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Farr
42:
The new Farr 42 has been commissioned by Austral Yachts of South
Australia to bring a competitive Cruiser /Racer to the Australian
market. This Farr designed yacht will be a strong contender for
handicap wins in both round the buoys and offshore events using
IRC ratings. The interior features and accommodation provide for
quality, comfortable cruising. Austral have been producing quality
boats for the Australian market for over 30 years. The adoption
of the IRC rule at both Club racing level and by some of the more
legendary offshore events has sparked strong interest in boats that
fair well under this single number rating system. As a result of
this interest Farr Yacht Design received several commissions in
2004 for IRC oriented boats that allowed the team to embark on research
work to understand the rule in some depth. While specific formulas
used to determine the IRC ratings are not published, the style of
boat favored by these formulas can be deduced by examining the published
rule policy, reviewing race results in great detail including those
of our existing designs that have done well under IRC, and applying
to the rating office for trial certificates where variations in
ratings given for different design choices can be compared with
VPP results.
While IRC does
have some clear policies outlined in their rule, there is considerable
freedom for the designer to develop sweet hull shapes with favorable
volume distributions, ideal appendage placements and good stability.
Our team researched beam and beam waterline ratios, LOA and length
waterline values and other basic hull parameters over a wide range
of boat sizes to find the right combinations. Heeled volume distribution
and transom immersion effects were examined to give the boat good
performance and handling over a wide range of weather conditions.
The keel is a
T-style with a lead bulb supported by a cast iron fin to give the
boat a low center of gravity and minimized wetted area. This also
allows the rig and interior to be positioned to suit the hull center
of buoyancy preferences and produces a relatively simple structural
solution.
Deck and interior
have been designed around the dual requirements of comfortable,
workable cruising accommodation and the necessary cockpit workspace
for round the buoys maneuvers. A fairly standard and well-proven
interior layout with central saloon, berths forward and aft, galley
to port, navigation station to starboard, and well apportioned locker
space. Interior comes with some options of double or single berths
aft. Twin wheels afford the helmsman good viewing for sailing and
offer a passage in the center of the cockpit for crew movement.
Rig is a fairly
standard 20-degree swept-spreader with the option of a prod or standard
pole for downwind work. Carbon rig will be standard. Hull, deck
and interior grid construction is in E-glass sandwich.
Farr 42 Australian Sailing Magazine April 2007
Farr 42 Club Marine February 2007
For more information
on the new 42' IRC yacht, please contact Austral Yachts at Tel + 61 8 8329 9955 or email sales@australyachts.com.au.
>>Contact Austral
Yachts for more info
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