Class CDisplacementCruiser/Racer

Farr 11.6

BINKS · Bruce Farr · 1978

Updated

The Farr 11.6 is a 11.64 m displacement racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by BINKS, first launched in 1978. It races in Class C.

Farr 11.6 - Bruce Farr - BINKSP 13.37 mLOA 11.64 m

Length

11.64 m

38′ 2″

Beam

3.64 m

Draft

1.99 m

Displacement

6.0 t

Sail area

77 m²

This design does not carry a Race Edge. The speeds below still come from measured boats.

On the podium

Where a Farr 11.6 finishes when she goes racing.

Not enough data yet to show how this design finishes. It has not been found in the race results we have collected so far.

Recent regattas

The latest events where a Farr 11.6 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.

No regattas found yet.

Raced one we are missing?

Report a regatta

Round the buoys, or offshore

A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.

Round the buoys

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Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.

Offshore & coastal

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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.

Who she races against

The designs a Farr 11.6 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.

Not enough data yet to say who this design races against. No result we have collected puts it on the water beside another design we track.

Speed at every angle

The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.

36930°60°90°120°150°WIND9.4

Upwind VMG

5.38

38°

Beam reach

8.43

90°

Broad reach

9.40

135°

Downwind VMG

8.06

170°

Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.

Where it wins and where it pays

Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.

The stronger it blows, the better this design looks. On a windy coastal course it is in its element; on a light-air windward-leeward it has to be sailed well to hold on.

Where it gains

Its best ground is upwind in a strong breeze, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on the run as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.

Where it pays

There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.

Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.

True wind
Upwind+0.07 kn
Beam reach+0.08 kn
Broad reach+0.09 kn
Downwind+0.02 kn

Full width is 0.4 kn either way.

At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.

How fast is a Farr 11.6

Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.

Angle6 kn10 kn14 kn20 kn
Beat VMG3.294.655.205.38
52°5.086.797.327.50
60°5.407.007.517.72
75°5.617.167.738.09
90°5.487.217.828.43
110°5.577.418.118.77
120°5.417.338.189.18
135°4.826.957.989.40
150°4.036.217.558.84
Run VMG3.495.386.798.06

How they are set up

The range each sail spans across the fleet.

Mainsail40 m² – 43 m²
Headsail35 m²
Spinnaker82 m² – 120 m²

Roughly half carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 680 kg.

Rigging

Farr 11.6 rig and sail dimensions

A Farr 11.6 carries 13.63 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.44 m boom, a forestay 12.88 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.

Rig

Mainsail hoistP13.63 m13.37 – 13.90
Boom lengthE5.44 m5.41 – 5.46
Forestay heightIG12.88 m12.64 – 13.11
Fore triangle baseJ4.07 m4.05 – 4.10
Spinnaker hoistISP13.93 m12.75 – 15.10
Boom above deckBAS1.39 m1.18 – 1.59

Sails

Mainsail41.5 m²40.3 – 42.7
Headsail35.3 m²35.0 – 35.7
Spinnaker101.0 m²82.0 – 119.9

The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 82 to 120 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.