The F3 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass over a balsa core. It has a masthead sloop rig with running backstays and aluminum spars, a raked stem, a raised sharp reverse transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a wheel and a fixed fin keel. It displaces and carries of lead ballast. The design incorporates features of the International Offshore Rule, without completely complying with it. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. The boat is fitted with a Westerbekediesel engine for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of. Later production versions had a taller rig, with a mast about higher and 6.4% more sail area; a longer keel, giving a draft of and a lighter displacement. The design provides sleeping accommodation for up to eight people. There is a bow "V"-berth, two double cabin settee berths and two aft quarter berths. For racing the forward bow berth is normally used for sail storage. The galley has foot-pumped water and a three-burner propane-fuelled stove, with a refrigerator optional. There is a cockpit locker provided for dedicated propane tank storage. The is a separate navigation station amidships, with its own seat. The head is forward on the port side, just aft of the "V"-berth. Ventilation is provided by a single forward hatch, an opening port over the head and two main cabin ports. The cockpit is "T"-shaped, with all the lines leading to it for sail control. There are eight winches provided, four on the coach house roof got the halyards and the spinnaker, plus four cockpit winches for the genoasheeting. Long genoa tracks are mounted inboard, which allow 8° close sheeting. The mainsheet traveller is mounted recessed into the deck just aft of the bridge deck. The toe rail is perforated and full length. The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 96 and an estimated IOR rating of 28.5.
Operational history
In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "this boat has been designed for both racing and cruising. The hull and rig give a lot of consideration to the IOR without completely succumbing to it. Neither is radical. While the boat is suited for cruising, the interior has certain features that are meant for racing. Balance, in particular, has been emphasized."