F6000 Reaches Oz

Review from: Australian Boating 1978

PAYNE: This is the only boat named after the designer, and so perhaps one looks for something distinctive. It is not really fair to summarise these boats by lumping them into categories, but the Farr is somewhat the big sailing skiff type., with more freeboard and cabin space than might have been expected. I thought of the boat as a fun, boat, well suited to really fine weather and short cruises, which was surprising in a boat from windy and chilly New Zealand. This design could be chosen by a group of young adults, rather than by family sailors.

The rig was simple, and very easy to handle, with not a sheet winch in sight. There's a lot to be said for small jibs! In this boat, as with some others, it would have been nice to measure the stability. My impression was that there wasn't a lot, but that there probably was enough, especially for people who know how to sail an open boat.

The racing-dinghy hull form, with fairly large stern, may account for the rather heavy weather helm, which shows even at moderate heel angles. Many people don't mind this, and it certainly makes for instant "wipe-out" recovery from a big heel angle.

WEBSTER: This is one of the most interesting yachts in the Rally. It's another Kiwi, and the Kiwis have a knack of do-ing things differently to Australians, and getting away with it. The Farr 6000 is no exception. It has a most unusual rear bulkhead arrangement which quite literally folds down and away to open out the whole of the inside of the cabin in such a way that the outside and the inside become one big area. Now this is wonderful in good weather, but I'm not too sure about the Farr 6000 if you're caught with a wet weekend on a holiday cruise. In this case, the forward sloping fibreglass moulding around the bulkhead would cause the washboards to be left in position to keep the water out of the cabin, and as none of the cabin windows open (nor is there any ventilation provided) the interior of the Farr 6000 would probably end up like the inside of a Turkish bath. In this respect it was not alone — very few trailer yachts had any ventilation other than an opening forward hatch.

The Farr 6000 has a clever interior and as a day boat it has great appeal. The toilet is behind a semi enclosed bulkhead in the forepeak, the galley runs athwartship against this bulkhead, and two settee berths face each other on opposite sides of the cabin. A fold away fable is placed between these for eating purposes, but its strictly dinner for two.

On the trailer. the Farr 6000 came in at 1.24 tonnes making it one of the rare yachts legally towed behind the Standard Holden Commodore. It launched quite easily off the trailer. A hefty shove soon had the Farr 6000 rolling, despite the trailer. The transom arrangement is not very inspired, with one of those awful patent outboard brackets bolted in a singularly ugly fashion to the transom of this otherwise very sleek yacht. No provision is made for boarding the craft other than a Pelican clip lifeline fit-ted over the tiller.

The rigging is not complicated, but nevertheless the Farr 6000 took several minutes longer than several of the yachts to be prepared ready to go from the launch ramp. The Farr 6000 struck home as a very good day boat for exhilarating harbour day sailing,

DAVIDSON: The Farr 6000 looks as though it would be at home sailing on the Moon, such a space-age concept is its design, However it displays characteristics that are quite down to earth, notably its tendency to heel hard suddenly, round up, and display considerable weather helm in a strong breeze.

On the credit side, the headsail sheets are both sided and through a two to one purchase, so no winches and the ability to flatten the sail hard when necessary; the cockpit is comfortable and designed for hiking out with good bum space, and the centreboard raising and lowering device is handled from the cockpit and you can see how much board is up or down by the wire left on its winch drum, visible through a clear perspex. window. Sailing the Farr fast re-quires learning.

As with the other Kiwi boat the Bonito, the Farr is very well finished and has a number of innovations that go with its space-age shape. The centreboard control, though below decks, is operated from the cockpit. The entire back section of the cabin is removable allowing the cabin and the cockpit to become part of the same area. This is dubious in wet weather, as its forward slopes would trap rain and funnel it below, but in finer weather adds another dimension to the boat. GRP work is of a high standard and the fittings not bad, if a little on the light side. The Farr is sold only as a completed boat.