Review of First 18
Basic specs.
Looking for a new boat? Find a First 18 or similar boat for sale
The hull is made of hand laid fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of hand laid fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.
The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.
The boat is equipped with 4 berths.
The First 18 is 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 gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.
The First 18 has been built with different keel alternatives.
Fin keel
The First 18 is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.
The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated. As the surface of a fin type keel is just a fraction of the total wet surface, the difference between an iron keel and a lead keel can in reality be ignored for cruising yachts.
The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.10 - 1.20 meter (3.61 - 3.91 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Unknown keel type
This keel is also made of iron.
First 18 can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.55 - 0.65 meter (1.80 - 2.10 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case the boat will typically require a power of 1 - 2 hp, alternatively 28 - 33 lbs thrust if you prefer an electrical motor. Electric outboards are becoming popular for sailboat owners who want clean instant power with less noise and no exhaust fumes.
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.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for First 18 is 2.80, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.
What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?
The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 5.5 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.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level.
The immersion rate for First 18 is about 80 kg/cm, alternatively 450 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 80 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 450 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.
What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?
The Motion Comfort Ratio for First 18 is 8.1.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for First 18 is 2.32.
The ballast ratio for First 18 is 30%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for First 18 is 136 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for First 18 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 21.8, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 25.2.
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 13m2 (139 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.
Dimensions of sail for fractional 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.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Mainsail halyard | 18.4 m | (60.4 feet) | 6 mm | (1/4 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 18.4 m | (60.4 feet) | 6 mm | (1/4 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 18.4 m | (60.4 feet) | 6 mm | (1/4 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 5.5 m | (18.1 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 5.5 m | (18.1 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 13.8 m | (45.4 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 12.2 m | (39.9 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Cunningham | 2.6 m | (8.5 feet) | 6 mm | (1/4 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 5.2 m | (17.1 feet) | 6 mm | (1/4 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 5.2 m | (17.1 feet) | 6 mm | (1/4 inch) |
This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.
Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.
We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for First 18 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.