Beneteau First 45 F5 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Three original arrangements were available: a two-cabin owner plan, a three-cabin owner plan, and a four-cabin layout, each with double berths and a shared oval dinette with centerline island seating. On the used market, owner three-cabin layouts are the more common, but both owner layouts and ex-charter examples are commonly available. The four-cabin version appears less often and is more likely a former charter or owner-specific configuration.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Most boats on the market are commonly fitted with a chartplotter, autopilot, solar, and an inverter as baseline electronics and energy management. Often-seen additions include a cockpit shower, radar, swim platform, spinnaker, hot water, and a dodger. Less common but encountered as owner upgrades are teak decks, lithium batteries, a furling main, electric winches, and a life raft. For a buyer, the presence of solar and an inverter signals a boat set up for extended anchoring, while a furling main or electric winches points to easier short-handed handling at the cost of the original Farr rig's purity.

What to Inspect

The deck profile flows in an almost unbroken line from foredeck to transom, and test sailors found the Pininfarina styling shows exceptionally smooth lines indicating low windage anchor, but the amorphous deck shape means close inspection of gelcoat and seam integrity is worthwhile. The mid-boom sheeting on the main was a marketing decision rather than an efficient design choice anchor; check the boom and gooseneck for signs of concentrated load. The transom has no swim step, so assess the aft boarding arrangement for your intended use. Verify the curved-edged high aspect fin keel union and the spade rudder at the aft waterline for fairing and alignment.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These boats typically appear in the United States, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Canada, and Malaysia. For a buyer, the checklist is straightforward: confirm which of the three layouts suits your plans, verify the original Farr fractional rig and short J dimension are intact, and prioritize examples with commonly fitted energy systems if you cruise. Inspect the deck seams and mid-boom hardware, and accept the no-swim-step transom as a styling signature rather than a defect.