Review of Hirsch 45

Basic specs.

The Hirsch 45 is a large sailboat designed by the maritime architect Richard C. Lazzara in the mid eighties. The Hirsch 45 is built by the American yard Gulfstar Inc.

Here we would have liked to show you nice photos of the Hirsch 45.
If you have a photo you would like to share: Upload Image

Looking for a new boat? Find a Hirsch 45 or similar boat for sale

Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Rig

The boat equipped with a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

Keel

The Hirsch 45 is equipped with a long keel. A long keel provide a better directional stability than a similar boat with a fin keel; on the other hand, better directional stability means also that the boat is more difficult to handle in a harbour with less space.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.68 - 1.78 meter (5.51 - 5.81 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Engine

The boat is typically equipped with an inboard Perkins 4.108 diesel engine.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 208.0 liters (54 US gallons, 45 imperial gallons).

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 Hirsch 45 is 1.78, 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 8.0 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 Hirsch 45 is about 290 kg/cm, alternatively 1627 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 290 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1627 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.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Hirsch 45 is 33.7.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 58% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just above average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Hirsch 45 is 3.40.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 50% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen an average hull design.

Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Hirsch 45 is 37%.

This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 50% of all similar sailboat designs. This righting moment (ability to resist heeling) is spot on average!

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Hirsch 45 is 259 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

38% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A heavy displacement combined with smaller water plane area has lower acceleration and is more comfortable.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

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

The SA/D for Hirsch 45 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 12.7, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 14.9.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 1% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Over- / underrigged

The Hirsch 45 has more rig than 38% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly underrigged.

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 46m² (495 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 masthead rig.

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**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	29.7 m	(97.5 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	29.7 m	(97.5 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	29.7 m	(97.5 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Jib sheet	13.6 m	(44.7 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Genoa sheet	13.6 m	(44.7 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Mainsheet	34.0 m	(111.7 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	30.0 m	(98.3 feet)	16 mm	(5/8 inch)
Cunningham	5.8 m	(19.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Kickingstrap	11.6 m	(38.0 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Clew-outhaul	11.6 m	(38.0 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 Hirsch 45 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

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.