Review of First 51
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.
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.
The First 51 has been built with different keel alternatives.
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.
The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.80 - 2.90 meter (9.19 - 9.49 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Wing keel
But be aware that even though a GTE keel is very good for speed racing, a fishing nets and the like in the water can easily make you into a troublesome situation.
The keel is also made of lead.
The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.80 - 1.90 meter (5.91 - 6.21 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
First 51 is typically equipped with an inboard Perkins diesel engine at 60 hp (44 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.9 knots
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 51 is 1.95, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - 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 8.5 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 51 is about 377 kg/cm, alternatively 2113 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 377 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 2113 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 51 is 27.7.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for First 51 is 3.35.
The ballast ratio for First 51 is 50%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for First 51 is 190 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for First 51 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 21.3, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 25.5.
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 68m2 (731 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 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.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Mainsail halyard | 47.2 m | (155.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 47.2 m | (155.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 47.2 m | (155.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 15.2 m | (50.0 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 15.2 m | (50.0 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 38.1 m | (124.9 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 33.5 m | (109.9 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Cunningham | 5.6 m | (18.5 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 11.3 m | (37.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 11.3 m | (37.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.
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