Sea Spray Magazine October 1979
First reaction on hearing the all-up price for the
deluxe version with all extras, trailer, outboard etc,
and a slice for the Government in the form of boat tax,
of the new Farr 7500 trailer yacht was one of scepticism.
Why, we asked, would anyone pay more than $20,000 for
a trailer yacht when they could have any number of bigger
stock keelboats for the same price or less? Sift through
the Boats for Sale in Saturday's paper and you'll see
columns of boats available at around, or below, that
price.
A fair enough reaction. But ask yourself why experienced
boatbuilders like Sea Nymph Boats have gone to the trouble
and expense of setting up moulds for a new design if
they are not convinced there is a market.
They wouldn't do it.
So there must be.
So we thought again. And did some research which seemed
to prove that there definitely is a growing market for
maxi sized trailer yachts capable of providing the room,
luxury and performance of a keelboat, for much the same
reason as the general demand for trailer yachts is increasing...
because mooring space is getting hard to find.
Yachtsmen who a couple of years ago might have opted
for that second-hand keelboat, or even a new one, are
surveying the trailer yacht market with unprecedented
interest. And because their requirements for a trailer
yacht are basically all the benefits of a keelboat without
associated mooring hassles, they have given manufacturers
all the reasons for maxi-sized trailer yachts of varying
types, equipped to varying standards of sophistication
and comfort. Lo and behold, the reasons for a trailer
yacht which, with everything or board, costs more than
$20,000.
So with no apology for cost (which start! as low as
$11,895 for the basic boat) but rather an assurance
that with one of the Bruce Farr-designed trailer yachts
you are getting what you pay for, Sea Nymph Boats Ltd
present the latest in their range the Farr 7500 designed
to cater for the luxury market.
Boasting a racing pedigree that can't be disputed (Quarter,
Half, Three-quarter and One Ton world titles) the Farr
7500 looks and behaves like any other 7.5 m sailboat
on the harbour, but differs in that one basic area which,
according to the manufacturers, will be all-important
in future years - it has a retractable keel which allow
the owner the option of mooring his boat OR trailing
it home whichever suits on the day.
And all that's not to mention the advantages of shallow
water cruising and ability to chose cruising locations
all over New Zealand, two advantages trailer yachtsmen
have enjoyed for years.
So if the cost of boat equipped like the one we tested
with all the bolt-on bits including cooker, toilet,
pushpit, pulpit, winches stern ladder, outboard and
bracket, squabs, trim, carpet, extra sails and everything,
hasn't put you off, read on.
Because from here on in the news is all good.
A development of the successful Farr 6000, the first
proper one-design trailer yacht of this type here which
has found favour with racing and cruising types all
over New Zealand and Australia, and the smaller Farr
5000, aimed at the day and extended weekend sailor,
the Farr 7500 features the same sporty lapstrake-style
hull which either appeals to prospective buyers, or
doesn't. In fact the biggest of the three is probably
the best looking of the range, as is so often the case.
Overall looks of the boat are not the only aspect to
benefit from being stretched in length either... the
7500's cockpit, deck and accommodation all have much
more of a big boat feel about them, and we were frankly
amazed at how much room there is below decks with the
pop-top raised.
The cockpit is wide and roomy, well set-up for sail
trimming while racing, and also comfortable for just
jogging along cruising, while the deck layout is typically
Farr, carefully designed and planned for simplicity
and efficiency. One halyard winch on the cabin-top to
starboard looks after headsail halyards, and all sail
controls lead aft to easily reached jammers on the cabin-top
and coamings.
The cabin top, complete with pop top, has the removable
side panels in the aft end first introduced on the Farr
6000 (Sea Spray, November 1977, p 41) which open up
the cabin area and improve the lot of the family below.
When introduced on the 6000 the panels, which leave
the aft end of the cabin very exposed, came in for some
criticism (not from us) because of the danger of the
boat filling up if knocked down or caught in rough conditions.'
However the idea seems to have caught on, and certainly
nothing untoward has happened so far; so with a caution
to owners to "handle with care" in bad 'conditions,
Sea Nymph have kept the idea in the 5000 and 7500 models.
The 7500 does have positive foam buoyancy built in
to make it unsinkable if the worst did happen, and has
passed a self-righting' test using the NZTYA's approved
formula. So in the right hands it is obviously as safe
as any other trailer yacht on the market. In the wrong
hands even ocean-going liners are unsafe!
Accommodation on the 7500 really is an eye-opener compared
to most trailer yachts around, big and small, and the
feeling of space and comfort is, of course, heightened
when the pop-top is up and the slides removed…
It's almost like not being below at all.
The 7500 features a full built-in galley to port, dinette
with seating for six to starboard, and sleeping accommodation
for five adults, with the dinette converting to a double
to make six berths in all if necessary, though living
space would be a bit crammed if six people were cruising.
Big feature of the layout, however, is the private
for'ard cabin, with two single berths which convert
to a double and the private, enclosed head to starboard
which really shifts this boat out of the average trailer
yacht bracket into the realm of big boats.
There's a good-sized hanging locker between the cabins,
and space for a portable fridge or ice-box. Indeed the
interior of the 7500 reminds one of the compactness
and comfort of a caravan, and reflects the experience
both Farr and Sea Nymph have had in designing living
accommodation into small spaces.
Finish throughout is of a high standard, again as one
would expect from these builders.
Construction utilises a sophisticated fibreglass layup
developed with emphasis on weight-saving while maintaining
strength, with ease of towing, launching and retrieving
in mind. Details of the construction are not, however,
available for our report, the builders preferring in
these days of competition to keep their developments
in this area to themselves.
Hull shape features easy lines with a fine bow and
powerful stern sections which will be both stable and
dry in all conditions. Good windward performance to
com- plement the legendary speed of Farr boats downwind
will be assisted by a high-aspect ratio cast-iron drop
keel which provides 205 kg of ballast and gives the
little boat a draft of 1.8 m, which is, in old figures,
close to 6 ft. With keel raised on the winch mounted
on the table in the main saloon, the draft in the stub
keel, with its 162 kg of internal ballast, is only 0.462
m, or 1 ft 6 in.
The rig is a simple threequarter one with masthead
backstay for good all-round mast support as well as
caps and lowers, and is designed with a choice of headsails
and a spinnaker for racing and fast cruising.
As with the Farr 6000, chainplates are set into the
cabin coamings rather than side-decks, giving uncluttered
side-decks, and headsails are sheeted well inboard too,
on tracks bolted to the cabin top and leading either
to a cam-cleat or winch depending on the needs of the
day.
Lightweight and simplicity of the rig, featuring a
tapered section, means that the boat can still be easily
rigged short-handed, despite the fact that it's a maxi.
And so to the test.
As luck would have it things didn't go completely our
way with this test in the wind department. On the first
attempt there was so little puff that the driver of
the photo boat managed time off to go and catch a large
fish and return without missing a thing, while on the
second attempt to get sailing photos, we were forced
to request transport back to the launching ramp since
it was blowing so fresh there was no point in removing
the camera from the bag!
And after an hour or so of creeping along with a reasonable
amount of breeze on occasions but no promise of any
more to give us a chance to test handling and performance,
we decided to call it a day. The conclusions we did
reach were that the boat is comfortable and easy to
sail, although a little "gluey" in really.
light stuff, and certainly as well set-up and easily
worked for racing as any other on the market.
Launching and retrieving, thanks to the custom extension-boom
trailer and surprisingly light hull weight, is perfectly
straightforward and should provide families with no
more problems on breezy days with an onshore wind than
the average 6 m boat. You will, however, need a car
with more grunt than your average family four- cylinder
to tow it up the ramp. A six- cylinder is recommended,
and with petrol prices soaring this is another cost
to add to that of the boat when considering buying a
trailer yacht of this size.
A galvanised steel tandem trailer, preferably with
brakes, is also recommended.
With heavy demands on time preventing another lengthy
test, we were unable to complete a full performance
evaluation of the Farr 7500, but did get the opportunity
on two subsequent occasions to watch its performance
in a fresh breeze.
The first occasion, at the start of a Sunday winter
race, was so fresh we dared not even attempt photography
and opted instead for the drier vantage point of Westhaven
breakwater to observe the Farr 7500 seeming to handle
the conditions as well as, if not better, than most
of the assembled trailer yachts there, finishing the
race with a handy lead over the next boat in class.
The second occasion, when we finally managed to get
some action photographs, provided us with proof that
the Farr 7500 is, like the 6000 and 5000, stable and
easily handled on all points including under spinnaker
in fresh conditions.
In fact the 7500's handling of a kite in winds gusting
to around 25 knots, again off Westhaven drew several
onlookers on a cold, grey afternoon, all of whom went
away apparently impressed.
Final conclusions then?
There is little one can say that is not complimentary
about any of the Farr trailer yachts built by Sea Nymph.
They are well designed and well built, catering for
specific markets which are obviously well researched
before production. Because of the one-design aspect
of all three classes, where hulls, rigs, sails, gear
etc are tightly controlled by the manufacturer (although
to a lesser extent in the big boat in order to reduce
costs on the basic boat and thus appeal to those who
prefer to finish their own), the buyer's investment
is protected, and good close class racing should result.
Certainly it has with the already big Farr 6000 class.
So it's really a case of owners analysing whether they
like the rather unorthodox looks of the Farr range,
and asking them- selves whether they are prepared to
pay extra for the Farr name and Sea Nymph quality, bearing
in mind that a suitable trailer and adequate towing
vehicle will add to the cost.
If so, they certainly won't be disappointed with the
room, Iuxury, performance, and overall finish of the
Farr trailer yacht, and in a few years' time, when moorings
aren't just hard to get, but impossible, they'll be
laughing all the way to the bank.
Prices for the Farr 7500, unlike the 5000 and 6000
which are sold complete only to preserve the one-design
qualities of the class, range from just under $12,000,
including tax, for the basic boat finished to minimum
specifications, to just over $17,000 for the standard,
completed boat minus goodies like extra sails, toilet,
stove, pushpit, and pulpit, trailer.
The basic boat ($11,895 as at July 1979 but obviously
subject to change) is, as it says, basically a hull
and decks, with interior liners including bunks buoyancy,
ballast and bulkheads fitted, along with centreple and
winch, rudder gudgeons, chainplates, rig and sails,
and such things as hatches, pop-top detail, locker lids
etc, supplied loose.
So while the top price for the boat is high at more
than $20,000 for one like that we tested, it is possible
to get into the class for much less, and with time and
effort put in by the owner, still end up with a well-finished,
well fitted-out boat.
|
