A Modern day Singlehander
Back to basics for Bruce Farr
Long before Farr Yacht Design Ltd. established its presence as one of the preeminent designers of offshore racing yachts, Bruce Farr and partner Russ Bowler had already established themselves as world class dinghy designers and helmsmen.
So, while a dinghy design by the Farr office might be a surprise to some, it was not to Ian Bruce, himself an international calibre dinghy sailor and one of the owners of Performance Sailcraft, who just happened to be looking for a new boat for his company.
Ian was looking for a boat that would fill the demand he was getting for a boat in which parents could take their children on the water and teach them how to sail.
The Byte, which he designed, was too small having been designed for the 100 - 150 lb. sailor and, therefore, what he was looking for was a boat that could carry some "serious weight" with a proper cockpit laid out for two people, but with the simplicity of a single sail.
It would have no wires holding up the mast which would be a lightweight, tapered, carbon fiber tube. It would be a pleasure to sail, i.e. it would be very fast and it would be light enough (130lbs) to throw up on the car top making it a truly recreational product.
The boat has a huge two person cockpit. The sides of the cockpit are taken down to the hull so there is no false bottom. This makes the cockpit very deep for the big person who then does not have to sit with knees up under the chin! Standard with every boat are toe straps fitted in the crew area, forward of the traveller.
Finally, and for purely selfish reasons, he wanted a boat that sailors well over 200 lbs could singlehand competitively with rig controls that make the boat easy to de-power -a sort of "Gentleman's Finn!
The fact that the Megabyte is attractive, and a very fast yet stable, exciting boat was a "given " from day one with Bruce Farr and Russ Bowler behind the design of the boat.
High boom together with a window provides exceptional visibility.
A fairly flexible mast, perfectly matched to the sail, provides maximum drive for heavy crews yet is able to be de-powered in a breeze, whether the boat is being sailed by two or singlehanded.