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

Design and Construction

The First 45 measures 46 feet 2 inches overall, with a beam of 13 feet 9 inches. She carries 8,543 pounds of ballast against a lightship displacement of 22,369 pounds. Her ballast-to-displacement ratio of .38 marks her as a performance-minded hull rather than a heavy voyager.

Briand’s hull is solid glass, laid up with biaxial and unidirectional glass. An inner structural liner carries the loads from the chainplates and keel, and the through-deck mast steps on that same liner. The solid-glass hull and structural liner form the core of the structure. The bulkheads are bonded 360 degrees to the hull and deck, while the hull-to-deck joint uses both mechanical fasteners and polyurethane adhesive. The deck is an infused fiberglass-and-balsa sandwich, with solid-glass patches beneath hardware mounting points.

Visually, the First 45 mirrors the First 50 launched in 2006. She has a long, sleek coachroof and moulded eyebrows over the side windows. Bénéteau optimised the hull for IRC, giving it a longer waterline when heeled. The bow is sharp, the shoulders broad, and a slight chine shapes the quarters—all features that suggest a hull designed to sail efficiently once tipped over.

Rig and Deck Layout

The First 45 is offered with a standard rig or an optional carbon-fiber spar. In cruising mode, she carries a large, full-batten mainsail and a non-overlapping jib on a roller furler, helping to keep short-handed sailing manageable.

The split mainsheet runs German-style: forward to the mast end of the boom, down to turning blocks on deck, and then aft to winches beside either wheel. Large primary winches handle the genoa, while all other lines lead aft to coachroof winches. The Harken 60 primaries are within easy reach of either wheel, allowing a single watchkeeper to tack and trim.

The deck layout is also suited to crewed sailing. The mainsheet leads to aft cockpit winches positioned forward of the helms, where they’re ideally placed for crew.

Under Power and Sail

Yachting World’s testers found the First 45 cruising at around 6.5 knots under the 54-horsepower Yanmar and remarkably quiet. She turned smartly in just over a boatlength. The balanced rudder runs on self-aligning swivel bearings and connects to the twin wheels by chain and cable, providing direct and responsive steering with no slack.

Under sail, Yachting World’s tester found her an excellent sailing boat for comfortable, swift cruising. Close-hauled, she typically returned half the wind speed and tacked through a good 80 degrees in stronger breeze. She was sensitive to traveller position, with small adjustments changing speed by as much as half a knot. On a close reach, she added just over a knot.

With the symmetric spinnaker set, she turned in around 6 knots at roughly 85 degrees even as the breeze faded. On a broad reach, she slowed to 4.5 knots, yet still made 3.5 knots in only 5 knots true.

Accommodations

Below, the minimalist, Philippe Starck-style interior carries over from the First 50. A wall of joinery divides the saloon to port, with a curious polygonal table set along that side. An L-shaped settee and two bolt-down stainless stools provide seating.

Light oak and stained Alpi wood contrast with dark-leather upholstery. The pale, minimalist treatment tends to draw a love-it-or-hate-it response.

The galley, to starboard of the companionway, is well laid out. It includes a four-burner propane stove and oven, twin fridges, and a neat drawer unit. Opposite is the aft head, with a proper shower wall bracket and a wet-locker function for off-watch crew.

Two aft double cabins have the soft-sided hanging lockers borrowed from the First 50. Forward, the owner’s stateroom feels spacious and includes its own head and separate shower. A deck hatch and hull windows provide good light. The outboard-facing nav station has a swivel seat and built-in laptop space.

Known Issues

One awkward detail noted during sea trials was the chart plotter location. The builder placed the plotter at about ankle level behind the port wheel, an arrangement testers found puzzling in terms of both sightlines and access.

The open transom also drew comment. An optional removable beam bridges the gap, but it’s useless as a seat because the lifelines pass directly over it. When going astern, even fairly small waves are uncomfortable on the broad transom.

The Verdict

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

Pros