Farr 38 (Farr 11.6)
Description
The Farr 38 (also known as the Farr 11.6m or Farr 11.6) is a classic fast cruising sloop designed by Bruce Farr (Farr Yacht Design #72) in 1978. It was inspired by a shift away from strict IOR rule distortions toward a "pure" design for speed, comfort, easy handling, and economical ownership—aiming for a secure investment with pleasurable sailing. The boat proved popular as a racer-cruiser, with strong performance in moderate-to-fresh winds, excellent upwind ability (stiff hull, high ballast ratio), and good downwind speed (high SA/D ratio). It's known for being light for its length (dry weight ~10,600 lbs / 4,808 kg), seaworthy, and short-handed friendly (fractional rig with no complicated runners). Approximately 85 hulls total (across all builders and countries), with production from 1978 onward (now out of production). Boats sailed in at least 8 countries, with strong fleets in New Zealand and Australia.
Construction Details
| Designer | Bruce Farr |
|---|---|
| Builder | Compass Yachts (Sydney) |
| Length | 38.250 ft |
| LOA | 38.250 ft |
| LWL | 31.170 ft |
| Beam | 12.000 ft |
| Displacement | 10600 lb |
| Ballast | 4100 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.500 ft |
| Year Built | 1978 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 42.75 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 13.33 ft |
| p | 44.92 ft |
| e | 17.92 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42.75 ft | 13.33 ft | 44.92 ft | 17.92 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Farr 38 (Farr 11.6) - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 44.92 ft - (13692 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 17.92 ft - (5462 mm) |
| Leech | * 47.59 ft - (14505 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.01 ° |
| Diagonal | * 47.78 ft - (14563 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | 402.06 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Farr 38 (Farr 11.6) - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 35.82 ft - (10918 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 17.58 ft - (5358 mm) |
| Leech | * 31.23 ft - (9519 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.33 ft - (4673 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 274.51 ft² |
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Farr 38 (Farr 11.6) - GENOA
| Luff | * 42.54 ft - (12966 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 21.46 ft - (6541 mm) |
| Leech | * 40.08 ft - (12216 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 20 ft - (6096 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 425.22 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Farr 38 (Farr 11.6) - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 42.54 ft - (12966 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 23.99 ft - (7312 mm) |
| Foot | * 23.99 ft - (7312 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 867.45 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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