A Fascinating Hobby
by Neil Kennedy
If you were to divide sailing into three elements: the technical fascination of building and equipping your own yacht, the thrill of sailing it as fast as you can, and the excitement of competing with and beating your friends, it would be easy to understand why many of New Zealands best centreboard classes from the 1960s and 70s are enjoying a resurgence of popularity in the 90s.
New Zealanders are renowned the world over as "do it yourselfers", and when you take away the elements of evolution and the opportunities to experiment and tinker, the self-styled one-designs such as the Laser are, for an increasing number of yachtsmen and yachtswomen, offering less and less hobby value in comparison with the classic centreboards of the 60s and 70s. Certainly in England and Australia it is these classes that create and retain their appeal, by virtue of their ability to challenge sailors at all levels, that have been and will continue to be the backbone of our sport.
An excellent example of this is the Farr 3.7 single-handler, and on a visit to the Pakuranga Sailing Club on the Tamaki River , I took the oppurtunity of taking a closer look at the state of the class with national champion Trent Cornwall.
Designed by Bruce
Farr in 1970 as a single-handled trapeze yacht that could then fit into
the Q-Class 12ft restrictions, it quickly established itself as a class
in its own right. It grew steadily in the Auckland, Northland and
Waikato regions and in the 80s spread to New South Wales although the
current state of the class there is unknown. Registration numbers have
now reached
the 360s with the owners' association estimating
that about 60 boats are currently active. As with many classes that are
enjoying a resurgence of popularity the owners association is very keen
to trace any 3.7s that may be stored away that could be returned to the
fleet, as they are fielding enquires for good second hand boats on a
regular basis.
One of the great features of the
class is the quality of the design and construction specifications set
out by Bruce Farr. The best illustration of this is the fact that XL
3.7 number one, Sea Spray boat test, May 1971, is still in excellent
condition and is fully competitive. After 26 years the hull was only
one pound over the minimum weight and many of the original fittings are
still on the boat. This is a tribute to Bruce Farr's skill as a builder
as well as a designer of centreboard racing yachts, and indeed it is
sad that we have not seen any
centreboards from his drawing
board for many years, particularly as Bruce always said the 3.7 was one
of his favourite designs.
The vast majority of 3.7
hulls were constructed of 4mm plywood with kahikatea stringers and
timbers and those that have been well cared for are as sound as a bell
and on or very close to the class minimum weight. The quality and
strength of the construction as illustrated by the photo makes plywood
hulls ideal for refurbishment and many have undergone rebuilding or
redecking;
the only area for concern has been cockpit floors which take a pounding
but the class association has all the necessary advice to assist
newcomers on how to overcome the problems.
New Hulls
Plywood hulls
are still being built, indeed number 363, featured at the New Zealand
Boat Show, is a new plywood boat. Cost of materials for a plywood hull
is about $1200. The class also has a female mould suitable for foam
glass construction, three new hulls are being built in the Bay of
Islands; one of foam glass sandwich construction, and the new owners
are looking at approximately $1500 for materials. When these boats are
completed the class will consider making some additional boats of
either all foam glass construction or foam glass hulls that can be
fitted out with wooden decks. The availability of a class
association-owned mould is crucial to the continued development of the
Farr 3.7 class as it enables newcomers to the class to obtain a fully
competitive boat at a very reasonable cost.
Centreboards
and Rudders
There has been some variation in shape
from Bruce Farr's original shape but on the whole the changes are
minor. Wooden boards, glassed, are still the prefered option with
kahikatea favoured by most.
Fitting Out
Here
is one of the real attractions of the 3.7s. All boats have the usual
controls, mainsheet, traveller, boom vang, cunningham and outhaul and
there are many variations in the set-up. However as the boat is sailed
from the trapeze in eight knots and above, simplicity and ease of
adjustment are paramount. National Champion Trent Cornwall's boat shows
this aspect very well. Suprisingly, despite the potential for costs to
run away here, it hasn't happened. Flash fittings don't make you go
fast. The sailors of 3.7s tend to take a keen interest in others
peoples boats in terms of fitting out, and looking for any ideas to
make their controls better and more efficient.
Masts
and booms
This has been where the biggest advances
have been made in the class with the emergence of carbon fibre. However
the common sense approach of the owners' association has ensured that
sailors in the class without large chequebooks have not been
disadvantaged, a sharp contrast with the Europe dinghy where the advent
of carbon fibre masts has split the class apart between the haves and
have-nots. In the case of the 3.7s, carbon fibre was banned until the
costs and availability was sufficient to allow all sailors to compete.
The first experimental masts were made of combinations of windsurfer
masts and carbon tubes from Kilwell industries but final approval was
not given until suitable stock sections were available. The Howick
Sailing Club 3.7 fleet has been a hotbed of carbon spar development.
Although a number of the leading boats in the class have switched to
carbon masts, there are still plenty of alloy masts which are more than
competitive. There have been a few all carbon booms appear, but the
poor man's carbon fibre boom - irrigation tube painted black - at $30
is equally effective.
Sails
Kevlar
weaves in their various forms are becoming more popular than the more
traditional dacron. Cuts, seam arrangements and batten arrangements are
many and varied, with no particular design providing a clear
superiority. A number of sailmakers make 3.7 sails with the cost of a
new sail around $1000. Incidentally Trent Cornwall is using a sail he
bought for a tray of beer after the previous owner, a sailmaker, had
cast it aside reckoning that it was past its best.
Tuning
guide
For newcomers to the class the 3.7 Owners
Association has an outstanding comprehensive tuning and sailing guide
covering every aspect of owning and sailing 3.7, and there is plenty of
helpful advice and assistance from the various class fleets and
sailors. Trent Cornwall's boat is undergoing a revamp. The hull and
decks have been completely taken back to the bare wood, sanded and
sealed with Awlcraft timber sealer, then repainted in his winning
colour scheme of yellow and white. His 20-year-old hull is still in top
condition and with its new paint job, he'll be ready for the new season.
Class Promotion
The class has had
a number of dedicated sailors who have sailed and promoted the class
for a considerable number of years. Each season feature regattas are
held at Howick, Takapuna and Rotorua in addition to the national
championships which attract about 30 competitors. But perhaps its most
innovative idea is to promote itself on the Internet through its
website: www.sentech.co.nz/Farr37. On this you can find all of the
latest class information but its real appeal lies in its versability.
It can carry a wide range of crew weights and can be handled
effectively by older and younger sailors: Grant McInnes is the veterans
champ, while the under-21 champ is Joanna White. Above all, for those
younger sailors looking toward skiffs, the 3.7 will give a supurb
grounding in the art of skiff sailing, or if you just want to sail fast
and have fun and enjoy the challenge of tinkering you need look no
further.The cost of all this? A limited number of second hand boats are
for sale ranging from $800 to $2000 depending on the condition but even
a brand new one, home-built with the latest rig, can be had for $5000.
As the class says: Farr 3.7 - the best by Farr.
Indeed a fascinating hobby.
--Reproduced
by kind permission of Sea Spray magazine.--