Farr 6000 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Farr’s hull form is beamy, with powerful stern sections that deliver stability, speed, and the internal volume that makes the accommodation credible for a 20-footer. The centerline is built down to form a shallow keel, and a long shallow keel adds directional stability while doubling as a structural element in the solid glass lay-up. The structure itself is conventional solid fiberglass, taken up to a 10-ounce lay-up that includes gunstock and woven rovings, with foam and wooden stiffening in key areas. A traditional-looking lapstrake-type molding runs the hull and is common to the other Farr trailer yachts; it adds measurable strength to the solid glass lapstrake-type molding runs the hull and adds strength. Interior moldings — one forward with bunk frames, the other aft as the galley unit and bunks — were designed as structural members bonded to the hull, so the furniture is not merely fitted but load-bearing.

Rig and Handling

The rig is fractional, carrying a large but easily managed mainsail that gives the boat excellent performance for its bulk. A tapered Baverstock mast is standard, paired with swept-back spreaders so the standing rigging needs only a forestay and sidestays. The sail-plan shows a moderate-aspect mainsail with a short-footed, high-aspect jib that requires no winches to sheet, and a spinnaker can be added for enthusiasts. A medium-size spinnaker will get her surfing in a good breeze yet remains easily managed. Halyards can be hoisted from either mast or cockpit, and three exit boxes serve main, jib, and spinnaker, with leads and cleats run aft. Test sailors found the helm heavy on every point of sail compared with many other trailer yachts, but the boat did not have the tendency of most others to screw up in a gust steady in gusts.

Accommodations

Below, the beamy hull and a pop-top combine to good effect: the pop-top gives full headroom through the main living area, and even with it down there is 1.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches) of standing room. The sloping aft end of the cabin has removable panels so the interior becomes an extension of the cockpit, blurring the line between sheltered cabin and open air. Five full-length berths are available, and the starboard settee extends to a 3-foot 6-inch wide double. Forward of the main living area, behind a bulkhead for privacy, sits the toilet space with ample headroom. The galley holds the facilities for weekend or longer cruising, with good stowage and bench space that does not eat excessively into the cabin.

Safety and Known Character

The 6000 was built with positive foam buoyancy to New Zealand Trailer Yacht Association safety standards, and there is enough built-in buoyancy to float her if completely flooded. Total ballast is 242 kg (535 lbs) of solid cast-iron centerboard and associated weight, which guarantees self-righting capability; the boat has proved self-righting and unsinkable. The centerboard is a cast aerofoil pivoting from the forward end, controlled from the cockpit by a self-sustaining drum winch under the bridge deck, with a Perspex window beside the handle showing how much plate is raised or lowered, and a system locks the board down. With the oldest examples now past three decades in age, the fleet has shown itself robust and largely free of trouble.

The Verdict

The Farr 6000 is a small trailer yacht that punches above its length: a Bruce Farr design with a beamy, volume-rich hull, a fractional rig that is both racy and manageable, and a cabin that opens to the cockpit. Its solid-glass construction with lapstrake strengthening and bonded structural interior moldings has aged well. The helm is weighty, but the boat stays composed when the wind pipes up.

Pros