Farr Phase 4

BoatsFarr Phase 4

See her sail

The Farr Phase 4, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from 59° North Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a moderate beam gives 21 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 21

CoastalBluewater

2.11 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.11

LightHeavy

172 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 172

EasygoingPowered-up

18.4 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.4

TenderStiff

38% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 38%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

What the fleet has seen

The Farr Phase 4, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Farr PHASE 4 is a masthead sloop designed by Bruce Farr, built by Binks Yacht Constructions from 1988 to the present. It has a fin with bulb and spade rudder hull, measures 12.0 meters LOA with a 3.8-meter beam, and draws 1.7 meters. The boat displaces 5908 kg, has a sail area to displacement ratio of 18.4, and a comfort ratio of 20.5. Andy Schell of 59° North Sailing considers a sail-area-to-displacement ratio between 17 and 19 to be a "sweet spot" for offshore sailing, placing the Farr PHASE 4 within his preferred range.16:50

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 24 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Farr Phase 4 on video

Jimmy Cornell // The Godfather of Offshore CruisingJimmy Cornell, founder of the ARC Rally in 1986, discusses his new offline route-planning app replacing World Cruising Routes.59° North Sailing

Gunnar Christensen // From Yacht Captain to Golden Globe SailorCareer yacht captain Gunnar Kristiansen explains his Hans Christian 34 choice for the Golden Globe Race.59° North Sailing

Conrad Humphries // Captain Bligh & Rounding Cape HornConrad Humphreys on breaking a rudder in the Vendée Globe and leading the Captain Bligh re-enactment voyage.59° North Sailing

Ben Doerr // "Hose it or Lose it!"A fisherman's blunt advice — "hose it or lose it" — saved a boat from an electrical engine fire in Alaska.59° North Sailing

JoJo Pickering // Celestial Navigation Nerd-OutAndy Schell navigated BVI to Bermuda purely on celestial, avoiding the island's northern reef on approach.59° North Sailing

Boat Shopping LIVE! With Andy & AugustAndy Schell and August Sandberg evaluate a $35,000 Ted Brewer custom one-off against Craigslist listing red flags.59° North Sailing

Mia & Andy // 2025 Year-In-Review (Only 3 Months Late!)Falcon sailed 18,404 miles across 30 passages in 2025, a single-year record for 59 North.59° North Sailing

Ben Soofer // Making a career in sailingBen Soofer traces his path from Camp Seagull Lightnings to NOLS Sea of Cortez expeditions.59° North Sailing

Francesca Clapcich // The 1st Italian to Win The Ocean RaceFrancesca Clapcich describes her 2028 Vendée Globe campaign aboard Malizia III and how she became the first Italian to win The Ocean Race.59° North Sailing

Ari Huusela // First Finn to Finish the Vendée GlobeAri Huusela recounts his experience as the first Nordic skipper to finish the solo Vendée Globe race.59° North Sailing

On the Wind TV // Sailing Uma!Sailing Uma's Arctic-worn hull gets a full structural rebuild in Sardinia after the crew outgrew the boat's limits.59° North Sailing

Merry Christmas and Happy new Year!One crew spot remains on Falken's Galapagos-to-Marquesas Pacific crossing in 2026.59° North Sailing

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

37.6%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

18.4

Displacement / length

171.8

Comfort ratio

20.5

Capsize screening

2.11

Hull speed

7.6 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1430

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/bulb & spade rudder

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

First built 1988

Designer

Bruce Farr

Builder

Binks Yacht Contructions

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 39i11.86 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Marc Lombard-designed fractional sloop balancing a 2.0-meter draft with a spacious beam for efficient coastal cruising

Greece, Lemnos Lesbos Chios #008 from Sarakawa

Comfortina 3911.85 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 2007 fractional sloop with a 2.0-meter draft and a 10.88-meter waterline designed for offshore stability

Comfortina 391:29 from SVN solovelanet

Cal Boats 4011.99 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA legendary offshore racer with 160 built, featuring a light displacement and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio

Hank Easom17:41 from LIFE ON THE WATER

Beneteau Oceanis 4012.15 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA spacious fractional sloop from Berret-Racoupeau featuring a versatile optional shallow draft keel

He almost went home alone… nothing went as planned… Vlog 1220:49 from Vagabond Voyages

Beneteau 4012.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 2007 Berret-Racoupeau design with a 1.9m draft, also marketed internationally as the Oceanis 40 and Moorings 41.3

Deadpool & Wolverine Buy a SailGP Team?!9:46 from The Sailing Doodles Podcast

Beneteau First 3611.99 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA modern performance cruiser by Samuel Manuard featuring dual rudders and a high 28.68 sail-area-to-displacement ratio

Throwback to 2023: First trip to boot0:21 from SEILmagasinet

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Farr 1020A Bruce Farr design #121 fractional sloop built for performance with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio Farr 400A lightweight 11.8-meter racer with a 2.9-meter draft and an aggressive sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 33.46 Farr 7500A 1979 trailerable fractional sloop with a 1.8-meter draft, designed for agile handling in a light 1,150kg package Farr 395A high-performance fractional sloop with a 24.61 SA/D ratio, built for speed and competitive club racing Farr 40 One-DesignA Bruce Farr-designed fractional sloop built for pure one-design racing with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Farr Phase 4, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Farr Phase 4

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue