Farr 280 vs J88

[flaming]

Anyone else surprised by the results so far in the Sportsboat (Div1) class at Cowes?

Not the corrected (which are IRC, so are always going to kill the Farr) but the fact that the average elapsed time between the 4 Farr280s and the 5 J88s seems to be about 5 minutes in 2 and a half hours of racing.

Given that the Farr is supposedly the latest, greatest speed machine with moveable rig, squaretop main etc, and the J is a middle of the road easy to handle borderline sportsboat, I'm really surprised how close those times are.

 

[lw395]

Do the J's by any chance fleet race together and know the Solent well?

 

[flaming]

Do the J's by any chance fleet race together and know the Solent well?

Yes, but the entry list for the 280s reads like a who's who of Solent racing, they're all locals.

 

[Racecruiser]

Anyone know what both boats cost out at on the water with sails and electronics? My guess is pretty scary for the J88 and roughly similar for the Farr 280, then what will they be worth in 4 years time I wonder .........

 

[flaming]

I don't know for sure but I'd be guessing £130k + Once you've got sails etc.

There's a 2014 boat on for £99k at the moment.

280 looks like it might come in slightly cheaper, but certainly in the same ballpark. http://activateswitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Farr-280-Price-List-.pdf

 

[Racecruiser]

This is interesting - on the video we hear 'relatively affordable in comparison to a TP 52'! Well yes but ......

http://www.yachtingworld.com/blogs/...s-week-but-is-it-time-to-talk-handicaps-66709

Flaming, I bet you're right about the price maybe a touch less for the J88. Good luck to those who want to buy and take the depreciation pill!

 

[Judders]

The J88 looks a lot of fun and has a decent enough cabin to be taken away for a weekend but it doesn't quite live up to the 'mini 111' billing in performance terms. The reason I'm out however is the chain plates being bolted simply through the sheer with a backing plate. I can't get my head around that at all.

Had a brief nosy at a 280 on Wednesday. Looks pretty extreme. I suspect it's a boat that won't do you any favours if you foul up. Fun if you like that sort of thing but I suspect Foul Up Management will be what wins races rather than tactics and boatspeed, but I might be wrong.

 

[Keen_Ed]

Question of how many pros do you need on the Farr to be competitive. Not an easy boat to sail, I would think.

 

[flaming]

Question of how many pros do you need on the Farr to be competitive. Not an easy boat to sail, I would think.

Looks to be seriously tweaky with hydraulic mast rams and forestay adjustment. But then maybe that will actually make it easier, as you're not locked into the rig settings you start the race with? I dunno, it's way outside my experience.

I have to admit to being surprised that the Solent racers seem to have looked at the 280 and the C&C30 and plumped for the 280. What with the 280 not being waterproof and requiring 4 bilge pumps and not having a head (which is a real issue if you're trying to get more girls to sail) or ISAF compliant lifelines as standard... I had figured that the C&C30 was probably a better bet for the UK as it still looked a lot of fun without being completely bonkers, and you could probably deliver the thing along the South coast on its own bottom.

Very much doubt there are enough owners for both to get a class though.

 

[ds797]

I don't know much about it myself, but where does the FarEast 28 fit in this discussion? I seem to recall reading about £35k + vat on the water which means you could have 4 for the price of 1 J88 or Farr280!

I have no idea if they are any good though?!

 

[AIDY]

Was watching so steamy today race, never heard of a Farr 280 before.

 

[EBunting]

Great new boat. Matt tested it a few months ago. You can see our video here
http://www.yachtingworld.com/blogs/...ew-sheahan-discovers-potent-28-footer-2-61628

And we raced her this week at Cowes. Check out the story on our Cowes coverage - including comment on the conundrum of ratings among the IRC mix in the class the new Farr was in - www.yachtingworld.com/Cowes-week

Elaine

 

[MissFitz]

... and not having a head (which is a real issue if you're trying to get more girls to sail) ...

Surely not really an issue? Plenty of women sail on sportsboats & dayboats, all you need is a bucket - or just something to hang on to while dangling off the back.

 

[Keen_Ed]

Absolutely is an issue. Plenty of women who won't dangle, or use a bucket -especially if it's more than just a pee.