Detailed sailboat specifications and datasheets since 2015
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First 345 (Shoal draft)

Main featuresFirst 345 Shoal draft
Model
First 345
Version
Shoal draft
Hull type
Monohull
Category
Cruiser-racer sailboat
Sailboat builder
Bénéteau
Sailboat designer
Sailboat range
Country
France
Construction
Hull and deck: GRP (glass reinforced polyester)
Number of hulls built
About 80
First built hull
1983
Last built hull
1988
Appendages
Keel : fin without bulb
Helm
Single tiller
Rudder
Single spade rudder
Unsinkable
No
Trailerable
No
Former French navigation category
1
 
Main dimensionsFirst 345 Shoal draft
Overall length
36’ 1”11 m
Hull length
34’ 7”10.55 m
Waterline length
29’ 2”8.9 m
Beam (width)
11’ 6”3.5 m
Draft
4’ 5”1.35 m
Light displacement (MLC)
11244 lb5100 kg
Ballast weight
4409 lb2000 kg
Ballast type
Cast iron
French customs tonnage
10.30 Tx
 
Rig and sailsFirst 345 Shoal draft
Upwind sail area
689 ft²64 m²
Downwind sail area
1218 ft²113.15 m²
Mainsail area
258 ft²24 m²
Genoa area
431 ft²40 m²
Jib area
248 ft²23 m²
Stormjib area
82 ft²7.65 m²
Symmetric spinnaker area
960 ft²89.15 m²
Rigging type
Sloop Marconi fractional
Mast configuration
Deck stepped mast
Rotating spars
No
Number of levels of spreaders
2
Spreaders angle
Swept-back
Spars construction
Aluminum spars
Standing rigging
1x19 strand wire
 
PerformancesFirst 345 Shoal draft
Upwind sail area to displacement
 iThe ratio sail area to displacement is obtained by dividing the sail area by the boat's displaced volume to the power two-thirds.

The ratio sail area to displacement can be used to compare the relative sail plan of different sailboats no matter what their size.

Upwind: under 18 the ratio indicates a cruise oriented sailboat with limited performances especially in light wind, while over 25 it indicates a fast sailboat.
233 ft²/T21.6 m²/T
Downwind sail area to displacement
 iThe ratio sail area to displacement is obtained by dividing the sail area by the boat's displaced volume to the power two-thirds.

The ratio sail area to displacement can be used to compare the relative sail plan of different sailboats no matter what their size.
411 ft²/T38.19 m²/T
Displacement-length ratio (DLR)
 iThe Displacement Length Ratio (DLR) is a figure that points out the boat's weight compared to its waterline length. The DLR is obtained by dividing the boat's displacement in tons by the cube of one one-hundredth of the waterline length (in feet).
The DLR can be used to compare the relative mass of different sailboats no matter what their length:

a DLR less than 180 is indicative of a really light sailboat (race boat made for planning), while a DLR greater than 300 is indicative of a heavy cruising sailboat.
205
Ballast ratio
 iThe Ballast ratio is an indicator of stability; it is obtained by dividing the boat's displacement by the mass of the ballast. Since the stability depends also of the hull shapes and the position of the center of gravity, only the boats with similar ballast arrangements and hull shapes should be compared.

The higher the ballast ratio is, the greater is the stability.
39 %
Critical hull speed
 iAs a ship moves in the water, it creates standing waves that oppose its movement. This effect increases dramatically the resistance when the boat reaches a speed-length ratio (speed-length ratio is the ratio between the speed in knots and the square root of the waterline length in feet) of about 1.2 (corresponding to a Froude Number of 0.35) . This very sharp rise in resistance, between speed-length ratio of 1.2 to 1.5, is insurmountable for heavy sailboats and so becomes an apparent barrier. This leads to the concept of "hull speed".
The hull speed is obtained by multiplying the square root of the waterline length (in feet) by 1.34.
7.24 knots
 
Auxiliary engineFirst 345 Shoal draft
Engine(s)
1 inboard engine
Engine(s) power
18 HP
Fuel type
Diesel
Fuel tank capacity
22.5 gal85 liters
 
Accommodations and layoutFirst 345 Shoal draft
Cockpit
Closed aft cockpit
Cabin(s) (min./max.)
2 / 3
Berth(s) (min./max.)
6 / 8
Head(s)
1
Freshwater tank capacity
105.7 gal400 liters
Maximum headroom
6’ 4”1.92 m
 
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