First 20

Sailboat specifications

The First 20 is a 20’6” (6.25m) cruiser-racer sailboat designed by Finot Conq Architectes (France). She was built between 2013 and 2018 by Bénéteau (France).

First 20's main features

Model: First 20
Hull type: Monohull
Category: Cruiser-racer sailboat
Sailboat builder: Bénéteau
Sailboat designer: Finot Conq Architectes
Sailboat range: First
Country: France
Construction: GRP (glass reinforced polyester):
- Hull: Single skin fiberglass polyester
- Deck: Sandwich balsa fiberglass polyester
First built hull: 2013
Last built hull: 2018
Appendages: Lifting keel : swing keel
Helm: Single tiller
Rudder: Twin transom hung rudders
Unsinkable: No
Trailerable: Yes
EC design category iThe CE design category indicates the ability to cope with certain weather conditions (the sailboat is designed for these conditions) A: Wind < force 9, Waves < 10m B: Wind < force 8, Waves < 8m C: Wind < force 6, Waves < 4m D: Wind < force 4, Waves < 0,5m: C
Standard public price ex. VAT (indicative only): About
22 300 €
(2017)

First 20's main dimensions

Overall length: 21’6.4 m
Hull length: 20’ 6”6.25 m
Waterline length: 19’ 8”6 m
Beam (width): 8’ 1”2.48 m
Draft: 5’ 11”1.8 m
Draft when appendages up: 2’ 4”0.7 m
Mast height from D_WL: 31’ 2”9.5 m
Light displacement (M_LC): 2745 lb1245 kg
Ballast weight: 661 lb300 kg
Ballast type: Cast iron

First 20's rig and sails

Upwind sail area: 245 ft²22.78 m²
Downwind sail area: 435 ft²40.4 m²
Mainsail area: 170 ft²15.8 m²
Jib area: 75 ft²6.98 m²
Asymmetric spinnaker area: 265 ft²24.6 m²
Code 0 area: 161 ft²15 m²
I iFore triangle height (from mast foot to fore stay top attachment): 23’7 m
J iFore triangle base (from mast foot to bottom of forestay): 7’ 10”2.37 m
P iMainsail hoist measurement (from tack to head): 24’ 4”7.4 m
E iMainsail foot measurement (from tack to clew): 10’ 4”3.15 m
Rigging type: Sloop Marconi 9/10
Mast configuration: Deck stepped mast
Rotating spars: No
Number of levels of spreaders: 1
Spreaders angle: Swept-back
Spars construction: Aluminum spars
Standing rigging: 1x19 strand wire continuous

First 20's performances

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.: 212 ft²/T19.68 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.: 376 ft²/T34.91 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.: 163
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.: 24 %
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.: 5.95 knots