Beneteau -Briand First 45 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Briand's hull is solid glass, laid up with biaxial and unidirectional glass and an inner structural liner that also carries the loads from the chainplates and keel, while the through-deck mast steps on that same liner solid glass hull and structural liner. Bulkheads are bonded 360 degrees to hull and deck, and the hull/deck joint uses both mechanical fasteners and polyurethane adhesive. The deck itself is an infused fiberglass-and-balsa sandwich with solid-glass patches where hardware mounts. Visually she mirrors the First 50 launched in 2006, with a long sleek coachroof and moulded eyebrows over the side windows, and Bénéteau optimised the hull for IRC to give a longer waterline when heeled. The bow is sharp, the shoulders broad, and a slight chine graces the quarters — all features suggesting a hull built to sail efficiently once tipped over.

Rig and Handling

The First 45 is offered with a standard rig or an optional carbon-fiber spar, and in cruising mode she benefits from a large full-batten main and a non-overlapping jib on a roller furler that keeps short-handed sailing manageable. The split mainsheet is led German-style forward to the mast end of the boom, down to deck turning blocks, then aft to winches at either wheel, while large primary winches handle the genoa and all other lines run aft to coachroof winches. Harken 60 primaries sit within easy reach of either wheel so a single watchkeeper can tack and trim. Writing in Yachting World, testers found her under the 54-horsepower Yanmar cruising at around 6.5 knots and remarkably quiet, turning smartly in just over a boatlength, and the balanced rudder rides on self-aligning swivel bearings linked to the wheels by chain and cable, direct and responsive with no slack.

Performance Under Sail

Yachting World's tester found her an excellent sailing boat for comfortable, swift cruising, typically returning half the wind speed close-hauled and tacking through a good 80 degrees in stronger breeze. She proved sensitive to traveller position, where small adjustments changed speed by as much as half a knot, and on a close reach she added just over a knot. With the symmetric spinnaker she turned in around 6 knots at roughly 85 degrees even as the breeze faded, slowing to 4.5 knots on a broad reach yet still making 3.5 knots in only 5 knots true. Her deck layout is aimed at crewed sailing, with the mainsheet routed to aft cockpit winches set forward of the helms but ideal for crew.

Accommodations

Below, the minimalist Philippe Starck-style interior carried over from the First 50 divides the saloon with a wall of joiner work to port and ranges a curious polygonal table along that side, flanked by an L-shaped settee and two bolt-down stainless stools. Light oak and stained Alpi wood contrast with dark-leather upholstery, and the pale, minimalist treatment draws a love-it-or-hate-it response. The galley to starboard of the companionway is well laid out with a four-burner propane stove and oven, twin fridges, and a neat drawer unit; opposite sits the aft head with a proper shower wall bracket and a wet-locker function for off-watch crew. Two aft double cabins use soft-sided hanging lockers borrowed from the 50, while the forward owner's stateroom feels spacious with its own head, separate shower, and good light from a deck hatch and hull windows. The nav station faces outboard with a swivel seat and built-in laptop space.

Known Issues

One awkward detail from sea trials was the chart plotter location: the builder placed it at about ankle level behind the portside wheel, an arrangement testers found puzzling for sightlines and access plotter sited low behind the port wheel. Otherwise the open transom draws comment, where an optional removable beam bridges the gap but proves useless as a seat because lifelines pass directly over it, and going astern even fairly small waves are uncomfortable on the broad transom.

The Verdict

The First 45 is a genuine fast cruiser that threads the needle between racer and comfortable voyager, with a well-engineered solid-glass hull, a responsive twin-wheel helm, and a light-filled minimalist interior that some will prize and others reject. She sails efficiently on a wide range of points and powers quietly, though the low plotter and open-transom quirks are real compromises.

Pros