Detailed sailboat specifications and datasheets since 2015
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First 28 Shoal draft

Sailboat specifications

The First 28 is a 28’2” (8.6m) cruiser-racer sailboat designed by Groupe Finot (France). She was built between 1980 and 1983 by Bénéteau (France). The Shoal draft version features a shorter keel to grant access to shallow areas.

The First 28 is as well listed, on Boat-Specs.com, in Swing keel and Deep draft version (see all the versions compared).

First 28's main features

Model
First 28
Version
Shoal draft
Hull type
Monohull
Category
Cruiser-racer sailboat
Sailboat builder
Sailboat designer
Sailboat range
Country
France
Construction
GRP (glass reinforced polyester):
- Hull: Single skin fiberglass polyester
- Deck: Sandwich balsa fiberglass polyester
Number of hulls built
About 600
First built hull
1980
Last built hull
1983
Appendages
Keel : fin without bulb
Helm
Single tiller
Rudder
Single spade rudder
Unsinkable
No
Trailerable
No
Standard public price ex. VAT (indicative only)
N/A

First 28's main dimensions

Overall length
28’ 10”8.79 m
Hull length
28’ 2”8.6 m
Waterline length
24’ 4”7.4 m
Beam (width)
9’ 10”3 m
Draft
4’ 4”1.3 m
Light displacement (MLC)
5952 lb2700 kg
Maximum displacement (MLDC)
2205 lb1000 kg
Ballast type
Cast iron
French customs tonnage
6.98 Tx

First 28's rig and sails

Upwind sail area
472 ft²43.85 m²
Downwind sail area
853 ft²79.25 m²
Mainsail area
164 ft²15.25 m²
Genoa area
308 ft²28.6 m²
Solent area
251 ft²23.3 m²
Jib area
167 ft²15.5 m²
Stormjib area
46 ft²4.3 m²
Symmetric spinnaker area
689 ft²64 m²
I
 iFore triangle height (from mast foot to fore stay top attachment)
34’ 5”10.5 m
J
 iFore triangle base (from mast foot to bottom of forestay)
11’ 6”3.5 m
P
 iMainsail hoist measurement (from tack to head)
29’ 11”9.12 m
E
 iMainsail foot measurement (from tack to clew)
9’ 6”2.9 m
Rigging type
Sloop Marconi masthead
Mast configuration
Deck stepped mast
Rotating spars
No
Number of levels of spreaders
1
Spreaders angle
0 °
Spars construction
Aluminum spars
Standing rigging
1x19 strand wire continuous

First 28's performances

HN (French rating)
 iHN or "Handicap Nationale" is an empirical rating system used in France allowing various monohulls, of different sizes and designs, to race each other fairly. It is particularly suitable for cruiser and cruiser-racer. Therefore, by comparing these values, we can have an indication of the relative speed of 2 boats.
15.0
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.
243 ft²/T22.61 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.
440 ft²/T40.87 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.
189
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.
6.60 knots

First 28's auxiliary engine

Engine(s)
1 inboard engine
Engine(s) power (min./max.)
8 HP / 15 HP
Fuel tank capacity
6.6 gal25 liters

First 28's accommodations and layout

Cockpit
Closed aft cockpit
Cabin(s)
1
Berth(s) (min./max.)
5 / 6
Head(s)
1
Freshwater tank capacity
23.8 gal90 liters
Maximum headroom
6’1.84 m
Galley headroom
5’ 8”1.75 m
Have you spotted incorrect data?  You can report it in the forum or contact the webmaster

Similar sailboats that may interest you:


Sailboats
First built hull
Hull length
First 28 Deep draft (Bénéteau)
1980
28’ 2”8.6 m
Bénéteau R/C 32 Shoal draft (Bénéteau)
1980
31’ 6”9.6 m
Bénéteau R/C 30 Fin keel (Bénéteau)
1977
28’ 11”8.8 m
Albin Ballad (Albin Marine)
1971
30’9.14 m
Bénéteau R/C 27 Shoal draft (Bénéteau)
1978
26’ 1”7.95 m
Aquila Shoal draft (Jeanneau)
1975
27’ 2”8.28 m
First 27 Shoal draft (Bénéteau)
1978
26’ 1”7.95 m
First 32 Shoal draft (Bénéteau)
1980
31’ 6”9.6 m
First 25 Fin keel (Bénéteau)
1979
24’ 10”7.55 m
First 29 Shoal draft (Bénéteau)
1983
28’ 6”8.7 m
First 305 Shoal draft (Bénéteau)
1984
30’ 8”9.35 m
First 325 Shoal draft (Bénéteau)
1984
32’ 6”9.9 m
First 30 Fin keel (Bénéteau)
1977
28’ 11”8.8 m
First 30E Shoal draft (Bénéteau)
1981
30’ 4”9.25 m
First 31.7 Shoal draft (Bénéteau)
1997
31’ 2”9.5 m
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