Farr Yacht Design

Farr 400 Rock and Roll sailing off Newport Beach California

Farr 40 1 Ton Bodacious racing on San Francisco Bay

Farr Yacht Design, founded by Bruce Farr in Auckland, New Zealand, is a racing yacht design firm now based in Annapolis, Maryland, United States. Though Bruce Farr and Russel Bowler both still work for the company as Vice Presidents, the firm is now led by Patrick Shaughnessy. Its yachts measure from 25 feet (7.6 m) to 125 feet (38 m). Farr develops custom and production yachts, including: interiors, sails, and hull design. Farr uses outside research and development with tank testing and wind tunnels. Farr-designed yachts have won and placed well in a broad range of races.

History

Bruce Farr first achieved acclaim as a sailboat designer in the highly competitive 18 ft Skiff class, popular in Australia and New Zealand. Farr designs won the 18 ft Skiff Giltinan World title several times in the early 70s. Starting in 1973, Bruce was able to focus full-time on designing sailboats. Another New Zealander active as both a designer and sailor in the 18 ft fleet, Russel Bowler, a civil engineer by training, introduced the fibreglass-foam sandwich construction technique to the 18 ft class in 1977 with a boat 1/3 lighter and possessing a lower wetted area than the competition. Starting in 1976, Bowler provided structural engineering services to Farr as a consultant, and joined him full-time in 1980. Within a year, they moved the office to Annapolis in order to get better access to the northern hemisphere yacht market.

Farr designed boats

The yachts designed by Farr are primarily light-displacement, fractional rig, wide sterned, shallow hulled yachts. Many of his early designs were comparatively skiff-like in appearance, with shallow hulls, wide sterns and light displacement. The result is a quicker, faster hull than more traditional racing yacht designs. Over the years more and more designers have incorporated these ideas. The latest Volvo Open 70 class yachts are examples of this trend.

In addition to one design yachts (table), Farr has designed a various yachts for Volvo Ocean Race (and earlier Whitbread) teams under the Volvo Open 70, Volvo Ocean 60 and Whitbread 60 rule. Furthermore major yacht builders such as Bavaria Yachtbau and Beneteau have commissioned Farr-designed yachts for their Cruiser and First lines respectively. Designs have been also made by Farr under the GP42 and TP 52 (yacht) rule and for racing based on IRC (sailing), International Measurement System rating. Other notable design include (super) Maxi's and America's Cup yachts (for Team BMW Oracle Racing (2007, 2003), Young America (2000) Tag Heuer (1995), New Zealand (1992, 1988, 1987))^[1]

• Note: PHRF rating shown is the Northern California Base Rate full keel with standard mast unless otherwise described.

Sources

• Flying 18s Giltinan History
• Flying 18s News

External links

• Farr Yacht Design Website
• Farr @ Yachts.com