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Farr 1220 floors/ flaws ?


broadoak

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We are thinking of buying a Farr 1220, but have heard a rumour that the floors in them need strengthening especially if considering going off-shore, does anyone know if there is any substance to this or is it just waterfront gossip? Are there any other areas of concern with them that anyone knows about. Would appreciate your comments on this.

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Great boats for what your intending to do with them! Water front crap from a guy whos cousins friend's, uncle had a roberts tank39 he didn't like the farr. When are you listing that stunning cav36 Foxy Lady 2??

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maybe it's gutter talk but I heard that the rudder is a bit undersized and that they tend to round up quite easily. I've got a mate with one and he's pretty happy with it - apart from the rounding up tendency. He certainly has plenty of space to windward of him on the start line on a fresh day as everyone keeps clear. I think the cockpit is too small for a 40 ft boat. Doesn't Farr have a slightly different version of the same hull with a slightly larger cockpit?

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I was part of the delivery crew to Vava'au (sp?) in '95 while TNZ was winning the first time. Beam reach with quatering sea the whole way. 7 days total which was pretty good. Any boat would be uncomfortable in those conditions, I thought the boat wasn't too bad. We were smart enough to get the sail area down so the helming was easy without losing any speed at all. 4 out of 5 drivers could keep the decks reasonably dry - but the 5th?

Dunno how he did it but he must've hit every wave wrong :lol:

 

This particular boat has many trips to Tonga - never heard anything about floors at all

 

Worse boats out there - I've sailed oceans on some of them! :?

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good solid kiwi boats, if the original refrigeration condensor is still in you'll need to replace it......domestic copper core, [ . . . .]

 

26/2/10 PaulR as Moderator: Original comments edited / deleted as requested by L4 poster.

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I hate to be a fly in the ointment, but when i was a boatbuilding apprentice and doing all the scum jobs, one of my roles was to bore around the keel bolts of boats with a big holesaw to help with the removal of the keel. The first 4 boats i did were 1220s and then over 4 more years probably another 4 or 5. Most were mild groundings where the joint cracked but 2 had popped the hull liner (read floors) right out. If i were going offshore i would look into, at least glassing the hull liner to the bottom of the boat properly.

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Firstly My boat is a Phase 4, not a 1220. However, they are very similar, the phase 4 being 6 designs newer, and the first model being one peice vacuum baged. The 1220 used vacuum technologies, but only with smaller parts, and the quality control was not as advanced. I have also owned a 940 and raced on a 38, but only been on a 1220 a few times.

 

Bruce Farr says that the 1220 and Phase 4 are very similar in perfomance, with the 1220 perhaps having a slight advantage. The 1220 draws 4 inches more, and weighs nearly 600 KG more. They have a slightly bigger rig to compensate.

 

Most Farr boats Tend to be driven by the mainsails, and SOME people have reported them (940's, 38's, 1020's and 1220s, as well as Phase 4s) as heavy on the helm and to round up easily. However, it has been my experience that the rig setup is the issue - Certainly on Island Time she can be sailed with two fingers on the helm when fully pressed when the right sails/reef combinations are used. They are easily driven boats that don't need much canvas to sail pretty well - reef early and evenly, and your VMG's won't change much, but you'll enjoy the sailing. The Phase 4 likes about 3 deg aft mast rake and about one section width of pre bend over the mast length..

 

Keel Flloors. My 940 had this issue - the floor grid had seperated from the hull. It was like that when I bought it (yes I knew) and my first job was to reglass then to the hull. It was a bit time consuming, but not difficult. Never had an issue again.

 

Buy one that does NOT have the issue, or negotiate the price so it's worth fixing.

 

You might like to know that Apterx, the other phase 4 at mana, was (by previous owners) sailed into a rock at 7 knots to a dead stop. It did crack the keel to hull join, although no water was admitted. It took a two fist bite out of the front of the keel lead - that is quite an impact!

 

Offshore? Yep, no problem! I'm about to take mine in the Solo Tasman, then up to the Med!

 

Finally, there are a few 1220's on the NZ market at the moment, so you have some choice. OR, if you fancy a trip to Ausy , there are quite a few Phase 4's for sale there. Pricing is similar. There were 67 Phase 4's built, so there are a lot more than 1220's. The Phase 4, being a Ausy boat, is less well accepted here, and is a bit cheaper. The opposite in Ausy.

 

Send me a Pm if you want to discuss this in person.

Matt

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