I've sailed and toured multiple Corsair/Farriers and own a Dragonfly
1000. The following is opinion, not intended to offend advocates of
either.
In car terms:
To me, the Farrier is like a Lotus: Fast, nimble,
light, spartan and tight, as in not much space. The Dragonfly is more
like a BMW: Heavier, but still fast, maneuverable, roomy with creature
comforts.
In camper terms:
To me, the Farrier is like a
Coleman pop-up, minimalist with carpet on the bulkheads and overheads. The DF
is like an Airstream, solid, with teak, sometimes leather and accommodations.
I'm 6'2" and my wife is 5'11":
While
I alone could fit into the V-berth and aft cabin of a F32AX. Both of us
together however, could not. While I could sit in the V-berth of the same AX, I
could not sit in the aft cabin. I cannot stand but have to crouch down
in the AX. The 31, 28 and 27 are even smaller; narrower and shorter. I
could conceivably do a weekend, maybe stretch it out to a week aboard a
Farrier, but then I'd be crazed.
My wife and I both fit in the Dragonfly
1000 V-berth, it is almost a queen size bed! I still have to duck my
head a bit in the 6' tall Dragonfly
1000, but it is usually only a minor
annoyance. I have gone weeks aboard. But I still want the DF32 or 35 with
the 6'4" headroom!
While a similar size Dragonfly
is more
roomy and more comfortable than the Farrier, a similar size mono-hull
has still more interior room. Obviously, the trimaran has more exterior
room. A buddy has a Bavaria 38 and everyone is always crowded into the
cockpit. His family came aboard my boat and immediately scattered to
the nets...and stayed there! I guess the nets are inviting.
I
race aboard a buddy's Corsair 27 and cruise aboard my DF 1000. The two
designs sail similarly, the same concepts upwind, reaching and
downwind. The DF has more freeboard and is thereby drier. I'm always wet in
rough waves aboard the Corsair 27 and never aboard my DF.
I
like the DF folding system (line, winch and clutches) better than the
Farrier (wrench and 4 bolts). I can winch in the amas while entering
port, prior to the slip, while my wife motors us in. I've only seen the
Corsair folded at the slip. Keep in mind, there is the potential for
dropping the wrench or bolts overboard.
Yes, I like the
Dragonfly, but there are a few things to make my head itch. Sometimes
the electrical system makes me I wonder what they were thinking. And
the head/waste system make me wonder WTF? Still, it does have a head
and a holding tank, not a port-a-potty. And yes, the lights usually turn on.
The bottom line for me: The DF for cruising, though I would race it, the Corsair for pure adrenaline.
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