Compass Farr 1104

[Maeling]

I got a reply from Don Lees that is worth putting up under its proper title.

Hi Geoff, just to put the fact sheet right.  The plug for the Farr 1104 was made by Crooksen Bros Takapuna NZ  for Don Mosley of Raven Yachts ( who crewed on the original Farr 1104 timber built boat "Prospect of Ponsonby".  Gunter Heuchman went over to NZ to organise building the mould from the plug for our production in Australia. The keel was as per the original  Farr design and we commissioned Cec Quilkey to make the keel plug for us.  All our boats were authentic Farr designed 1104's. We did as you say have to design our own internal one piece keel structure which was fabricated in steel plate, galvanised and glassed into the hull. We sold the moulds to a guy named Thomas Tam  from Singapore who was residing in Sydney. He was acting for a  Singapore consortium who had plans to produce them there;  but they pulled  out leaving Tam to finance  the deal with us. We produced 18 of the 1104's and produced the first Farr designed boat (Piccolo)  to win the Sydney Hobart in 1976. Can't vouch for the authenticity of the keel design and the number of boats that Tam built.  Apparently he sold the moulds to Max Sellers ( Maxy Boats) Taren Point who used to contract for Compass. In summary, the fact is if the keel design differs from  the original, it is not a Farr 1104.  It would need to be titled modified Farr 1104.  Hope you got all that!

And yes I did,  Thanks, Geoff Raebel

[michael]

And the Farr 1104 mould was the "basis" for the Compass Innovator 33'??

Michael

[Maeling]

And the Innovator was launched at the Sydney Boat Show held just after  major recession - and nobody (much) came.  Sales were minimal at that show which was probably among the last at Sydney showground. Somewhere I have a pic.

Geoff Raebel