Farr 400
Premier Composites · Bruce Farr · 2011
Updated
The Farr 400 is a 12.20 m planing racing yacht designed by Bruce Farr and built by Premier Composites, first launched in 2011. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 98% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 98% of the boats it races against.
2nd of 46 in its class.
Not verified. On planing hulls this score has no match in the race results we hold: designs scoring the same win anywhere from one race in ten to seven in ten. Read it as what the measurements say, not as a ranking.
This design has been found in real race results — 45 starts across 12 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.20 m
40′ 0″
Beam
3.41 m
Draft
2.90 m
Displacement
4.0 t
Sail area
102 m²
On the podium
Where a Farr 400 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
7%
of 45 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 45 starts by 2 boats between 2018 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Farr 400 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Regata dei Due Golfi (Lignano)2026- ORC DH World Championship2025
- Campionato Italiano ORC - Triestina della Vela2025
- Regata dei Due Golfi (Lignano)2025
- Regata Brindisi-Corfù2024
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
3%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
20%
of these races end on the podium
Better the longer it gets. Boats that settle into a groove and hold it gain ground once the course stops turning.
Who she races against
The designs a Farr 400 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Grand Soleil 48 (7 meetings), JPK 11.80 (6 meetings), Elliott 44 (6 meetings), Arcona 345 (6 meetings), Finnflyer 34 (6 meetings), Melges 24 (6 meetings), Farr 49 (6 meetings), Arya 415 (6 meetings), IMX 38 (6 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Farr 400 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
6.03
38°
Beam reach
10.93
90°
Broad reach
13.96
135°
Downwind VMG
12.02
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 running deep when it blows, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on a broad reach as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short to windward in a strong breeze, giving away time it never gets back. That is a hull that wants to get up and go, and needs pressure to do it.
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 2.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Farr 400
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.43 | 5.57 | 5.90 | 6.03 |
| 52° | 6.73 | 8.02 | 8.39 | 8.63 |
| 60° | 7.09 | 8.31 | 8.77 | 9.11 |
| 75° | 7.37 | 8.68 | 9.38 | 9.97 |
| 90° | 7.29 | 8.91 | 9.87 | 10.93 |
| 110° | 7.18 | 9.05 | 10.19 | 11.98 |
| 120° | 7.03 | 9.16 | 10.73 | 12.72 |
| 135° | 6.37 | 8.83 | 11.03 | 13.96 |
| 150° | 5.32 | 7.79 | 9.67 | 13.88 |
| Run VMG | 4.61 | 6.75 | 8.37 | 12.02 |
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 760 kg.
Rigging
Farr 400 rig and sail dimensions
A Farr 400 carries 16.14 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.79 m boom, a forestay 15.54 m above the deck and a 6.86 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 7 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails