Farrier Marine

Through his designs, inventions and engineering, Ian Farrier (owner of Farrier Marine Inc.) has been the leading agent in the success and rise in global popularity trailerable sport trimarans over more than 20 years. By the end of 2003 more than two thousand Farrier designed folding boats sailing wolrwide, which is more than any other cruising sized multihull. In January 2004, his most famous design, the Corsair F-27, was inducted into the America Sailboat Hall of Fame, only the second multihull ever to be so honoured.

Requiring no balast because of the huge static stability from their exceptionally broad beam, trimarans have scintilating performance potential. When it comes to berthing and slipping, however, these dimensions are a severe limitation. The Farrier Folding System™, patented by Ian Farrier in 1995, elegantly solved this problem as the boat can be folded to monohull size in a few moments, even while motoring to a mooring. A further 30 minutes is all it takes to get the craft on a trailer and prepare it for the road giving owners easy access to out-of-the-way or distant sailing locations.

A hallmark of Ian Farrier achiements, is that this very compelling flexibility of use is added with no compromise of sailing performance, accomodation space or handling. The core of the appeal of the F-boat designs is that they are so versaitle. Effortless performance has brought much success in racing, as well as considerable pleasure in more relaxed sailing where their cruising amenities, easy handling and safety are valued.

Farrier designs are available as production boat models ae well as plans for home building. The original Farrier folding trimaran was the The Trailertri, launched in 1974. His first production boat was built in Australia as the Tramp, and in the US as the Eagle. This was followed in 1984 by the F-27 build by Corsair Marine in California after Ian Farrier co-founded the company. Ian Farrier now runs Farrier Marine Inc.

New Zealand office: Farrier Marine (NZ) Ltd, P.O. Box 29005, Fendalton, 8030, New Zealand.
Telephone +64 21 1108 109.

History of Ian Farrier designs

1973

Ian Farrier invents new folding system and applies for patent

1974

The original Trailertri prototype is built and launched by designer in Australia

1975

Farrier Folding System patented

1976

The first Trailertri 18 built by designer

1977

The first Trailertri 680 built by designer

1980

The first production fiberglass Farrier trimaran (the Tramp) is launched

1981

The Tramp wins Australian Boat of the Year award

1984

Ian Farrier moves to the US to set up Corsair Marine and develop and build his F-27 trimaran design

The prototype F-27, SUPER FOX, launched

1985

Ian Farrier sails SUPER FOX to a new race record in her first official event - the Two Man Around Cataline Race

The F-27 takes line honours by 4 hours and wins on handicap, from a fleet of mostly bigger boats, in lumpy 20 to 25 knot conditions

1986

SUPER FOX wins the Two Man Around Cataline Race in light conditions

1987

The first ocean-crossing by an F-27. Mark Robson's KILLER FROG sails in the Trans Pac Race from Long Beach to Hawaii. Averages just on 8 knots for a quick 12 day passage, including one 250 mile day

1988

Adrian Went's F-27 OLIJFE makes a passage of 23 days from Cape Cod to Bishop Rod, UK

1989

The F-27 CORSAIR wins the multihull division of the Newport - Ensenada Race, a first for a production trimaran

The Nippon Ocean Racing Club recognises the F-27 as an official class - the first trimaran to be so recognised

1990

The F-27 AQUA TEC wins the Australian Multihull Offshore Championships, the first trailerable multihull to do so

F-27s are the first multihulls invited to compete in the Audi National Offshore One Design Regatta (N.O.O.D.), organised by SAILING WORLD and held at Newport, Rhode Island

1991

Corsair Marine is successfully set up and producing 100 boats a year. Ian Farrier leaves the management of Corsair Marine to focus on new designs

F-9A design is launched for home builders by Farrier Marine

First F-31 (production version of F-9A) built by OSTAC and launched in Australia

1992

F-31 judged Australian Sailboat of the Year

Fred Gan's F-31 OSTAC TRIUMPH wins the bi-annual Australian Offshore Multihull Championships

Corsair begins to implement F-31 production in the US, under licence from Ian Farrier

1993

Two F-27s are victorious in the 1993 Miami - Key Largo Race, averaging 18.2 and 17.9 knots for the 43 mile course

1995

SAIL magazine gives the F-27 an honourable mention, along with such boats as the Laser and the 12m Australia II, as "having had a significant and positive impact on sailing over the past 25 years"

First F-25C launched - a high performance epoxy/carbon kit boat

1996

Mike Henning's new F-36 JAM TODAY takes line honours in the cruising multihull division of the Capetown to Rio Race

F-31R introduced featuring a larger rotating carbon fiber wing mast and a larger very efficient sailplan, developed in conjunction with sailmaker and Tornado Olympic medalist Randy Smyth

F-31 SALE GOSSE wins multihull division of the Heineken Regatta in St. Maaren, in the last race overhauling a 70' maxi that had started 20 minutes earlier

1997

Corsair F-28 introduced

1998

F-28 judged as SAILING WORLD's 1998 'Performance Multihull Sailboat of the Year'

Newport - Ensenada Race: Mike Leneman's F-31 DELTA VEE finishes only 4 hours behind the first to finish STARS AND STRIPES (Steve Fossett's America's Cup 60' racing cat). This was the fastest race on record, with 22 multihulls, and over 400 boats. DELTA VEE has many innovative features and Mike introduces the first rotating aluminium oversize mast section to the F-31. It later becomes the basis for the F-31 RS with its custom extruded aluminium wing mast section, which is developed by Mike

Steve Marsh's F-31R wins the Ft. Lauderdale to Key West Yacht Race, finishing 51 minutes ahead of the second boat home - an 80' maxi monohull racer

1999

Martin Kilpatrick's F-24 Mk II wins the Southern Ocean Multihull Regatta (SOMR) on Western Port Bay in Victoria, Australia

Ian Loffhagen's F-27 wins the Scottish Islands Peaks race

Kim Alfred's F-31 CHEEKEE MONKEE is fastest multihull and first boat home in the 1999 Swiftsure Classic, Victoria, Canada

2000

Mike Horn completes his Latitude 0 degree quest to circumnavigate the world at the equator without motorised transport (the first ever to do this). He crosses the oceans single-handed in his standard F-28 trimaran. The voyage from Libreville (Gabon) to the banks of the Amazon at Macapa (Brazil) takes a record 19 days, with speeds reaching over 20 knots at times

Ian Farrier decides to separate completely from Corsair Marine to concentrate on new projects via other avenues

2001

Dean Snow's F-9R takes line honours in Australia's classic Marlay Point Race

Wayne Gorrie's F-9A REDSHIFT wins the multihull division of the Cadillac Van Isle 360, a great race around Vancouver Island

2003

F-33 introduced and production started. Apart from the standard 'Sport Cruiser' model, there is also an F-33R 'Sport Racer' and the even faster F-33ST 'SUPERTRI' model

2004

Ian Farrier's most famous design, the Corsair F-27, is inducted into the America Sailboat Hall of Fame, only the second multihull to be so honoured

Ian Farrier announces a plan version of the F-33 production model - the F-32

2005

Announcement of the F-22, intended to be a modernized and easier to build version of the Trailertri, which will be availabe in both kits and plans for home-builders.