Hi crew.
Quick question.
I've come across 2 Farr 38s the last week and they seem to be ok value wise but not really exactly what I was looking for in a fast comfy cruiser for ocean crossings but close.
I've raced a couple before (not at the helm though) and felt a bit twitchy. Definitely a change from my Olympic 40.
Interested in your thoughts in regards to these as a cruiser.
Thanks.
Be careful some have a history of keel modification and failing.
One races in SA and does fairly well for what it is. Its sailed very well though.
I wouldn't call them a comfy cruiser. I would call them an older fitted out racer. A fast comfy cruiser is a Jeanneau Sunfast 37 
I thought of getting the similar Farr 11.6 as a cruiser/racer. We ended up with something similar and love it for weekend cruising. It's got the same amount of "luxury" as the boats my family cruised for years, and more "luxury" than the boat I lived on for years. After having it for a year I'm even more convinced that it will do us for The Big Cruise as well as for local racing and cruising.
This style is twitchier on the helm than something like a Compass 40, but the headsails are smaller and you can easily handle a wide range of wind changes by flattening out the main rather than reefing or rolling sails. You also get the advantage of a boat that sails well under mainsail only.
All this stuff is very much personal taste, of course.
I'd echo the comment about getting the keel structure checked - one of Bink's later modifications to the 38 Rising Farrster was so appalling that (aided by other issues) the keel fell off and two lives were lost. See the coroner's report;http://www.sailing.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/flying-fish-report-2003.pdf
Yeah I've checked out the coroners report and history. Also of a few others thatve happened too.
I'm chasing the keel / surrounding structure already and waiting to find out.
I use to race on an 11.6 back in the 80's.
Great boats not a vanguard going into swell as the newer racers but not as comfortable as a cruiser. All depends what you are after but a great all rounder.
i cant believe how cheap this era of boats is selling for, though hull to keel joints can be an issue they are simple well built performance cruisers that weren't bumped excessively to fit horrible rules my only concern for distance sailing would be slaming to weather in choppy conditions and load carting capacity
Was thinking that myself. Under weight they'd be a different boat to sail.
Definately a buyers market and there's a few nice Cole 43 on the market too although more boat than I wanted there's certainly a lot of bang for the buck.
in my opinion the cole 43 is a better cruising boat because its heavy displacement will give smoother windward performance and load carrying though sacrificing downwind performance and handling still maintaining high averages
though the farrs have a more modern interior a lot would depend on what style of boat you like are familiar with.The big overlapping headies on the cole might make it a bit of a handful to depower in a blow short handed
Jonathon is selling a lifting keel Farr 43 on eBay. Currently under 20 grand. Might need some crew to sail this.
Select to expand quoteRamona said..
Jonathon is selling a lifting keel Farr 43 on eBay. Currently under 20 grand. Might need some crew to sail this.
wow ramona pity thats sold a lot of boat for not much would have been tempted
Select to expand quoteboty said..
in my opinion the cole 43 is a better cruising boat because its heavy displacement will give smoother windward performance and load carrying though sacrificing downwind performance and handling still maintaining high averages
though the farrs have a more modern interior a lot would depend on what style of boat you like are familiar with.The big overlapping headies on the cole might make it a bit of a handful to depower in a blow short handed
+1 on the better cruising boat (admittedly I'm biased ) . You want something for cruising that will look after you, rather than having to fight it all the time. Twin furlers with a #2 on the forestay and a #4 on an inner forestay will take care of your cruising needs.
Select to expand quotesydchris said..boty said..
in my opinion the cole 43 is a better cruising boat because its heavy displacement will give smoother windward performance and load carrying though sacrificing downwind performance and handling still maintaining high averages
though the farrs have a more modern interior a lot would depend on what style of boat you like are familiar with.The big overlapping headies on the cole might make it a bit of a handful to depower in a blow short handed
+1 on the better cruising boat (admittedly I'm biased ) . You want something for cruising that will look after you, rather than having to fight it all the time. Twin furlers with a #2 on the forestay and a #4 on an inner forestay will take care of your cruising needs.
That's pretty much my old set up on the Olympic 40.
There's also a very nice vessel in SA for sale and there's a couple of very nice Coles I'm tempted by. I'm considering going up in size it's just the costs associated with it that's holding me back.
Select to expand quoteboty said..Ramona said..
Jonathon is selling a lifting keel Farr 43 on eBay. Currently under 20 grand. Might need some crew to sail this.
wow ramona pity thats sold a lot of boat for not much would have been tempted
You've got another chance - relisted at a starting price of $19,500 with a buy it now of $24,000.
I did two Hobarts on a Cole 43. Lovely boat but whether they are easy to handle and a better cruising boat than an 11.6 type would seem to depend entirely on personal preference.
All else being equal, they sail at a fairly high angle of heel, and the windows are very small which makes them feel rather shut-in. The masthead rig makes it hard to depower by doing anything other than roller furling, which can make for an inefficient sail.
There are many lightweights that don't have to be fought all the time, and Rumrunner and Solo Globe Challenger didn't look after their crews all that well when they rolled 360 degrees. While that doesn't indicate that they are problematic, it may indicate that the difference between a "seaworthy" and "unseaworthy" boat is actually of very little significance in the real world in bad conditions.
On the other hand, there are some highly experienced people who rate them highly and I certainly wouldn't say no if one ended up in my Xmas stocking. They are so lovely to look at, and their handling and motion can be lovely.
Select to expand quoteboty said..
i cant believe how cheap this era of boats is selling for, though hull to keel joints can be an issue they are simple well built performance cruisers that weren't bumped excessively to fit horrible rules my only concern for distance sailing would be slaming to weather in choppy conditions and load carting capacity
It's also interesting to see that even much newer boats of the same style are only marginally better in objective terms. Compare the Farr 11.6 to Farr's Benny 36.7 and the 35, the J/35 and J/36 to the J/109, etc, and there's only a marginal speed improvement, if any.
It seems that since construction materials haven't improved much, weight can't really come down and the speed can't really improve. If you try to fit more down below, weight climbs once again. Sure, you can fit a bulb on the keel but that increases loads, which increases structural weight and cost.
It's amazing that we can look at a Farr 11.6 or 38 and see a boat that still compares well to modern craft even at 40 years of age. Compare that to 9say) 1980, when a 40 year old design looked positively ancient. No wonder it's hard to convince people to buy new boats these days.
