The Beneteau First 28 is a 28' sloop, designed by Jean-Marie Finot and built for coastal sailing by Beneteau in the early 1980s. There is both a swing keel version and a shallow draft version.
Hull Type: Fin keel with spade rudder
Hull Material: GRP (fibreglass)
Length Overall: 28' 3" / 8.6m
Waterline Length: 24' 3" / 7.4m
Beam: 9' 10" / 3.0m
Draft: 5' 8" / 1.72m
Rig Type: Masthead sloop
Displacement: 7,000lb / 3,175kg
Designer: Jean-Marie Finot
Builder: Beneteau (France)
Year First Built: 1980
Year Last Built: 1982
Number Built: 600
Owners Association: Beneteau Owners' Association (UK)
Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 16.5
Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 37.1
Displacement/Length Ratio: 186
Comfort Ratio: 17.2
Capsize Screening Formula: 2.2
Summary Analysis of Published Design Ratios for the Beneteau First 28
A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 16.5 suggests that the Beneteau First 28 will approach her maximum hull speed readily and satisfy the sailing performance expectations of most cruising sailors.
A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 37.1 means that unless the bulk of the ballast is concentrated in a bulb at the foot of her keel, the Beneteau First 28 will have a tendency to heel excessively in a gust, and she'll need to be reefed early to keep her sailing upright in a moderate breeze.
A Displacement/Length Ratio of 186, tells us she's clearly a light displacement sailboat. If she's loaded with too much heavy cruising gear her performance will suffer dramatically.
Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 17.2 suggests that crew comfort in a seaway is akin to the motion of a lightweight racing boat. Upwind the Beneteau First 28 will be tender and will slam enough to shake your fillings out with a lively motion that most cruising sailors have no desire to get used to.
Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of ## suggests that crew comfort in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of an extremely heavy bluewater boat - and that's as comfortable as life ever gets on a sailing boat!
Her Capsize Screening Formula of 2.2 tells us that the Beneteau First 28 would not be a good choice of sailboat for ocean passage-making, owing to the increased risk of capsize in strong winds and heavy seas when compared to a sailboat with a CSF of less than 2.0.
May 16, 22 04:32 AM
Interested in the Etap 32i sailboat? Here are the pics, specs and performance predictions you're looking for...
May 15, 22 10:55 AM
Interested in the X-332 sailboat? Here are the pics, specs and performance predictions you're looking for...
May 14, 22 06:47 AM
Interested in the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44 sailboat? Here are the pics, specs and performance predictions you're looking for...