Beneteau First 45s5
Description
Beneteau First 45s5 is a luxurious and high-performance French cruiser-racer sailboat designed by Jean Berret of Berret-Racoupeau Yacht Design with avant-garde interior styling by Philippe Starck, and built by Beneteau from 1995 to 1999, with approximately 120 hulls produced in France as an evolution of the 45f5. Measuring 46 feet 3 inches in length overall (waterline 37 feet 9 inches, beam 13 feet 11 inches), it features a lightweight fiberglass hull—solid laminate below the waterline with balsa-cored deck—and is offered in deep fin keel (7 feet 3 inches draft), standard fin (6 feet 3 inches), or shoal draft (5 feet 7 inches), with a displacement of 20,944 pounds and 8,818 pounds of lead ballast (42% ratio) for excellent stability and offshore capability. The fractional sloop rig, with a sail area of approximately 980–1,050 square feet (SA/D ~19–21 depending on rig height), delivers powerful yet balanced performance, optimized for IMS racing, spirited cruising, or short-handed voyaging, with options for standard or taller masts. The iconic Starck interior—light ash wood, flowing curves, and modular design—accommodates six to eight in three private cabins: a spacious forward owner’s stateroom with en-suite head, two aft doubles, a large U-shaped galley, navigation station, expansive saloon with convertible settees, and a second head with separate shower. Renowned for its blend of speed, elegance, and blue water seaworthiness, the First 45s5 remains a premium used-market choice.
Construction Details
| Designer | Bruce Farr |
|---|---|
| Builder | Beneteau |
| Length | 45.000 ft |
| LOA | 44.920 ft |
| LWL | 39.040 ft |
| Beam | 14.083 ft |
| Displacement | 23149 lb |
| Ballast | 8378 lb |
| Max Draft | 7.050 ft |
| Year Built | 1990 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 51.83 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 15.25 ft |
| p | 54.79 ft |
| e | 18.70 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51.83 ft | 15.25 ft | 54.79 ft | 18.70 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
Beneteau First 45s5 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 54.79 ft - (16700 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 18.7 ft - (5700 mm) |
| Leech | * 57.11 ft - (17407 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.99 ° |
| Diagonal | * 57.27 ft - (17456 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 511.79 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Beneteau First 45s5 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 43.22 ft - (13173 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 19.94 ft - (6078 mm) |
| Leech | * 38.03 ft - (11592 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 17.54 ft - (5346 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 379.11 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Beneteau First 45s5 - GENOA
| Luff | * 51.33 ft - (15645 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 24.4 ft - (7437 mm) |
| Leech | * 48.55 ft - (14798 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 22.88 ft - (6974 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 586.96 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Beneteau First 45s5 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 51.33 ft - (15645 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 27.45 ft - (8367 mm) |
| Foot | * 27.45 ft - (8367 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 1197.66 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.