The Mauric-designed First 30 of 1976 was more popular worldwide – 1,000 built compared to 443 for this Jean Berret 1980 replacement which was the one that caught on in the UK. Below decks, the design shows its age a little but she gives nothing away in performance. She was, in fact, a detuned IOR half-tonner. With a foot more beam than the Mauric 30, the 30E featured a proper double aft cabin but couldn’t manage a permanent chart table, relying instead on a fold-down one. The heads was amidships. She had a huge saloon table for the crew of seven, though there was only stowage for four or five. The fit-out was fairly basic but improved as production ran on. Introduced in 1987, there were deep keel, wing keel and centreboard versions of this model, of which 451 were sold. The interior was functional for a boat of this size with limited stowage and simple fit-out. The galley was
just adequate and the chart table faced aft over the starboard settee. There were six berths in all. She was at home on the club racing circuit but could also be a lively family cruiser.

LOA 8.9m (27ft 10in), LWL 7.777m (25ft 6in), beam 2.99m (9ft 10in), draught 0.66m to 1.94m (2ft 2in to 6ft4in), or 1.2m (3ft 10in), or 1.6m (5ft 3in), displacement 2,800kg (6,160lb). Price guide: £25,000 to £32,000.