedish Volvo 2002 diesel engine for docking and manoeuvring. The fuel tank holds 9 U.S. gallons (34 L; 7.5 imp gal) and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 30 U.S. gallons (110 L; 25 imp gal).^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth berth in the bow cabin, an L-shaped settee and a straight settee in the main salon and an aft cabin with a double berth on the port side. The galley is located on the port side just forward of the companionway ladder. The galley is L-shaped and is equipped with a two-burner stove, an ice box and a double sink. A navigation station is opposite the galley, on the starboard side. The head is located aft, on the starboard side and includes a shower. Cabin maximum headroom is 70 in (178 cm).^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with a symmetrical spinnaker of 759 sq ft (70.5 m²).^[4][5]

The design has a hull speed of 6.87 kn (12.72 km/h) and a PHRF handicap of 159.^{[1][2][3][4][5][14]}

• List of sailing boat types

• Media related to First 305 at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website