Tanks
One scale per liquid across every boat: a tank twice the height holds twice as much.
First 44
Fuel53 galWater98 galGS 44
Fuel45 galWater79 gal9 gal of water per berth
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Beneteau First 44vsGrand Soleil GS 44
First 44 draws the least water, 7.1 ft — 0.8 ft less than GS 44.
Anyone with the link sees this comparison.
Key differences
Worked out from the published figures below — arithmetic, not opinion.
- First 44 draws the least water, 7.1 ft — 0.8 ft less than GS 44.
At a glance
Dark icons are the standard layout; faded ones are what the larger layout adds.
Beneteau
First 44
Sailing Monohull
- Length
- 48.1 ft
- Beam
- 13.9 ft
- Draft
- 8.5 ft
Length : beam 3.4 : 1
Cabins3Heads2Berthsnot publishedGrand Soleil
GS 44
Sailing Monohull
- Length
- 49.2 ft
- Beam
- 14 ft
- Draft
- 9.2 ft
Length : beam 3.5 : 1
Cabins3Heads2Berths6–9
Length : beam is length divided by beam — the higher it is, the slimmer the hull. Multihulls read low by nature.
A figure marked with a quote mark was read from the builder's page. Open it for the exact line, the page and the date.
| Model |  Beneteau First 44 |  Grand Soleil GS 44 |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Brand | Beneteau | Grand Soleil |
| Model | First 44 | GS 44 |
| Generation | Unknown | Unknown |
| Hull type | Sailing Monohull | Sailing Monohull |
| Propulsion | Sail | Sail |
| Production status | In production | In production |
| Production start year | Unknown | Unknown |
| Production end year | Unknown | Unknown |
| Designer | Lorenzo Argento | Unknown |
| Dimensions | ||
| LOA | 48.1 ft | 49.2 ft |
| Hull length | Unknown | 44 ft |
| Beam | 13.9 ft | 14 ft |
| Draft | 7.1 ft–8.5 ft | 7.9 ft–9.2 ft |
| Displacement | 23,149 lb | 22,708 lb |
| Accommodation | ||
| Cabins | 3 | 3 |
| Heads | 2 | 2 |
| Berths | Unknown | 6–9 |
| Performance & Rig | ||
| Main sail | Unknown | 710 ft² |
| Jib | Unknown | 614 ft² |
| Genoa | Unknown | Unknown |
| Upwind sail area | Unknown | Unknown |
| Downwind sail area | Unknown | 2,099 ft² |
| Engine power | 57 hp | 50 hp–60 hp |
| Engine count | 1 | 1 |
| Materials | ||
| Hull material | Unknown | Unknown |
| Deck material | Unknown | Unknown |
| Mast material | Unknown | Unknown |
| Keel type | Unknown | Unknown |
| Rudder type | Unknown | Unknown |
| Sources |
8 of 9 figures here carry the builder's own words |
13 of 13 figures here carry the builder's own words |
Size, to scale
Each boat's published length and beam seen from above, and its mast height and draft from the side, all drawn on one scale.
Outlines are schematic; the dimensions are the builder's.
Drawings side by side
Each boat's layouts, profiles and sail plans as its builder published them. Step through each column to line up the drawings you want to compare.
First 44
1 / 3Profile first44 cruising shortkeel — Beneteau
No drawings collected yet for GS 44.
Speed, power & tanks
What the builders publish about how fast, how strong and how far — each figure on one scale for every boat.
How they sail, in numbers
Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from each builder's published figures. They compare boats; they don't grade them.
Sail area / displacement
How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.
- First 44not published: sail area
- GS 4426.4· Racing
How it is worked out
sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔
GS 44: mainsail + jib, added up
Displacement / length
How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.
- First 44not published: waterline length
- GS 44not published: waterline length
How it is worked out
displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³
Ballast ratio
The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.
- First 44not published: ballast
- GS 44not published: ballast
How it is worked out
ballast ÷ displacement × 100
Comfort ratio
Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.
- First 44not published: waterline length
- GS 44not published: waterline length
How it is worked out
displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft
Capsize screening
A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.
- First 441.96· Below 2
- GS 441.98· Below 2
How it is worked out
beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓
Hull speed
Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.
- First 44not published: waterline length
- GS 44not published: waterline length
How it is worked out
1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots
Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.
Worth adding to this comparison
The boats most like the ones above, by hull form, size and use.