Review of First 28

Basic specs.

The First 28 aka Beneteau First 28 is a sailboat designed by the French maritime architect Jean-Marie Finot in the early eighties. The First 28 is built by the French yard Bénéteau.

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Hull

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.

Rig

The boat has more than one rig.

One option is 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.

Another option is 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.

Keel

The First 28 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 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 enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.72 - 1.82 meter (5.64 - 5.94 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

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.

First 28 can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.30 - 1.40 meter (4.27 - 4.57 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Unknown keel type

This keel is also made of iron.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.15 - 1.25 meter (3.77 - 4.07 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Engine

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD6 diesel engine at 10 hp (7 kW). Calculated max speed is about 4.7 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.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for First 28 is 2.17, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.6 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.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for First 28 is about 148 kg/cm, alternatively 832 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 148 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 832 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.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for First 28 is 16.8.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 15% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly below average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for First 28 is 3.00.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 58% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.

Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for First 28 is 37%.

This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 27% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just below average.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for First 28 is 185 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

82% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for First 28 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.4, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 19.7.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 54% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Over- / underrigged

The First 28 has more rig than 79% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.

RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for First 28 is 62

The relative speed performance is 62 which means that a it is faster than 62% of all similar sailboat designs.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 26m² (279 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.

Rig

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.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Masthead rig
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	24.1 m	(79.1 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	24.1 m	(79.1 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	24.1 m	(79.1 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib sheet	9.0 m	(29.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Genoa sheet	9.0 m	(29.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Mainsheet	22.5 m	(73.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	19.8 m	(65.0 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Cunningham	2.9 m	(9.5 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Kickingstrap	5.8 m	(19.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Clew-outhaul	5.8 m	(19.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Fractional rig
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	29.3 m	(96.1 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	29.3 m	(96.1 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	29.3 m	(96.1 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib sheet	9.0 m	(29.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Genoa sheet	9.0 m	(29.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Mainsheet	22.5 m	(73.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	19.8 m	(65.0 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Cunningham	3.2 m	(10.5 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Kickingstrap	6.4 m	(21.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Clew-outhaul	6.4 m	(21.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

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.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for First 28 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.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.