Fareast 31R: Orient Express

At the Düsseldorf Boat Show in Germany last winter, a lone racer from China—the Fareast 31R—stood out from a crowd of boats clad in snow-white gelcoat. And that wasn't just because of its red color, either. The boat’s aggressive lines meant that anyone who attended that show will remember this conspicuous piece of eye candy.

The Fareast 31R blasts away on a reach. Photo courtesy of Far East Boats

Neither the looks nor construction of the Fareast 31R leave any doubts about its bias—compromises are not part of this boat’s personality. This sailboat from Shanghai is a thoroughbred racer, a pure sport boat without any pretense of cruising, recreation, or on-board comfort. This much is clear: Only those who are focused on performance and racing will be happy with a vessel like the Fareast 31R.

Comparable competition to the 31R is rare, especially by production yards. Melges Performance Sailboats is fielding the Melges 32 in this size range, and it’s a boat that has achieved one-design status with an international racing series stacked with prominent racers. With a strict one-design concept and tightly written class rules, the Fareast 31R could be destined to achieve something similar, based on the hopes and plans of the Far East yard and its European distributors, which are busy building up the class.

The designers of Simonis/Voogd were hired by Far East Boats to draw the 31R; the name is synonymous with success on the international regatta scene. Dutchman Maarten Voogd shaped the design and had the bright-red prototype sent over to Europe for early testing. Stored in a heeled position on a special cradle with its keel removed, the 31R fits into a 40-foot container along with its take-apart mast. Two Fareast 31Rs are already in the water—one in Europe and one in China. A third was under construction at the time of this writing.

Ideal for international campaigning, the Fareast 31R is highly modular, allowing it to fit neatly in a 40-foot container. Photo courtesy of Far East Boats

Far East’s core business is building dinghies and small cruising boats, which is why it has plenty of experience with composite materials. (Read our review of the Fareast 18: Small and Subtle, But Fast) Still, building from carbon fiber is new for the yard.The 31R is built using a full carbon fiber sandwich and vacuum infused resin, resulting in durable and lightweight hull, underbody, and deck structures. All the more amazing is the impeccable finish that was evident on the prototype. For hull number one, Far East Boats used vinylester resins, which apparently caused minor issues during the vacuum resin-infusion process. Going forward, the yard plans to use epoxy resin for the hull laminates, instead.

Below decks, a solid floor assembly that doubles as a strongback produces a stiff bond. The carbon fiber structure also includes a box for the keel attachment. The fin is not just flanged to the hull, but also reaches up into the carbon structure with a cone-shaped flange, which produces an especially strong connection.

The Fareast 31R's carbon fiber construction, which utilizes vacuum resin infusion, results in an incredibly lightweight and durable boat. Photo courtesy of Far East Boats

During our test on the Bay of Greifswald, doing around seven knots, the Fareast 31R found shallow water with a bang, running aground hard with its slim and deep seven-foot-long T-keel. That said, neither the keel nor its attachment appeared to have suffered, and no cracking noises were heard to suggest any internal damage.

After being towed off the shallow spot, the 31R demonstrated her innate potential in 15 knots of breeze. At a true wind angle of 40 degrees, this carbon-fiber machine moved along at 7.3 knots. It was fantastic how well the boat handled the short, steep chop: the unusually shaped bow cuts the water without noticeable resistance. On a reach with a 120-square meter gennaker flown out, the Fareast 31R accelerated rapidly to 12 knots, and at times, beyond. The posted top speed for the day was 14.5 knots, according to the knotmeter. The ORCi racing certificate hadn’t been issued at the time of our test, but Voogd assumes a handicap of 550, which would put this boat smack into the neighborhood of a 44-foot performance cruiser.

The Fareast 31R's open deck plan is ideal for the racing this boat is designed for. Photo courtesy of Far East Boats

Designed without a cabin top, the deck of the Fareast 31R remains open for the optimal arrangement of all crew positions. The cockpit is giant and neatly separated into distinct areas, and the rigging package includes the top-of-the-line Harken hardware, large winches, and Dyneema lines. The profiled carbon stanchions might be pretty to look at, but their attachment to the deck is not strong enough for forceful hiking, in my opinion. In addition, there are no stern pulpits, which further diminishes the load capacity of the safety lines. The gennaker retrieval system that was installed on the test boat also appeared redundant. The cover is not watertight and never will be with sheets attached. That meant that our test boat collected some water during the short test sail.

Specifications
Length	31.17'
Beam	9.68'
Draft	6.89'
Sail Area	699 sq. ft.
Displacement	3,970 lbs
Fuel capacity	N/A
Water capacity	N/A

The price of the Fareast 31R with a carbon mast is around 130,000 Euros—about $166,000. Add to that a set of sails (North Sails, Pentex) for 8,550 Euros (around $11,000) and a gennaker for 5,225 Euros (around $6,600) and you spend a big chunk of change for comparatively little boat.

But considering the high-end hardware and the use of carbon fiber throughout, this price tag appears reasonable. Because of the super-slim appendages, the boat is barely maneuverable in port when under sail. The dealer suggests an outboard engine that can be stowed under deck after docking maneuvers are over.

Far East Boats has set its sights on more than Optimists and small cruising boats. Its long-range planning includes the expansion of its offerings in all segments up to 50 feet, including multihulls. With the Fareast 31R this boatbuilder took an extreme leap on an ambitious path and passed that difficult test with flying colors.

See listings for Far East boat models

For more information, visit Far East Boats

This story originally appeared in YACHT magazine, and is republished here by permission.