Farr 39
LINDSAY · Bruce Farr · 1995
Updated
The Farr 39 is a 11.98 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by LINDSAY, first launched in 1995. It races in Class B.
Length
11.98 m
39′ 4″
Beam
3.76 m
Draft
2.57 m
Displacement
4.6 t
Sail area
101 m²
On the podium
Where a Farr 39 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
7%
of 15 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 15 starts by 2 boats between 2017 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Farr 39 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Jonica 652026- Trofeo TARAS2026
- Regata Brindisi-Corfù2025
- Regata Brindisi-Corfù2024
- Regata Brindisi-Corfù2023
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound 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
—
Not enough data yet: 9 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: 6 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Farr 39 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
First 33.7 (7 meetings), Dehler 34 (Judel/Vrolijk) (7 meetings), Italia 11.98 (6 meetings), Grand Soleil 343 (6 meetings), Salona 37 (4 meetings), X-41 (3 meetings), Bavaria Match 38 (3 meetings), X-482 (3 meetings), M 37 (5 meetings), Mumm 36 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) (3 meetings), Comet 36 (3 meetings), Sun Fast 3600 (2 meetings), Xp 44 (2 meetings), X-412 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 341 (2 meetings), Comet 45 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 40 (Polli) (2 meetings), Figaro 2 (2 meetings), Swan 42 (4 meetings), Italia 9.98 (2 meetings), J/105 (2 meetings), Grand Soleil 39 (Maletto) (2 meetings), X-332 (2 meetings), Comet 41 (2 meetings), ILC 40 (2 meetings), Hanse 311 (2 meetings), Drac One Ton (2 meetings), Kalik 33 (2 meetings), First 27.7 (2 meetings), Bavaria 36 (2 meetings), First Class 8 (2 meetings), Carter 42 (2 meetings), Sun Odyssey 440 (3 meetings), Sun Odyssey 42 (Lombard) (3 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Farr 39 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
5.90
36°
Beam reach
9.65
90°
Broad reach
12.33
135°
Downwind VMG
9.22
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. Give it a fresh day and long legs and it delivers more than it promised; in a drifter it is working uphill.
Where it gains
Its best ground is off the wind in a strong breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, 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.
Full width is 1.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Farr 39
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.23 | 5.44 | 5.74 | 5.90 |
| 52° | 6.37 | 7.66 | 7.95 | 8.16 |
| 60° | 6.68 | 7.88 | 8.20 | 8.46 |
| 75° | 6.88 | 8.11 | 8.60 | 9.02 |
| 90° | 6.74 | 8.15 | 8.93 | 9.65 |
| 110° | 6.55 | 8.38 | 9.34 | 10.51 |
| 120° | 6.35 | 8.30 | 9.66 | 11.33 |
| 135° | 5.70 | 7.84 | 9.21 | 12.33 |
| 150° | 4.76 | 7.04 | 8.35 | 10.65 |
| Run VMG | 4.12 | 6.10 | 7.42 | 9.22 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 740 kg.
Rigging
Farr 39 rig and sail dimensions
A Farr 39 carries 15.82 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.80 m boom, a forestay 15.26 m above the deck and a 5.56 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 111 to 129 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.