First 42 Shoal draft

Sailboat specifications

The First 42 is a 41’11” (12.77m) cruiser-racer sailboat designed by Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering (Argentina). She was built between 1981 and 1985 by Bénéteau (France). The Shoal draft version features a shorter keel to grant access to shallow areas.

The First 42 has also been marketed as Bénéteau R/C 42 and she is as well listed, on Boat-Specs.com, in S / Deep draft version (see all the versions compared).

First 42's main features

Model: First 42
Version: Shoal draft
Hull type: Monohull
Category: Offshore cruiser-racer sailboat
Sailboat builder: Bénéteau
Sailboat designer: Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering
Sailboat range: First
Country: France
Construction: GRP (glass reinforced polyester):
- Hull: Single skin fiberglass polyester
- Deck: Sandwich balsa fiberglass polyester
First built hull: 1981
Last built hull: 1985
Appendages: Keel : fin without bulb
Helm: Single helm wheel
Rudder: Single spade rudder
Unsinkable: No
Trailerable: No
Former French navigation category: 1
Standard public price ex. VAT (indicative only): N/A €

First 42's main dimensions

Overall length: 43’ 4”13.2 m
Hull length: 41’ 11”12.77 m
Waterline length: 36’ 2”11.04 m
Beam (width): 13’ 1”4 m
Waterline beam (width): 11’ 2”3.4 m
Draft: 5’ 7”1.72 m
Mast height from D_WL: 57’ 4”17.45 m
Fore freeboard: 4’ 1”1.25 m
Mid-ship freeboard: 3’ 6”1.06 m
Light displacement (M_LC): 20944 lb9500 kg
Maximum displacement (M_LDC): 22377 lb10150 kg
Ballast weight: 7937 lb3600 kg
Ballast type: Cast iron
French customs tonnage: 16.14 Tx

First 42's rig and sails

Upwind sail area: 1057 ft²98.2 m²
Downwind sail area: 1886 ft²175.2 m²
Mainsail area: 379 ft²35.2 m²
Genoa area: 678 ft²63 m²
Solent area: 484 ft²45 m²
Jib area: 353 ft²32.8 m²
Stormjib area: 154 ft²14.3 m²
Symmetric spinnaker area: 1507 ft²140 m²
I iFore triangle height (from mast foot to fore stay top attachment): 52’ 10”16.1 m
J iFore triangle base (from mast foot to bottom of forestay): 16’ 8”5.1 m
P iMainsail hoist measurement (from tack to head): 46’ 7”14.2 m
E iMainsail foot measurement (from tack to clew): 14’ 7”4.45 m
Rigging type: Sloop Marconi masthead
Mast configuration: Deck stepped mast
Rotating spars: No
Number of levels of spreaders: 2
Spreaders angle: Swept-back
Running backstays: 1 set(s)
Spars construction: Aluminum spars

First 42's performances

IOR rating iIOR, or International Offshore Rule, was a measurement rule system used internationally for ocean racing. It allows boats of different sizes and designs to race each other fairly. Therefore, by comparing these values, we can have an indication of the relative speed of 2 boats.: 32.7
HN (French rating) iHN or "Handicap Nationale" is an empirical rating system used in France allowing various monohulls, of different sizes and designs, to race each other fairly. It is particularly suitable for cruiser and cruiser-racer. Therefore, by comparing these values, we can have an indication of the relative speed of 2 boats.: 23.5
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.: 236 ft²/T21.89 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.: 420 ft²/T39.06 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.: 200
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.: 38 %
Wetted area: 375 ft²34.8 m²
Maximum transverse section: 21 ft²1.95 m²
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.: 8.06 knots