New F-22 Sport Tri, see details at http://www.f-boat.com/pages/trimarans/F-22info.html
Caleb Tarleton

Anyone have any performance data on this boat? I'm intersted in how it will compare to catamarans, as this looks like a good intro tri, yet still able to race.

Funny, there was the F24 and F27, then F28, then F36, then F?? but always bigger and more expensive.
Then a guy down here in the Keys had a small tri built by local Tiki Watersports here that was designed by Marples and really looks neat -- small, light and fast.
Perhaps going smaller and with better performance could attract more beach cat folks as they get older as a stepping stone to the larger tris.

Rick

Well I'm just a step over 30 so the age is not an issue, rather I would like to have a boat that my wife will sail with me on as she's tired of racing on a catamaran and good, sober crew is very hard to find in a landlocked city.

How did that little Tri compare to other beach cats? I would like something faster than a H16, but seriously doubt that a F22 would be anywhere as fast as a N6.0 or H20, especially in light air. This is important to me as I love doing distance races like the RTI which usually has a light air return in the evening.

Thanks,
Steve A.

Ian is planning the F-22 as an intro boat, with significant compromises made in the interest of a ready-to-assemble kit at modest price. The current targets are 500 hours build time, kit price (including pre-cut hull panels, mast, sails, pretty much everything) of no more than $15,000.
Any performance data available now would be projected, as the final plans have not even been drawn yet.

sail fast

The f-22 is going to be an entry level tri using "chine" type pre-fab panels to lower assembly times/costs. There are a number of performance compromises in the design unfortunately, but for target market of dinghy/keel boaters, this will still be an excellent performer.

Many current f-boats have been very impressive in the racing scene...check out the Farrier site list in the first post to see what I mean. These boats are fast and very competitive, plus they have all the creature comforts to boot. I'm sure they can't compare to a good beach cat in terms of raw speed, but they out point nearly all types of keelboats of equal or greater lwl and can sustain 25+ knots.

I'm trying to get a ride on a F-31 next week and I'll report back here to compare its characteristics to my Tornado.

Mike.

Mike & Andrew-

I have sailed cats since the 1960s and have owned Tornados, Supercat 20s, and my ARC22. I have sailed the following Fboats: F31R, F24MK1, F28, F28R, and my F25c. Depending on the conditions an Fboat can sail comparably with many beach cats. My ARC22 is rated 57.8 and the F25c is 62.8 [or about that]. If the wind and waves are up these boats can plane out and maintain a VMG that most beachcats can not do. They are wide stable platforms and sail great. Being 56 last month; I truly appreciate the abilities that Ian Farrier has designed. As Torbjorn @ Marstrom said "Ian's boat in a box works very well". In protected waters [lakes,bays, etc] beach cats sre faster at the start by accelerating much quicker because of the weight difference. But when the beachcat is flying the Fboat is more stable and maintains its momentum. I have had nothing but good experiences sailing Fboats. They go together like a small beach cat in about an hour. It takes me about three-four hours to assemble my ARC22 singlehanded on the trailer.

Fboats are where all old catsailors belong...

fair winds,
thommerrill
F25c 009 Charisma
ARC22 #2234
FMS SC20 #57

Mike, Thom and Andrew,

I too have been following the F-22 with interest. I fall into that catagory of dinghy sailor/keel boater mostly, but have been sailing some on a P18-2 and a T4.9 and love it. However, I live in the SF Bay Area and have not convinced my wife that the water is warm enough to go cat sailing here, but, she loves it in Hawaii. ; ) She really likes the speed of the cat and the comfort of the trampoline (somehow my 470 dinghy just does not have the same kind of place to lie down). So I have been looking at small tri's.

The F-24 is attractive but pricey, and I would like to get something that I do not need a truck to pull (buying a boat and a new car ups the cost of ownership considerably). So I am intersted in the F-22. But in my travels I have also found something called the Magnum 21 by a company called Virus. I was wondering if any of you had ever heard of it? From the pictures, I would be worried about some of the fittings in the sustained high winds/waves we have out here.

Do you all have any other suggestions for boats to look at?

Thanks for your thoughts and I enjoyed reading your posts.

Drew

Hello Drew-

Having raced in the Bay [1970s] on "B" & "C" Cats I can tell you its waters are cold and there are large fish [Great White Shark Schooling grounds in Sesuin Bay] that can break and or capsize a small cat. There are suits to keep you dry/warm but the constant 45F water temp makes for a chilly sail. If your wife is going to crew for you she had better be strong... the winds really howl out there and the fog rolls in almost everyday around 2:00pm. which makes for some interesting experiences.

There's a reason why Ian's designs are sailed worldwide!!! They work and are reliable and the less expensive ones hold their value because of the active sailing worldwide. Also they trailer easily and go together in about an hour. If you are seriously interested go to the FCA site and read the posts. This site has more experience thats freely given and Ian answers questions as well.

To give you an example of how helpfull Ian is: When I bought my F25c the survey showed some cracks in the putty fill around two aka arms where they meet the ama. My insurance agent balked because he thought they were structural [like a Corsair]. I was in Denver on Sunday to pick up the boat when I got the email "no insurance until the stress - structural damage was repaired and boat resurveyed". I emailed Ian [with pics] to find out what repairs he thought would be needed. He responded that Sunday night with an analysis of the cracks that said the cracks were not structural like a Corsair would be. That the F25c was constructed differently and the cracks were most likely surface cracks that happen when freezing temperatures occur... This saved my deal.

I would go for a F241 for the bay area. The waves are strong and the spray is cold. This boat is a little wet but its fairly quick and fun to sail. If you want to wait for the F22 and get on a list with some builder you could trade it in when the boats completed. At least that way you could be sailing while you wait...

Hope this helps,
thom

Thom,

Thanks for the info. I have signed on to the FCA chat board and am already getting innundated with useful email. I think that I will try to get out sailing on an F-boat.

Drew