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Review of First 45 F5


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The First 45 F5 is a large sailboat designed in the late eighties.

Here we would have liked to show you nice photos of the First 45 F5.
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Looking for a new boat? Find a First 45 F5 or similar boat for sale

Rig
The boat equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a genaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Keel

The First 45 F5 has been built with more than one type of keel.

One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a long keel.But be aware that even though a Q keel is very good for speed racing, a fishing nets and the like in the water can easily make you into a troublesome situation.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.40 - 2.50 meter (7.87 - 8.17 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for First 45 F5 is 1.96, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.


Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.1 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for First 45 F5 is about 316 kg/cm, alternatively 1769 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 316 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1769 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for First 45 F5 is 3.27.

Slim Wide 66% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 66% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for First 45 F5 is 33%.

Low High 34% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 34% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just below average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for First 45 F5 is 213 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

Heavy Light 58% 0 50 100
58% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for First 45 F5 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 17.9, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 20.6.

Low High 42% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 42% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 50% 0 50 100
The First 45 F5 has more rig than 50% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that this rig is spot on average!


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 55m2 (592 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.


Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

mainsail specifications headsail specifications

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale



If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 43.0 m(141.2 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard43.0 m(141.2 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker halyard43.0 m(141.2 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Jib sheet 13.9 m(45.6 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Genoa sheet13.9 m(45.6 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Mainsheet 34.8 m(114.0 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet30.6 m(100.3 feet)16 mm(5/8 inch)
Cunningham5.7 m(18.7 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Kickingstrap11.4 m(37.4 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Clew-outhaul11.4 m(37.4 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for First 45 F5 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.



References