Farr 65 · Cold-Molded · San Francisco Bay
Lively is 65 feet on deck, with a waterline of 55'11", a beam of 15'2", and a displacement of 31,600 pounds. She was designed by Bruce Farr and built in cold-molded marine-grade plywood by John Guzzwell — the first Englishman to circumnavigate solo and the most respected craftsman of cold-molded construction in the Pacific Northwest. Construction was completed in approximately 1987.
Her current refit was guided by naval architect Bob Smith, who earned his degree in mechanical engineering and naval architecture at UC Berkeley, joined Farr Yacht Design as a staff naval architect in 1987, later became Chief Naval Architect at Santa Cruz Yachts, and spent eleven years as a design engineer with BMW Oracle Racing across three America's Cup campaigns.
"Sailing magazine described her as a greyhound of the ULDB ideal."— Sailing Magazine, 1989
Farr's design drew from the Sharpie — first developed around 1830 by New Haven oystermen, known for its shoal draft and ultimate stability. Farr described Lively as traditional in form but modern in execution, using Northwest materials within a budget to retain the Sharpie's economic character while bringing it firmly into the late 20th century.
The 49-foot mast carries 1,450 square feet of sail. Interior design was handled by C.A. Surdyke & Co., who managed 6'6" headroom throughout while accommodating the original daggerkeel trunk. Light hardwood veneers, an elliptical midship bulkhead, and roomy cabins fore and aft were her original character.
In the Oakland-to-Catalina race, Lively's crew reported sustained speeds keeping pace with Zeus and the Santa Cruz 50s — remarkable company for any 65-foot cruiser.
The refit replaced the original hydraulic lifting daggerkeel with a fixed conventional keel, eliminating mechanical complexity and giving Lively the solid, predictable underbody of a true offshore yacht. The original barn-door rudder and its hydraulic retraction system were replaced with a new rudder designed by Merfyn Owen of Owen Clarke Design and hand-built by Kelly Howel of Santa Cruz Yachts.
The drive system was rebuilt from scratch: new engine, transmission, driveshaft, and folding propeller. A new swim step was integrated into the stern. The original mast was retained, fully disassembled, inspected, lubricated, and serviced, with the sail plan reconfigured for easy single or short-handed handling.
Every winch was disassembled and rebuilt. All running rigging was replaced. The electrical system was completely renewed. Plumbing was rebuilt from scratch. A hydronic heating system and 300 gallons of additional fuel storage were added, giving her genuine offshore range. Navigation was rebuilt around a Garmin 8616 series integrated electronics platform.
| Designer | Bruce Farr |
| Builder | John Guzzwell, Pacific Northwest |
| Construction | Cold-molded marine-grade plywood |
| LOD | 65 ft |
| LWL | 55 ft 11 in |
| Beam | 15 ft 2 in |
| Displacement | 31,600 lbs |
| Mast Height | 49 ft |
| Sail Area | 1,450 sq ft |
| Keel | Fixed conventional (refit); original hydraulic daggerkeel removed |
| Rudder | Owen Clarke Design; fabricated by Kelly Howel, Santa Cruz Yachts |
| Navigation | Garmin 8616 series — depth, FLS, wind, chartplotter |
| Fuel Storage | 300 gallons additional capacity added in refit |
| Rigging | Hassens Rigging, Alameda, CA |
| Naval Architecture | Bob Smith — refit; Merfyn Owen / Owen Clarke Design — rudder |
| Home Port | San Francisco Bay, CA |
| Naval Architecture & Structural | Bob Smith — keel design, hull structural specification, refit |
| Rudder Design | Merfyn Owen, Owen Clarke Design |
| Rudder Fabrication | Kelly Howel, Santa Cruz Yachts |
| Rigging | Hassens Rigging, Alameda, CA |
| Primary Refit Yard | Svendsens Boat Works, Alameda, CA |
| Campaign Principal | John Townsend — owner, builder, 32+ years offshore Pacific racing |