Design #588M FARR 42 "IRC FRIENDLY" Racer/Cruiser

Design #588 was commissioned in a bid to offer the market a quality Racer/Cruiser that could cope with the demands of real cruising and be a strong contender for handicap wins in both round the buoys and long distance events using IRC ratings as well as PHRF and Americap.

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.