Review of First 456
Basic specs.
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The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of 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 boat is equipped with 0 cabins and 8-12 berths.
The First 456 has been built with different keel alternatives.
Unknown keel type
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.
The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.25 - 2.35 meter (7.38 - 7.68 ft) dependent on the load.
Deep keel
One option is a deep keel. A deep keel provide a better healing moment than a shallow keel.
The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.
First 456 can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.40 - 2.50 meter (7.87 - 8.17 ft) dependent on the load.
Shallow keel
Another option is a shallow keel. A shallow keel allow to sail both coastal and inland waters.
This keel is also made of iron.
The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.95 - 2.05 meter (6.40 - 6.70 ft) dependent on the load.
CentreBoard
Another option is a centreboard keel. A centreboard keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.
The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.55 - 1.65 meter (5.09 - 5.39 ft) dependent on the load.
First 456 may be equipped with an inboard Perkins 4.108 diesel engine at 60 hp (44 kW).
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 456 is 2.01, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.
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 L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for First 456 is 3.30.
The ballast ratio for First 456 is 38%.
Maintenance
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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jib sheet | 14.2 m | (46.6 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 14.2 m | (46.6 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 35.5 m | (116.5 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 31.2 m | (102.5 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
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