First 26 Swing keel

Sailboat specifications

The First 26 is a 25’5” (7.75m) cruiser-racer sailboat designed by Finot Conq Architectes (France). She was built between 1984 and 1989 by Bénéteau (France). The Swing keel version features an appendage configuration without compromise between draft and performance. The only drawbacks are the space is taken inside and the effort needed to lift the keel....

The First 26 is as well listed, on Boat-Specs.com, in Fin keel version (see all the versions compared).

First 26's main features

Model: First 26
Version: Swing keel
Hull type: Monohull
Category: Cruiser-racer sailboat
Sailboat builder: Bénéteau
Sailboat designer: Finot Conq Architectes
Sailboat range: First
Country: France
Construction: Hull and deck: GRP (glass reinforced polyester)
Number of hulls built: About 300
First built hull: 1984
Last built hull: 1989
Appendages: Lifting keel : swing keel
Helm: Single tiller
Rudder: Single transom hung rudder
Unsinkable: No
Trailerable: No
Former French navigation category: 3
Standard public price ex. VAT (indicative only): N/A €

First 26's main dimensions

Overall length: 26’ 11”8.2 m
Hull length: 25’ 5”7.75 m
Waterline length: 23’7 m
Beam (width): 9’ 2”2.8 m
Draft: 5’ 8”1.75 m
Draft when appendages up: 2’ 10”0.85 m
Light displacement (M_LC): 4409 lb2000 kg
Ballast weight: 1455 lb660 kg
French customs tonnage: 5.80 Tx

First 26's rig and sails

Upwind sail area: 411 ft²38.2 m²
Downwind sail area: 743 ft²69 m²
Mainsail area: 140 ft²13 m²
Genoa area: 271 ft²25.2 m²
Jib area: 110 ft²10.2 m²
Stormjib area: 45 ft²4.2 m²
Symmetric spinnaker area: 603 ft²56 m²
Rigging type: Sloop Marconi masthead
Mast configuration: Deck stepped mast
Rotating spars: No
Number of levels of spreaders: 1
Spreaders angle: 0 °
Spars construction: Aluminum spars
Standing rigging: 1x19 strand wire continuous

First 26'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.: 259 ft²/T24.06 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.: 468 ft²/T43.47 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.: 165
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.: 33 %
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.: 6.42 knots