Farr X2 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The X2 presents as a smartly designed race boat with a well thought out ergonomic deck layout, the sort of arrangement that lets a short crew move efficiently without wasted motion. Below, the focus was on using the space to create a comfortable but light fit out, an interior that favors usability and low mass over cruising plushness. The original keel design used two A4-80 bolts driven down into the fin, a configuration that would not survive the boat's early service history intact.

Rig and Handling

The sail plan enables easy shortening of sail to manage heavier conditions, a key trait for an offshore racer expected to handle building breeze without a full crew on the rail. Upwind she is balanced and has a great feel, and the hull rests and tracks perfectly on the chine when heeled. The design was always meant to be powered up early to make sure the boat is sailing to its numbers, and by far the most optimum power-to-weight ratio gives it plenty of power in lighter conditions. Off the wind the personality changes: as soon as you crack sheets that's when she springs into life, and the percentage of performance increases with every degree away from VMG upwind. In some cases the boat can easily be 2 knots faster and deeper than rivals at any given moment, and it can hold its own against the longer but heavier SunFast 3300.

Accommodations

The below-decks brief concentrated on how to use the volume to keep the cabin functional and low in mass. This is not a voluminous cruiser's interior but a racing-oriented space that keeps weight down while still giving the crew a livable place for offshore legs. The lightness of the fit out reinforces the power-to-weight advantage that defines the platform.

Known Issues

The first hull was lost entirely to a keel failure, an event serious enough to destroy the boat. The designers determined that it was not a composite failure but a problem with the attachment itself. That early fin was held by a pair of A4-80 bolts set down through the hull into the keel, a scheme later abandoned when the keel attachment system was completely redesigned anchor: two A4-80 studs now come up into the boat and are locked with A4-80 nuts, supplemented by a nut lock-system to prevent any unwinding. Hull #2 in San Francisco was completely retrofitted with the new system, so the structural correction was applied to existing boats as well as new builds.

Refits and Ownership

Because the keel attachment was re-engineered after the loss of hull #1, any owner considering an early example must establish which system is fitted. The retrofit path proved viable — hull #2 took the new stud-and-nut arrangement in full. The boat is a fully set up offshore racing yacht with only the best gear on board to ensure the best time on the water, which means a well-founded example arrives with serious hardware already in place.

The Verdict

The Farr X2 is a focused offshore racer that delivers genuine speed without demanding a crowd on deck. Its light, clever interior and ergonomic deck make short-handed sailing plausible, and the redesigned keel attachment resolved the one structural catastrophe in the type's history. Against a heavier contemporary like the SunFast 3300, it trades length for liveliness and punch.

Pros