Farrier tried some experimental curved lift foils on an F-27 as long ago as 1985 but though fast and stable in use they were rejected as unhelpful to the image of what was still perceived as quite an adventurous type of boat. Since then plenty of Farrier designs have gained foils and nearly always proved very successful – especially giant killing against larger multihulls. But many F-boats do go on to include a T (turbo) or R (race) model and the F-22 is no different… this ambitious F-22F (foil) being planned for release late in 2018
lower beams for less windage and a lower height when towing – and less weight. The new system also eliminated the foot traps (an occasional risk when raising the rig) in the main deck area, with less intrusion into the interior which freed up more room below. The switch also eliminated several of the metal brackets required in the previ- ous folding arrangement. There were a few tricky areas to sort out but the end result is definitely a cleaner and lighter boat.
The new F-22 sport-cruiser A big aim of mine for many years has been to develop a smaller and more affordable version of the F-27, designed and devel- oped from the ground up and incorporat- ing as many of the latest innovations as possible. Such a wholesale step can be hard to achieve in a corporate setting, with the inevitable compromises driven by a more risk-averse commercial approach. Some of our ideas may well have appeared a bit pointless to a board of directors but the F-22 sport-cruiser had to be genuinely innovative if it were to be truly successful. Every aspect was now going to be revis- ited, no matter how oddball the alternative solutions might appear at first glance! We believe that what emerged was a
breakthrough boat incorporating all the (successful) innovations tried over 25 years of designing and building multihulls, plus many of those interesting if slightly wackier new ideas that worked well after they were given a proper chance. The original F-22 concept drawings were first published in 2001, but it took another five years of R&D to complete the design before plans were released to the market in early 2006. This is how we work: when you are
operating in the world of small, fast multihulls, even in the 21st century it only
60 SEAHORSE
takes a modest failure to set not only you back a long way, but potentially the very concept itself. Without trying to sound pious we do feel some sense of wider responsibility – perhaps that helped keep our boats so consistently popular with former monohull sailors in particular. Many examples of the initial F-22 have
been built worldwide. The boat is versa- tile, with both daggerboard and kick-back centreboard options. There were also aft cabin and cuddy cabin options which will eventually find their way into the final production line. Overall the objective was once again to
achieve the best possible balance between room, performance and safety. If perfor- mance is the aim, it is easy to eliminate room and put on excessive sail, but most still prefer an easy-to-sail, sensibly roomy boat that delivers safety and performance. The F-22 was always conceived to fit a
regular 40ft container so as to be easily shipped. Just open the doors, roll it out, rig up and go sailing. It is lightweight, safe, unsinkable, easily trailerable behind the family car and can be kept at home. And it is a fast and great fun boat to sail, whether racing hard or pottering with the family. With the first-generation plan-built
F-22s underway around the world, a new small composite production facility was set up in New Zealand to build the third- generation beams and folding system for future F-22s as well as for the latest F-32. Farrier Marine (NZ) now also set about tooling up to manufacture the other key components which would eventually be used to create the production F-22. By the end of 2008 (as I said, we move
cautiously and slowly!) there were home- built and professionally built F-22s sailing in Australia, the Philippines, USA and
Europe. All were performing well. F-22 plan sales topped 155 before they were put on hold in September 2012 to make way for the new production F-22. But 40-50 ‘plan-built’ F-22s are now sailing and there are plenty more on the way.
The production F-22 Gearing up to build a production sailboat well takes a great deal of time and resources. This is even more the case when you are building a light, high-performance dual-use boat that is intended for long term ownership without traditional levels of depreciation (and often deterioration). Our own resources have, however, been
minimal. Throughout this long and diligent refinement process Farrier Marine has been kept afloat primarily by building other F-boat components including beams and folding systems along with daggerboards and rudders, mainly for the F-22 and F-33. These were sold either to plan builders or as upgrades for older models; either way, they all helped generate the cashflow required for F-22 production development. First-class tooling is not cheap. By December 2010 the float moulds
were complete and when the main hull mould followed soon afterwards a move to larger premises was clearly required. The deck mould was next but was only
completed in 2012 (slow, careful...). By now the orders were stacking up but we were not going to rush this crucial step, staying determined that everything would be perfect before we pressed the button on production-building. In total, more than 40 moulds were eventually created for the production boat. The first F-22 quasi-production trial
boat (actually a big rig F-22R) was launched in September 2013 and an
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