First 45 (Farr)
Beneteau · Bruce Farr · 1990
Updated
The First 45 (Farr) is a 13.70 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by Beneteau, first launched in 1990. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 13% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 13% of the boats it races against.
80th of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 105 starts across 51 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
13.70 m
44′ 11″
Beam
4.23 m
Draft
2.20 m
Displacement
10.8 t
Sail area
108 m²
On the podium
Where a First 45 (Farr) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
8%
of 105 starts by 7 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 105 starts by 7 boats between 2018 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a First 45 (Farr) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Πορος 2026"2026- 43ος Ιστιοπλοικος Αγωνας Κορφος ΄262026
- 32nd Cyclades Regatta - '262026
- "Μακης Πανταζης" - Αγκιστρι2026
- 3ος Ιστιοπλοϊκός Αγώνας Α/Θ ¨Πέρδικα 2026¨2026
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: 7 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
7%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a First 45 (Farr) actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the First 45 (Farr) has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
5.71
38°
Beam reach
8.99
90°
Broad reach
9.59
135°
Downwind VMG
8.36
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
It is an upwind boat first. Windward-leeward courses give it more of what it is good at than a coastal race does.
Where it gains
Its best ground is upwind when it blows, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage across the wind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short on a broad reach once it pipes up, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a First 45 (Farr)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.66 | 5.01 | 5.54 | 5.71 |
| 52° | 5.61 | 7.31 | 7.84 | 8.02 |
| 60° | 5.92 | 7.54 | 8.04 | 8.26 |
| 75° | 6.14 | 7.70 | 8.25 | 8.64 |
| 90° | 6.04 | 7.75 | 8.40 | 8.99 |
| 110° | 5.86 | 7.86 | 8.66 | 9.50 |
| 120° | 5.67 | 7.73 | 8.61 | 9.79 |
| 135° | 5.05 | 7.26 | 8.32 | 9.59 |
| 150° | 4.24 | 6.45 | 7.85 | 9.00 |
| Run VMG | 3.67 | 5.59 | 7.03 | 8.36 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 820 kg.
Rigging
First 45 (Farr) rig and sail dimensions
A First 45 (Farr) carries 16.81 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.70 m boom, a forestay 16.32 m above the deck and a 6.44 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 10 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 110 to 150 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.
Other designs under the same name
The name has been carried by more than one design. They are different boats.