First 456 Shoal draft

Sailboat specifications

The First 456 is a 45’10” (13.95m) cruiser-racer sailboat designed by Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering (Argentina). She was built between 1982 and 1987 by Bénéteau (France). The Shoal draft version features a shorter keel to grant access to shallow areas.

The First 456 is as well listed, on Boat-Specs.com, in Deep draft and S / Deep draft version (see all the versions compared).

First 456's main features

Model: First 456
Version: Shoal draft
Hull type: Monohull
Category: Offshore cruiser-racer sailboat
Sailboat builder: Bénéteau
Sailboat designer: Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering
Sailboat range: First
Country: France
Construction: Hull and deck: GRP (glass reinforced polyester)
First built hull: 1982
Last built hull: 1987
Appendages: Keel : fin without bulb
Helm: Single helm wheel
Rudder: Single spade rudder
Unsinkable: No
Trailerable: No
Former French navigation category: 1
Standard public price ex. VAT (indicative only): N/A €

First 456's main dimensions

Overall length: 46’ 7”14.2 m
Hull length: 45’ 10”13.95 m
Waterline length: 39’ 5”12 m
Beam (width): 14’ 1”4.3 m
Draft: 6’ 5”1.95 m
Light displacement (M_LC): 26455 lb12000 kg
Ballast weight: 10362 lb4700 kg

First 456's rig and sails

Upwind sail area: 1238 ft²115 m²
Downwind sail area: 2217 ft²206 m²
Mainsail area: 441 ft²41 m²
Genoa area: 797 ft²74 m²
Jib area: 431 ft²40 m²
Stormjib area: 161 ft²15 m²
Symmetric spinnaker area: 1776 ft²165 m²
Rigging type: Sloop Marconi masthead
Mast configuration: Keel stepped mast
Rotating spars: No
Number of levels of spreaders: 2
Spreaders angle: 0 °
Running backstays: 1 set(s)
Spars construction: Aluminum spars

First 456's performances

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.: 236 ft²/T21.94 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.: 423 ft²/T39.3 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.: 197
Ballast ratio iThe Ballast ratio is an indicator of stability; it is obtained by dividing the boat's displacement by the mass of the ballast. Since the stability depends also of the hull shapes and the position of the center of gravity, only the boats with similar ballast arrangements and hull shapes should be compared. The higher the ballast ratio is, the greater is the stability.: 39 %
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.: 8.41 knots