Beneteau 45f5 as a cruiser

[Pizzazz]

Any advice on the Beneteau First 45f5 (1990s vintage) as a cruiser? I was not actively looking for another boat but there is one for sale in my area that caught my interest.

The boat is set up for racing with multiple sails, two spinnakers, etc. It has a teak deck that needs resetting in a few places and a possible replacement in a few years. The hull is solid with some gelcoat blisters that should be fixable. Other than that it is a beauty to look at and the inside is very spacious with three real staterooms. It looks different than typical boats (it is a Pininfarina design). I went for a test sail today and my first impression was that it was a qualitatively different experience than what I can achieve with my Hunter 31 (fast, composed, solid, points better than the Hunter 31 (which points quite well to begin with), balanced, averages 7-8 knots). The engine is a Prima M60 with 1,200 hours. Water tankage is ample at 170 gallons in six tanks, diesel is small at 41 gallons - racing optimized, I guess. Should not be too difficult to convert a couple of the water tanks to diesel.

Any prior owners willing to share experiences with the type or the suitability of the this particular First boat for cruising type of sailing?

Thank you,
SV Pizzazz

[deluxe68]

There was a 45f5 in Alameda around 10 years ago that had serious blister problems, I also heard a rumor it had an unscheduled meeting with some rocks. I would make sure this is not the boat you are looking at. Which galley does it have, there were two configurations. I think it would make a good cruiser, if I remember right the AVS was fairly high. Plan on $100K for a new deck.

[deluxe68]

I just looked at the boat on YW. Three things to consider. The linear galley may be hard to use under way, I would get one with the traditional galley. The dining area seating looks sexy but probably will be useless for a sleeping berth. The cockpit is seatback is curved where it contacts the forward bulkhead. This may make it impossible to lean against while stretched out facing aft. There are a few first 42 owners here and they have said that their boats are fairly solid, much more so than the current B-boats.

[Captsteve53]

The Perkins Prima engine M 60 AND M 50 both use rubber timing belts and have known issues with these breaking/stripping teeth if not replaced at regular intervals , the official time is 2000 Hrs (From Perkins) but I have seen many" go " earlier than that as many engines sit around for years (while the belt also degrades), these are "interference" type diesels, which in plain language means if the belt strips some teeth or breaks it usually destroys the engine!!

So would suggest changing this belt should you proceed with the purchase!

Cheers Steve

[Pizzazz]

Thank you for the hints. It looks as if I will pass based on too many blisters, too much effort to fix the teak deck and a potentially high cost of replacing the original rod rigging (27 years old). The other issues were typical and manageable but it is not the steal I was thinking off initially. It is definitely a buyer's market now though. Is it not always with boats [emoji14]?

[deluxe68]

Originally Posted by Pizzazz

Thank you for the hints. It looks as if I will pass based on too many blisters, too much effort to fix the teak deck and a potentially high cost of replacing the original rod rigging (27 years old). The other issues were typical and manageable but it is not the steal I was thinking off initially. It is definitely a buyer's market now though. Is it not always with boats [emoji14]?

I have heard that the biggest maker of rod rigging is getting out of the business. My yard manager brought it up when we just pulled the rig for an inspection.