Saturday 29 December 2012
Monday 17 December 2012
NZ action
There's some great 3.7 action going on over in NZ, follow the link to Takapuna Sailing Clubs facebook page and feel jealous!
Facebook Page
Sailing Club Website
Facebook Page
Sailing Club Website
Monday 10 December 2012
Winter home
I got the 3.7 back from its extended stay at Draycote Water Sailing Club this weekend. (Thanks Dave for bringing Him down.) Where it has been since late September, as a test sail boat. Dave Barker has given it a good sail in some breezy conditions. As well as a couple of other test sailors. Not as many as I would have liked. But I think the fact hat it was up there at the end of the season and that those that had shown earlier interest seem to have moved on mass into Foiling Moths, means there was less take up than I expected.
'He' is now safely pack up for the winter. I will be doing a few jobs on him over this time; including mending the C-Tech tiller extension and re-progriping. As well as replacing the stainless standing rigging with SK-78 Max. And then I'll be concentrating on sailing Him myself next year. So watch out for lots of splash video sequences as I battle with the shifty Burghfield Sailing Club wind!
'He' is now safely pack up for the winter. I will be doing a few jobs on him over this time; including mending the C-Tech tiller extension and re-progriping. As well as replacing the stainless standing rigging with SK-78 Max. And then I'll be concentrating on sailing Him myself next year. So watch out for lots of splash video sequences as I battle with the shifty Burghfield Sailing Club wind!
Tuesday 27 November 2012
Sad news
Piers's Farr 3.7 has been damaged in all the bad weather and flooding recently. Peirs's was building at Radley College, in one of there boat houses near the river Thames. Unfortunately the river flooded quite severely and came into his build space. He tells me that the building frame is definitely damaged beyond repair as well as the laser cut wood parts and, I think even the main beam. His tools are also flood damaged. But the plans survived on a high self. A sad day :-( ... edit: the plans didn't survive either!
Wednesday 21 November 2012
Friday 12 October 2012
Global forum
I thought this was worth posting up here. It's a forum post from the Yachts and Yachting Farr 3.7 thread. And it gives a pretty good review of the 3.7... (thanks to 'The Schmuck')
Thread LINK
Hi all,
I own and sail a Farr 3.7 in Australia. It's an ollllddddd boat (one of the few fibreglass ones that were built in Australia in the early 1980's). Mine's still got the original design centreboard and rudder. The rudder is a thing shaped a bit like a scimitar, angled back like a laser rudder and mounted directly on the transom of the boat (no gantry on mine). The centreboard is shaped like the blade of a chef's knife and comes down to a point (with a curved leading edge).
I come to 3.7 sailing from a Tasar - so the Farr is my first "helm from the trapeze" boat - and I've got to say (having had my very first helm from the trapeze experience in a Contenter on a 15 - 20 knot day) that the Farr is really a fairly forgiving little boat. It may be due to me being well at the upper end of the weight range (I'm about 80kg), but I find the boat incredibly well mannered in the obscenely gusty winds we get here in Airlie Beach.
I sail it on the ocean, in choppy waves around half a metre high. The prevailing wind here is an offshore breeze that arrives in bullets from lots of crazy directions (sudden 45 degree shifts aren't uncommon here - and once or twice I've been nailed from completely the opposite direction in little "whirlwinds"). Every now and again we get a nice strong, steady, onshore breeze and we'll have some 1 - 2 metre rolling swell (rather than our usual half metre chop). Most of the time if the wind blows from offshore here it's light though :(
I love sailing the Farr in anything over 15 knots ... better over 20! and I've had it out in 25+ many times and never felt the need to reef the main (though it's nice having that option). I find it lively downwind (with my rudder mounted directly on the transom) - but no more "twitchy" than the Tasar - which to be fair is a boat that can be described as "light and responsive". I've been sailing the Farr reasonably regularly for about 18 months now and I can happily go out on a 20 knot day and the odds are good I'll come back with the top of the mast dry. Having said that though, most of the 3.7 sailing I do is just out on my own blasting around - so I get to pick my moments carefully to gybe / tack etc - not like when racing!
I don't find that the boat goes "down the mine" much at all. It's got a very fat bow, which means as long as you're at the back of the boat when it starts to dip in it's always recoverable. Though possibly me being at the upper end of the weight range lets me get away with shockers that could bring lighter sailors undone!
I've only pitchpoled when the initial "dip in" and sudden slow-down has caused me to loose my footing on the trapeze and stumble forwards (I've gone around the forestay a few times!). Infact I had it in a good 30 knot gust one day, managed to dig the bow right in (water over the entire front deck) and still managed to point up and pull it back out again. If you watch the Y&Y test sail video (on vimeo) you'll notice (Pete Barton?) digging the bow in at one stage and recovering it pretty comfortably. It doesn't take a sailor of his skill to pull of that trick - the boat is forgiving enough to let a mediocre sailor like me do it too :)
Anyway - to wrap it all up - the little Farr is an awesome first trapeze boat, loves heavy wind and handles it all with very good manners (even with the original foil design and placement). It's an absolute hoot to sail in some rolling waves too!
And, when it all does go horribly wrong and the boat ends up up-side-down, it's very easy to bring back upright again (at least for someone my weight). The advice I've read in the Farr rigging/tuning guide about righting it is good: hang onto the centreboard as the boat comes up, go under the boat with the board and keep hanging on (under the water) until the boat settles into a head to wind direction - work out which is the more windward side and pop out that side. Being such a short hull the boat will really hook around into the wind as it comes up - often so much so that it'll tack and go over again if you're not under the boat preventing it. Some spidermonkey-like teenagers can dive over the gunwhale and over to the other side of the cockpit as it comes up and tacks, but for the rest of us the "under the boat" trick saves precious energy!
Mind you, our water here in the tropical north of Australia is a *lot* warmer than yours in the UK - not so sure I'd enjoy diving under a boat in an english lake ;)
Thread LINK
Hi all,
I own and sail a Farr 3.7 in Australia. It's an ollllddddd boat (one of the few fibreglass ones that were built in Australia in the early 1980's). Mine's still got the original design centreboard and rudder. The rudder is a thing shaped a bit like a scimitar, angled back like a laser rudder and mounted directly on the transom of the boat (no gantry on mine). The centreboard is shaped like the blade of a chef's knife and comes down to a point (with a curved leading edge).
I come to 3.7 sailing from a Tasar - so the Farr is my first "helm from the trapeze" boat - and I've got to say (having had my very first helm from the trapeze experience in a Contenter on a 15 - 20 knot day) that the Farr is really a fairly forgiving little boat. It may be due to me being well at the upper end of the weight range (I'm about 80kg), but I find the boat incredibly well mannered in the obscenely gusty winds we get here in Airlie Beach.
I sail it on the ocean, in choppy waves around half a metre high. The prevailing wind here is an offshore breeze that arrives in bullets from lots of crazy directions (sudden 45 degree shifts aren't uncommon here - and once or twice I've been nailed from completely the opposite direction in little "whirlwinds"). Every now and again we get a nice strong, steady, onshore breeze and we'll have some 1 - 2 metre rolling swell (rather than our usual half metre chop). Most of the time if the wind blows from offshore here it's light though :(
I love sailing the Farr in anything over 15 knots ... better over 20! and I've had it out in 25+ many times and never felt the need to reef the main (though it's nice having that option). I find it lively downwind (with my rudder mounted directly on the transom) - but no more "twitchy" than the Tasar - which to be fair is a boat that can be described as "light and responsive". I've been sailing the Farr reasonably regularly for about 18 months now and I can happily go out on a 20 knot day and the odds are good I'll come back with the top of the mast dry. Having said that though, most of the 3.7 sailing I do is just out on my own blasting around - so I get to pick my moments carefully to gybe / tack etc - not like when racing!
I don't find that the boat goes "down the mine" much at all. It's got a very fat bow, which means as long as you're at the back of the boat when it starts to dip in it's always recoverable. Though possibly me being at the upper end of the weight range lets me get away with shockers that could bring lighter sailors undone!
I've only pitchpoled when the initial "dip in" and sudden slow-down has caused me to loose my footing on the trapeze and stumble forwards (I've gone around the forestay a few times!). Infact I had it in a good 30 knot gust one day, managed to dig the bow right in (water over the entire front deck) and still managed to point up and pull it back out again. If you watch the Y&Y test sail video (on vimeo) you'll notice (Pete Barton?) digging the bow in at one stage and recovering it pretty comfortably. It doesn't take a sailor of his skill to pull of that trick - the boat is forgiving enough to let a mediocre sailor like me do it too :)
Anyway - to wrap it all up - the little Farr is an awesome first trapeze boat, loves heavy wind and handles it all with very good manners (even with the original foil design and placement). It's an absolute hoot to sail in some rolling waves too!
And, when it all does go horribly wrong and the boat ends up up-side-down, it's very easy to bring back upright again (at least for someone my weight). The advice I've read in the Farr rigging/tuning guide about righting it is good: hang onto the centreboard as the boat comes up, go under the boat with the board and keep hanging on (under the water) until the boat settles into a head to wind direction - work out which is the more windward side and pop out that side. Being such a short hull the boat will really hook around into the wind as it comes up - often so much so that it'll tack and go over again if you're not under the boat preventing it. Some spidermonkey-like teenagers can dive over the gunwhale and over to the other side of the cockpit as it comes up and tacks, but for the rest of us the "under the boat" trick saves precious energy!
Mind you, our water here in the tropical north of Australia is a *lot* warmer than yours in the UK - not so sure I'd enjoy diving under a boat in an english lake ;)
Tuesday 2 October 2012
University Challenge?
Ummm... currently thinking about one of these for sailing with the better half. Post a comment if you know much about 'em...
Monday 1 October 2012
News from the front
This is a email extract from Dave Barker who's currently looking after my 3.7 at Draycote Water Sailing Club and building his own 3.7. I think he is happy with his decision to build!
Wow, this boat is a fun little machine.
It was blowing pretty hard again today, and I joined the
handicap race. I sailed much better than last week, handling the
extension better and really getting it moving. The Farr trucks upwind
nicely, flat trapezing with my front foot just at the fwd end of the
progrip. Last week I took the mainsheet directly from the boom, but as
it was even windier this time I used the main floor ratchet and found
the side tank cleat nicely positioned to hold the sheet when needed.
It definitely needs loads of kicker, and cunningham as the
wind built. The tight reaches were a real blast and I then so were the
broad ones. I kept pace with a Dart 15 for most of the first lap which
was pretty impressive. I was on a broad reach when some big chunky gusts
came through. A FF15 in front of me laid over with it's kite flogging,
I was right at the back of the Farr, one foot on the angled foot rest,
one on the side deck supported on the trapeze, then I swung out and it
just took off. Loads of spray, and pretty twitchy, but awesone fun. I
had a couple of similar reaches but lost it and pitchpoled, what a
blast.
A fireball crew who has been keenly following our progress
took a ride at lunchtime, but didn't pull enough kicker on and the
twisting main made it too unstable and he kept throwing it in to
windward. Unfortunately during one of these the gooseneck pin failed
at the square section where the mast fitting through boat goes through,
game over.
We searched the dinghy park and it's looks like an RS
Vareo one will likely fit. There are not many boats with rotating masts,
and it wasn't till I got home that I forgot to look at a Laser. I
suspect they're too small a dia though...
Lot's more interest in the boat.
Wednesday 26 September 2012
Sunday 23 September 2012
Feedback
Wow, this is a fun little boat when the breeze is up
Thanks Daryl for lending the boat
Picked up the Farr from Daryl for a trial spell at Draycote.
First impressions : Boat looks great, lots of admiring comments, it helps that Sacre Bleu is well tricked out. Probably had as many comments about the box trailer as the boat. Rigging is very simple, but I don't get this no halyard deal, especially when coming back ashore between races and having to roll the boat over. I found hoisting had to be a two man job, one feeding, one hoisting. Mine will have a halyard!
Sailing : Sunday started F2-3 and built during the day to some solid F5 gusts which proved to be perfect demo conditions.
My first impression sailing away from the beach was, goodness, this boat is tiny ! Not space wise, it has a lovely wide open cockpit, but it is a short boat and quite sensitive to positioning. This was my first time trapezing in probably 20 yrs and my firt trapeze helming which was interesting. The Farr is very stable and can be easily balanced with increasing sheet loads as you step out on the wire, it is then very comfortable and responsive. It didn't feel like it pointed very high, but as the wind built you can load up the kicker and feel the extra power building thru the fully battened main, comparing against other boats then showed the pointing to be comparable.
Coming from a fine entry RS 300, the fuller bows make a lot of noise, and on a fast tight reach, the spray makes it quite a wet ride. On a fast deep reach as the wind built I thought I try a gybe, it was a breeze, and the light weight means it is so easy to make body weight corrections to recover any errors. For me this was a joy, sailing a boat in strong wind, that I did't feel overpowered in.
I had a couple of screaming deep reaches in some strong gusts that had the whole boat humming and me shouting 'Whooppeee' until I let it come over on me a fraction too much and ended up getting T bagged, with the rig swinging back up and me being dragged alongside the boat.
I found it quite hard to right, mast filled with water, slippy hull and raked daggerboard all conspired, I might have to resort to righting lines on mine if I keep venturing out in the windy stuff !. Once it rolled right over on top of me as I righted, but it was possible to stop this by being a lot more agile getting across.
The biggest issue I had was with the 1.8m tiller extension. This is too long to go past the shrouds and lowers, so if I held it across in front of me, then came in off the wire, it got trapped between me and the shroud .. swim!. I also found that with full kicker on in the stronger stuff it was very easy to get into irons if a bit slow when tacking, then difficult to get going again. (goes well backwards!). More practice needed.
I raced a Supernova and L2000, we were all similar speed upwind, although I think with better helming the Farr would be quicker, it was slower deep downwind, but left them for dead on a powered up tight reach.
A great days sailing (good job really as I'm pretty committed to to this boat now!)
Rgds
Dave
Thanks Daryl for lending the boat
Picked up the Farr from Daryl for a trial spell at Draycote.
First impressions : Boat looks great, lots of admiring comments, it helps that Sacre Bleu is well tricked out. Probably had as many comments about the box trailer as the boat. Rigging is very simple, but I don't get this no halyard deal, especially when coming back ashore between races and having to roll the boat over. I found hoisting had to be a two man job, one feeding, one hoisting. Mine will have a halyard!
Sailing : Sunday started F2-3 and built during the day to some solid F5 gusts which proved to be perfect demo conditions.
My first impression sailing away from the beach was, goodness, this boat is tiny ! Not space wise, it has a lovely wide open cockpit, but it is a short boat and quite sensitive to positioning. This was my first time trapezing in probably 20 yrs and my firt trapeze helming which was interesting. The Farr is very stable and can be easily balanced with increasing sheet loads as you step out on the wire, it is then very comfortable and responsive. It didn't feel like it pointed very high, but as the wind built you can load up the kicker and feel the extra power building thru the fully battened main, comparing against other boats then showed the pointing to be comparable.
Coming from a fine entry RS 300, the fuller bows make a lot of noise, and on a fast tight reach, the spray makes it quite a wet ride. On a fast deep reach as the wind built I thought I try a gybe, it was a breeze, and the light weight means it is so easy to make body weight corrections to recover any errors. For me this was a joy, sailing a boat in strong wind, that I did't feel overpowered in.
I had a couple of screaming deep reaches in some strong gusts that had the whole boat humming and me shouting 'Whooppeee' until I let it come over on me a fraction too much and ended up getting T bagged, with the rig swinging back up and me being dragged alongside the boat.
I found it quite hard to right, mast filled with water, slippy hull and raked daggerboard all conspired, I might have to resort to righting lines on mine if I keep venturing out in the windy stuff !. Once it rolled right over on top of me as I righted, but it was possible to stop this by being a lot more agile getting across.
The biggest issue I had was with the 1.8m tiller extension. This is too long to go past the shrouds and lowers, so if I held it across in front of me, then came in off the wire, it got trapped between me and the shroud .. swim!. I also found that with full kicker on in the stronger stuff it was very easy to get into irons if a bit slow when tacking, then difficult to get going again. (goes well backwards!). More practice needed.
I raced a Supernova and L2000, we were all similar speed upwind, although I think with better helming the Farr would be quicker, it was slower deep downwind, but left them for dead on a powered up tight reach.
A great days sailing (good job really as I'm pretty committed to to this boat now!)
Rgds
Dave
Sunday 16 September 2012
Next Stop Draycote...
I picked up the 3.7 from Blackwater Sailing Club today... a little sort out and then off to Draycote Water with it for the guys and girls up there to have a play with it for a bit.
I'm still waiting for some feed back from all the test sailors who sailed 'him' but the general feed back was good, from what I here. With the age old problem of supply. But we are working on that.
I'm still waiting for some feed back from all the test sailors who sailed 'him' but the general feed back was good, from what I here. With the age old problem of supply. But we are working on that.
Sunday 19 August 2012
The only way is Essex...
And exert from the email Ewan sent to me after sailing the 3.7 at BSC this week...
"Interesting day today! Force 5 with gust of 6+. I sailed like a muppet and went for a swim after a good bear away and then made the mistake of trying to go dead down wind!!!!
Anyway clocked 20 kilometers per hour and if the course had had a good reach in it I think the boat has plenty left in her.
Unfortunately on the last upwind leg I managed to miss the hook and promptly fell in the water!!!..."
Unfortunately the tiller extension gave up the ghost in this enforced swim, getting caught under Ewan's arm as he exited the boat. But hey it happens, and the beauty of carbon is you can stick it back together again!
"I didn't do too bad today. I thought I had a great start in the 1st race but apparently I was over the line!!! I beat both blazes home and the phantom but got munched downwind by the 420's but it this kind of breeze not much will beat a good 420 pair and the 2 chaps sailing are both very handy! (Tom Johnson is Ex Oppi squad) with far too much time to sail.
Second race there was slightly less breeze so I got munched again downwind by the 420's and this time the Phantom and Laser EPS. I have been sailing off 1055 this week which i think is about right (it might be a little bit on the generous side) but hey I'm fat, and well out of practice. So results from the series so far.
Monday:
No wind I got a 10th and 8th
Tuesday:
(layday)
Wednesday:
Interesting that sailing it this week and not falling over all the time has opened peoples eyes down the club a bit. Some of the top Topper sailors have been chatting and think it might be a transitional boat after the Topper! A few have asked me about prices of them."
There seems good interest in the boat from a transition boat after the Topper at BSC too. Which is great news. I'm still waiting a proper report from the other test sailors. I'll post it as soon as I get it.
"Interesting day today! Force 5 with gust of 6+. I sailed like a muppet and went for a swim after a good bear away and then made the mistake of trying to go dead down wind!!!!
Anyway clocked 20 kilometers per hour and if the course had had a good reach in it I think the boat has plenty left in her.
Unfortunately on the last upwind leg I managed to miss the hook and promptly fell in the water!!!..."
Unfortunately the tiller extension gave up the ghost in this enforced swim, getting caught under Ewan's arm as he exited the boat. But hey it happens, and the beauty of carbon is you can stick it back together again!
"I didn't do too bad today. I thought I had a great start in the 1st race but apparently I was over the line!!! I beat both blazes home and the phantom but got munched downwind by the 420's but it this kind of breeze not much will beat a good 420 pair and the 2 chaps sailing are both very handy! (Tom Johnson is Ex Oppi squad) with far too much time to sail.
Second race there was slightly less breeze so I got munched again downwind by the 420's and this time the Phantom and Laser EPS. I have been sailing off 1055 this week which i think is about right (it might be a little bit on the generous side) but hey I'm fat, and well out of practice. So results from the series so far.
Monday:
No wind I got a 10th and 8th
Tuesday:
(layday)
Wednesday:
I know i got a binned from the 1st as I was over the line.
In the second I recon I got 4th or 5th.
Interesting that sailing it this week and not falling over all the time has opened peoples eyes down the club a bit. Some of the top Topper sailors have been chatting and think it might be a transitional boat after the Topper! A few have asked me about prices of them."
There seems good interest in the boat from a transition boat after the Topper at BSC too. Which is great news. I'm still waiting a proper report from the other test sailors. I'll post it as soon as I get it.
Tuesday 24 July 2012
I spy...
BSC Webcam showing the 3.7 off for a Tuesday evening summer outing with another test sailor...
Sunday 15 July 2012
Location, location, location!
My boat has a new summer location. It's now over at Blackwater Sailing Club. The club is very keen to build a fleet of 3.7's. And with the school summer holidays coming up it seemed the sensible thing to do to keep the boat there so as many interested people could give 'him' a go. 'He' will be looked after by the clubs very capable RYA instructor Ewan Harris.
Quiet
Things have been a bit quiet around here for a while. Due to me unapologetically focusing on family matters. As we all know and have been told my our own parents, it can be tough bringing up kids. Especially when they hit there teens. Even more so if your kids suffer from Aspergers Syndrome. Add to this the pressure of exams and you have a recipe for hard times. Well that's us at the moment. So as I said, sorry it's been quiet but I've had other things on my mind.
In addition to this Dave @ Butler Boats had an accident at the Streaker nationals and has had to take things a bit easy. Meaning the demo boat he is building has been pushed back a bit. So it's all been a bit slow this summer all round!
In addition to this Dave @ Butler Boats had an accident at the Streaker nationals and has had to take things a bit easy. Meaning the demo boat he is building has been pushed back a bit. So it's all been a bit slow this summer all round!
Thursday 17 May 2012
Rope Rigging?
My forestay has started to give up the ghost. One of the wires has broken from the ferrule. This says to me it's on its last legs. So I'm going for it, and am going to go with full - Marlow Excel D12 Max 78 2.5mm - for my standing rigging. The blurb says it has virtually no creep and no stretch. And a breaking load of roughly twice 3mm wire - @ 1005kg. This should be lighter, less windage and cheaper than replacing with wire. I'm also thinking of going with T terminals with backing plates rather than the hooks i currently have to avoid the issues Luke Heslewood has had with his C-Tech mast set up.
His shroud hooks have started to saw down the carbon mast. Not good! The other alternative is a bolt across the mast between the shroud holes. With a washer, P Clip Eye mount and a Nylock on each end. And just to a T Terminal on the forestay.
I don't really want to buy stay adjusters so I may just have fixed length shrouds. Currently the shrouds have swagged turnbuckles on the end. And I haven't felt the need to adjust them and I don't intend changing the rig settings, so the only reason I'd need stay adjusters would be to compensate for the creep in the rope. I'm thinking that I will make them to the same length as my current shrouds including the addition of a long shackle. This way If they do lengthen I can use a shorter shackle to compensate.
I don't really want to buy stay adjusters so I may just have fixed length shrouds. Currently the shrouds have swagged turnbuckles on the end. And I haven't felt the need to adjust them and I don't intend changing the rig settings, so the only reason I'd need stay adjusters would be to compensate for the creep in the rope. I'm thinking that I will make them to the same length as my current shrouds including the addition of a long shackle. This way If they do lengthen I can use a shorter shackle to compensate.
Sunday 13 May 2012
Little sail
I took the 3.7 for a little sail today. A sort of typical Burghfield Sailing Club day. Gusty and shifty. The gusts were enough to trapeze on the lulls were most defiantly not! This is at least teaching me rapid coordination skills! I had a couple of swims. One because I let go of the main sheet when playing the sheet from the wire. Doho! And then when heading back in on a gust, I came in from the wire and the wind backed probably combined with poor tiller movements on my behalf and I failed to come off the hook quickly enough. And the boat came over on top of me. :( Still a nice little sail. I then lent the boat to Jeremy, our PRO. For a quick sail. Wind looked like it filled in a little for him. And he had some fun reaches from the wire, not fully trapezing but fun.
Thursday 10 May 2012
JC speaks
These are the words of JC. An 18 year old sailor who test sailed the Farr 3.7 at Blackwater Sailing Club last bank holiday Monday. He wrote this for inclusion on the BSC website. He weighs 60kg.
My Farr 3.7 Test Sail
Having sailed more regular boats in my life such as toppers, lasers, 420s and fireballs, I didn’t really know what to expect from the Farr 3.7, being a single handed trapeze boat that is unlike anything else I have ever had the opportunity to sail before. The concept of trapezing and helming at the same time was new to me and was more difficult to get to grips with than I had first anticipated, not helped by the tiller being as long as I am tall! This resulted in me going for more than a few swims throughout the afternoon but I began to get more used to it towards the end and with a few more sails I’d be confident of being able to sail it competitively.
I think it has a lot of potential to be the perfect transitional boat between more conventional boats and skiffs, which would avoid the difficulty of trying to go straight into a skiff and spending most of your time upside down. Not only that, but it would be a good competitive racing fleet if it would be possible to get a few of them going at the club. Obviously this would be difficult because of currently having to ship them over from New Zealand but I think it would be more than worthwhile if there were enough people up for it. (The Farr 3.7 is currently being put into production by Butler Boats and is also available to build from plan with pre laser cut parts available as a delivered pack from Robbins Timber Bristol with the cost of a self build hull being around £650).
Despite capsizing I didn’t have any trouble keeping the boat flat and if I got more used to the controls of the boat I’d be confident going out in stronger winds. (Test sail wind 10-15knts, gusts shown around 18knts)
Overall, I think the Farr 3.7 is a great boat and it was a thoroughly enjoyable sail. I would definitely want to sail one again and would probably already own one by now if they were easier to get a hold of! If they become more easily available or if I can persuade my parents to splash out on shipping costs then I will definitely be one of the first to consider getting one at the club! If you’re looking to move into a skiff or just looking for something new and different then I would definitely recommend looking into investing in a Farr 3.7.
My Farr 3.7 Test Sail
Having sailed more regular boats in my life such as toppers, lasers, 420s and fireballs, I didn’t really know what to expect from the Farr 3.7, being a single handed trapeze boat that is unlike anything else I have ever had the opportunity to sail before. The concept of trapezing and helming at the same time was new to me and was more difficult to get to grips with than I had first anticipated, not helped by the tiller being as long as I am tall! This resulted in me going for more than a few swims throughout the afternoon but I began to get more used to it towards the end and with a few more sails I’d be confident of being able to sail it competitively.
I think it has a lot of potential to be the perfect transitional boat between more conventional boats and skiffs, which would avoid the difficulty of trying to go straight into a skiff and spending most of your time upside down. Not only that, but it would be a good competitive racing fleet if it would be possible to get a few of them going at the club. Obviously this would be difficult because of currently having to ship them over from New Zealand but I think it would be more than worthwhile if there were enough people up for it. (The Farr 3.7 is currently being put into production by Butler Boats and is also available to build from plan with pre laser cut parts available as a delivered pack from Robbins Timber Bristol with the cost of a self build hull being around £650).
Despite capsizing I didn’t have any trouble keeping the boat flat and if I got more used to the controls of the boat I’d be confident going out in stronger winds. (Test sail wind 10-15knts, gusts shown around 18knts)
Overall, I think the Farr 3.7 is a great boat and it was a thoroughly enjoyable sail. I would definitely want to sail one again and would probably already own one by now if they were easier to get a hold of! If they become more easily available or if I can persuade my parents to splash out on shipping costs then I will definitely be one of the first to consider getting one at the club! If you’re looking to move into a skiff or just looking for something new and different then I would definitely recommend looking into investing in a Farr 3.7.
Wednesday 9 May 2012
Monday 7 May 2012
Back in Black_water SC
Great day test sailing the 3.7 today at Blackwater Sailing Club. 3 test sailors today. One who had never trapeze helmed before, weighing about 9.5 stone (60kg) the others were (69, 76 and me 78kg). All happily out on the wire. Wind averaging 10-15knts. The wind data shown here shows speed touching 20knts but we were sailing a good distance down the Blackwater from the club and there were gusts but nothing that look that big? Whilst I get around to editing the video footage here are a few pics to look at.
Thursday 3 May 2012
Boat back
Ive got my boat back from Butler Boats. They have successfully taken a mould from him ( kiwi boats are male for some reason ). they will be building a wooden boat in this mould that boat will be measured and then have a glass production mould taken from her. This wood boat will also be a demo boat. So for those of you up north give Dave at Butler Boats a ring.
In the mean time I am busy sorting the boat to take her for a test sail over in Essex. I just have to polish the boat to remove the release wax that is still left on her and tidy up a number of other things and then we are good to go. BLACKWATER Sailing Club here we come!
Monday 2 April 2012
Everyone should have a Butler
I have just got back from dropping my boat off with Dave Butler of Butler Boats. A clandestine meeting was arranged just off the M1 to transfer the boat from one car tow hitch to another. With the current petrol situation we were unsure as to wheather we were going to be able to get the boat up to Butler Boats workshops. But thankfully petrol stations seem to have enough supplies. Well for me anyway!
Dave will be taking a mould from my boat. To produce a demo boat and then if the interest in the class remains as high as it is now, a production mould will be made for foam boats to be produced.
This is great news. And hopefully will make a big difference to te success of the class in the Uk. Meaning there will be an off the shelf boat avaliable for those not wishing to self build or import!
Dave will be taking a mould from my boat. To produce a demo boat and then if the interest in the class remains as high as it is now, a production mould will be made for foam boats to be produced.
This is great news. And hopefully will make a big difference to te success of the class in the Uk. Meaning there will be an off the shelf boat avaliable for those not wishing to self build or import!
Sunday 25 March 2012
Son of the Farrther
Yesterday I had to cancel the 3.7 Test Sail Day due to low / no wind and test sailor drop out.
And so today I thought... 'It's a great day to see how my 15 year old son takes to the 3.7'.
Luke's just turned 15. He's 45kg ( weighed him on the scales tonight ) and 5'5". He hasn't sailed for 2 years. As he's taken every opportunity to chase girls or skate his local skate park recently. But before this he club raced a Mirror with me crewing for him. And before that did the Optimist thing from the age of about 7. Taking his 30 year old Optimist '2060' to a Silver fleet WIN and some fairly consistent top 5 Silver fleet open meeting places.
So he's no superstar squad sailor but represents an average 15 year old club sailor. So a great test pilot!
So how did his sail in the 3.7 go? Well I'll put it like this... 'Luke now wants to sail again after a 2 year layoff'. In fact he said, 'Dad, I want to start sailing every Sunday now, this boat is really dialed'. I think that sum's up what I saw in the 3.7. A great boat that enables kids and light weight adults to sail an exciting but well mannered trapeze helm boat.
Luke sailed the boat for roughly 2.5 > 3hrs with a combination of trapezing and hiking in wind that was around the 6 >10knts range. With no capsizes and most importantly a massive grin on his face!
I took the 3.7 for a spin after Luke came back in and at 75kg ( I must start running! :-( ) managed a few trips out on the wire as well. Not as sustained as Luke but considering the wind strength dam good fun.
Thanks 3.7 for a great day.
I took the 3.7 for a spin after Luke came back in and at 75kg ( I must start running! :-( ) managed a few trips out on the wire as well. Not as sustained as Luke but considering the wind strength dam good fun.
Thanks 3.7 for a great day.
 |
| Apologies for the bad quality. I didn't have a long lens with me, but I felt it was important to show Luke fully trapezing. |
Friday 2 March 2012
Up the Ally Pally
What a fantastic show! The interest in the 3.7 was truly astonishing. So much so that I for one almost lost my voice from the amount of talking I did. Even James, Marketing Director of Spinlock commented on the fact that 'he was sorry he hadn't been able to chat all weekend, but he never got an opportunity! Every time I looked around you were talking to somebody! And we were! So a special thanks from the UK 3.7 Class to Spinlock for providing us with the stand space. We couldn't have done it without you.
So what's the up shot of the show? Well it looks like there the will be at least 5 possibly 6 - 3.7's being built by home builders so far. We also had a lot of interest from professional boat builders, fitting, spar and sailmakers and suppliers. And we will be following these contacts up in the next few weeks with the aim of smoothing the supply chain for home builders and those interested in having a pro boat built.
The test sail day sign up was good also. With our limit of people being reached. The class will be in touch shortly to confirm emails and telephone numbers soon just in case we need to suspend the day due to weather etc…
All in all a great weekend.
There is just one last thing to say. A big thank you to Piers and Dave for helping out on the stand and chatting through with people why you have decided to build this great little boat.
Monday 27 February 2012
Stand to attention
Just in case you didn't know my boats going to be on the Spinlock stand (NoB52) at the RYA Dinghy Show. So it now has some new gear and graphics... see you there.
Monday 20 February 2012
Sunday 19 February 2012
Jam' in
New Spinlock cleats are now on. This was a little more of a protracted operation than I thought. Requiring the removal of the carbon cleat tower. This was both stuck to the deck with silicon as well as screwed down. Not normal screws either. A type is screw I haven't seen before, or indeed have a screw driver bit to fit! The screws have a square hole in the middle. And after some research these are called 'Robertson' and seem to be very common place in Canada. After having found a couple of screw bits from the back of a friends car! I can tell you that they are a pleasure to use. Much more positive than 'slot' or 'Philips' drives.
Anyway I digress. I then had to use a plate knife to remove the cleat tower from the deck by slicing through the silicon between the deck and tower. With this done I could replace the cleats. This was simple as the Spinlocks have the same hole centres as the Harken cam cleats I was replacing. I think I may need some wedges under them. But I'll sail the boat first before deciding. I then tidy up the boat for the dinghy show. Repairing a puncture hole made by a test sailer dropping the sharp edge of the daggerboard into the deck. Not a problem though and easy enough to fix.
Anyway I digress. I then had to use a plate knife to remove the cleat tower from the deck by slicing through the silicon between the deck and tower. With this done I could replace the cleats. This was simple as the Spinlocks have the same hole centres as the Harken cam cleats I was replacing. I think I may need some wedges under them. But I'll sail the boat first before deciding. I then tidy up the boat for the dinghy show. Repairing a puncture hole made by a test sailer dropping the sharp edge of the daggerboard into the deck. Not a problem though and easy enough to fix.
Saturday 11 February 2012
Friday 10 February 2012
Hail Mary...
Here's 20 odd min's of footage from the recent 'Bloody Mary' Pursuit race. With Piers Hugh Smith at the wheel. I have pretty much left the footage as is, apart from taking out a rather long downwind section. (Which was the real race position killer on the day.) To let everyone see a real time race, with a reasonable amount of manoeuvre's and how the boat handles in a real situation... gusts, lulls, chop etc... At the end I believe Piers 'bailed out' to avoid a capsized boat on the mark.
Saturday 4 February 2012
Perfect delivery...
Look what came in the post today! Thanks SPINLOCK. I've always liked these cleats and have used them on plenty of my other boats. Whats great about them is the positive nature of the action. You know when they are on and when they are off. For my 3.7 they are going to be really helpful as you can cleat and un-cleat from a very large variety of angle. Something that was hard to do with the current conventional cleats. The rope exits have nice little metal baring surfaces which allows you to take advantage of this. Now I've got to fit 'em.
Show boating...
In the middle of the current freezing temperatures I'm busy building cradles for the 3.7 to rest on at the RYA Dinghy Show. It's so cold the draft from the jigsaw / Sander is freezing my hands! But it will be worth it...
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Another UK first...
Dave Barker is today the proud owner of the first set of 3.7 building plans in the UK. So excited was Dave he made sure he didn't open the parcel until the end of the day. As he had a very busy day at work and just new he would be distracted! And wouldn't get a stitch of work done. Another two sets of plans are winging there way over the Southern Oceans as we speak. With the desirable 400 sail number going to Piers Hugh Smith who sailed the 3.7 at the Bloody Mary. He will be building his boat at college. So the race is on to see which of these two will hit the water first. Good luck guys!
Both Dave and Piers will be available to chat about the 3.7 at the up and coming RYA Dinghy Show. So if you are interested in the 3.7 or just want to ogle some really nice plans please make your way over to the SPINLOCK stand (NoB52) and have a chat.
Both Dave and Piers will be available to chat about the 3.7 at the up and coming RYA Dinghy Show. So if you are interested in the 3.7 or just want to ogle some really nice plans please make your way over to the SPINLOCK stand (NoB52) and have a chat.
Monday 30 January 2012
Glue...glue...glue
Ok so the dog seems to be alright and me wife has got used to the really long black thing in the house. Here's the second stage of the process...
Prep materials.
Peel Ply and 0/90˚ 3x200gm Carbon twill patches. Sand mast.
Stick parcel tape around the area.
Epoxy doesn't stick to it.
Wet out the mast and SK78 fibers
with epoxy.
Mix up filler into epoxy. A little cordial silica, micro balloons and micro fibers. Wish you had some of that black die the pros use to make there work look great.
Lay up and wet out the 3 layers of carbon.
Wrap tight with peel ply to consolidate.
Wait 5 hours
All done.
Still wishing I had some of that black die!
And I could of done with putting peel ply under the SK78 and chaff protection tubes to help the removal of the filler excess.
Its to risky to sand away so will have to be left as it is.
Peel Ply and 0/90˚ 3x200gm Carbon twill patches. Sand mast.
Stick parcel tape around the area.
Epoxy doesn't stick to it.
Wet out the mast and SK78 fibers
with epoxy.
Still wishing I had some of that black die!
And I could of done with putting peel ply under the SK78 and chaff protection tubes to help the removal of the filler excess.
Its to risky to sand away so will have to be left as it is.
Saturday 28 January 2012
Brace...brace...brace!
OK no wind today. For either landyachting or Farr 3.7 sailing. So it's time to sort the intermediate shrouds. These have been taking a pounding recently and needed replacing. The 2.5mm wire on the starboard side was almost severed in two. I think as a result of the rotating mast set up I have.
When sailing upwind the intermediates are slack allowing depowering with the kicker, as you bare-away the mast rotates and rolls the wire around the mast to take up the slack in the inters. Keeping the power on off wind. This system is great, but I think isn't suited to wire so well. As the wire ends up compressing on it's inside and expanding on it's outside. Hence eventually braking.
So I have decided to go with 3mm SK78 Dyneema rope. This will be bonded to that mast as the old wire set up was. Here's how I am doing it...
The Problem
Get a good workbench!
Mark out for accuracy
Measure the old set up
Grind off old Intermediate shrouds...
Make up new SK78 rope Intermediate shrouds...
I put a Brummel Splice in the end of each length of SK78 and then after measuring the distances I added a 'stopper' whip on the tag end of each. As I am opening up the plated strands for maximum contact area on the mast. I then added some shrink tube to help stop chaff at the exit point of the rope, against the carbon cloth that will finish the attachment on the mast.
Line up on mast
At this point annoy the hell out of your wife by bringing the mast indoors as its way to cold to glue anything outside. Then leave in the living room until the next day when you will epoxy glue it all together in the house. Whilst attempting NOT to glue the dog to the carpet!
When sailing upwind the intermediates are slack allowing depowering with the kicker, as you bare-away the mast rotates and rolls the wire around the mast to take up the slack in the inters. Keeping the power on off wind. This system is great, but I think isn't suited to wire so well. As the wire ends up compressing on it's inside and expanding on it's outside. Hence eventually braking.
So I have decided to go with 3mm SK78 Dyneema rope. This will be bonded to that mast as the old wire set up was. Here's how I am doing it...
I put a Brummel Splice in the end of each length of SK78 and then after measuring the distances I added a 'stopper' whip on the tag end of each. As I am opening up the plated strands for maximum contact area on the mast. I then added some shrink tube to help stop chaff at the exit point of the rope, against the carbon cloth that will finish the attachment on the mast.
At this point annoy the hell out of your wife by bringing the mast indoors as its way to cold to glue anything outside. Then leave in the living room until the next day when you will epoxy glue it all together in the house. Whilst attempting NOT to glue the dog to the carpet!
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