Review of First 24
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 First 24 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 24 has been built with different keel alternatives.
Fin keel
One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full 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 1.22 - 1.32 meter (4.00 - 4.30 ft) dependent on the load.
Unknown keel type
This keel is also made of iron.
The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.80 - 0.90 meter (2.62 - 2.92 ft) dependent on the load.
Swing keel
Another option is a swing keel. A swing keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.
First 24 can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.76 - 0.86 meter (2.49 - 2.79 ft) dependent on the load.
An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case the boat will typically require a power of 4 - 5 hp, alternatively 80 - 96 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 24 is 2.08, 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 24 is 2.92.
The ballast ratio for First 24 is 30%.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for First 24 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.1, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 18.7.
Maintenance
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 | 21.5 m | (70.5 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 21.5 m | (70.5 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 21.5 m | (70.5 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 7.3 m | (24.1 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 7.3 m | (24.1 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 18.4 m | (60.2 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 16.1 m | (53.0 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Cunningham | 3.1 m | (10.3 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 6.3 m | (20.6 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 6.3 m | (20.6 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
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