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 The first 3.7 "XL" sailing in the 70's
The '3.7' was designed by Bruce Farr in 1971 as a single handed trapeze version of his successful 12 and 18 foot skiffs. It is believed he designed the first boat for Greg Elliott's Dad.
The class became established and has become a popular alternative to Lasers and such like for smaller lighter sailors interested in high performance sailing. At the present time over 400 boats have been built, most of them plywood. The 3.7 is a one design hull but with sufficient measurement tolerance to allow for amateur built hulls, which comprise the majority of the fleet. With a minimum hull weight of 50kg easily attainable this ensures the longevity of boats, and some of the oldest are also among the fastest. Bruce Farr's original 3.7 (XL, No. 1) is still racing competitively and is now over forty years old, a tribute to the designer. Although the 3.7 is a restricted rule class with a one design hull, there is plenty of latitude for a bit of ingenuity in other areas, particularly the rig. Various mast configurations are found at the front of the fleet; spreaderless, rotating diamond rigs and fixed spreaders. Since the introduction of carbon fibre spars the performance and ease of sailing has further enhanced the class's growth with new boats. More about performance. |
3.7 designer Bruce Farr
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