Design 1710 - Gaia Class

Gaia Class Hull #33 - Sarnia

The Swan 36 is very well known in sailing circles and bears the same design number as this class of boats. This Gaia Class was built by the famous Italian builder Benello. 19 boats were built to this design by Benello. Their production run began 2 years prior to the Swan 36 run that started in 1965.

Additional boats were also built to this design with slight variations, such as the Sigma 36 Class (built by Cheoy Lee), the one-off Cybele, Rumbuster and many more in both wood and fiberglass. In all I beleive 60 boats were built to this design with slight variations, without counting the Swan 36s. All were based on a previous design Hestia, design #1478, a very successful RORC-rule racing yacht.

The Benello boats had a distinctive raised portion of the deckhouse aft, which is absent in the Swan model. Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 36'-0"
LWL 25'-6"
Beam 9'-8"
Draft 6'-0"
Displacement 15,400 lbs

Gaia Class Hull #2 - Asteria

One-Off Cybele in Wood
Built by Molich of Denmark

Design 1760 - Chris Craft Capri 30

This production model from Chris Craft, named the "Capri 30", was developed in 1963. She was designed as a family cruising boat with plenty of accommodations.

Here are the plans.


Here are a few interior photographs.


The following is an article from Rudder magazine from 1964.


Here's another article, from Skipper magazine.


And finally here are the Lines as they are worth a look. I can tell right off the bat they are from Al Mason's pen.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 30'-0"
LWL 25'-0"
Beam 9'-8"
Draft 3'-9" (board up) 7'-2" (board down)
Displacement 11,740 lbs
Sail Area 476 sq ft

Pequamid - Design 2010

Launched in 1970, this wooden sloop was built by Driscoll Custom Boats (now called Driscoll Boat Works) of San Diego, California. She was developed for cruising and racing in the Puget Sound - Lake Washington area.

A traditional profile was specified with accommodations for 7 and the owner's stateroom forward. Also a dedicated navigator's area was requested with navigation desk, seat and quarter berth.

Here are the plans.


The boat is built with laminated white oak framing and Honduras mahogany planking. Fastenings are silicon bronze.

A couple of detail shots.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 50'-3"
LWL 34'-0"
Beam 12'-0"
Draft 7'-4"
Displacement 28,350 lbs
Sail Area 1,087 sq ft

Design 1871 - Seguin

This beautiful sloop was built by Paul Luke of East Boothbay, Maine and launched in 1965. I caught this image while cruising around Penobscot Bay a couple of summers ago. There's nothing like a bright finished mahogany hull.

Here are the plans.


The "designer's comments" from the time of her launch are as follows: "Seguin is designed essentially for cruising, though she incorporates many of the lessons learned in ocean racing by the owner and designers. She is not loaded down with electrical and mechanical gadgetry and has the independent nature that a true cruising boat should have".

Her construction is white oak for stem and transverse framing, a laminated mahogany keelson, double planking of cedar and mahogany and a plywood deck.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 42'-6"
LWL 29'-0"
Beam 11'-0"
Draft 6'-3"
Displacement 20,420 lbs
Sail Area 773 sq ft

Design 1505 - Corsaro II

This big yawl was designed and built for the Italian Naval Academy. She was built by Cantieri Costaguta of Genoa, Italy and launched in 1960.

She is powered by a Mercedes Benz OM/321 96hp diesel engine. Notable are 2 Sparkman & Stephens designed pedestal winches (coffee grinders). She is constructed of wood: iroko keelson, acacia frames and double planked of Philippine mahogany. Fasteners are silicon bronze. Spars are of sitka spruce.

Accommodations are private cabins for 1 skipper, 1 navigator, 5 midshipmen in the main cabin plus 2 additional full time crew in the forepeak and 2 in a separate aft cabin, possibly for guests.

Here are the plans.


A sistership was built, named Stella Polare, shown here.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 69'-4"
LWL 50'-0"
Beam 16'-1"
Draft 9'-6"
Displacement 94,848 lbs
Sail Area 2,231 sq ft

Design 1540 - Sapphire

The more we look into the files the more boats we find that were built in New Zealand and Australia. This attractive sloop was built of wood by P. Vos, Ltd of Auckland. She was launched in 1960.

Here is the general arrangement plan.


This article, while lengthy, tells the story a lot better than I can. It's on three pages. Double click for readable view.

Principle Dimensions
LOA 42'-0"
LWL 27'-6"
Beam 8'11"
Draft 6'-0"
Displacement 17,344 lbs

Design 2502 - 88' Sport Fisherman

This is a preliminary design that never came to fruition. Okay, not the prettiest boat I've ever seen. I'm just reporting the information. The year was 1985.

Here's the layout.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 88'-5"
LWL 78'-11"
Beam 27'-6"
Draft 6'-0"

Design 2090 - DM22 Quarter Tonner

Commissioned by Douglass & McLeod, this quarter tonner is somewhat unusual, but innovative. At first blush I suspected that they were using an existing hull mold and making changes to the sheer by adding to the deck tool. See close up below.


You can see how much freeboard was added to the height of the reverse sheer. After reviewing the technical files this is in fact a brand new hull design.

The innovations didn't stop there. Check out the keel design in the plans, below.


Here are some "Designers Comments" from the time of launch: This compact and versatile little MORC cruiser offers a logical forward step for many small boat sailors. Her removable rudder, her retractable keel, hinged mast and outboard engine tend to improve her trailer-ability. She has been designed to the Quarter Ton Rule and can be trailered to events and kept-economically-at home. Her accommodations afford generous sitting headroom.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 22'-0"
LWL 18'-9"
Beam 8'-5"
Draft 2'-9" (board up) 5'-3" (board down)
Displacement 3,500 lbs

I think the Lines Plan is worth a look. If you look at the design without the deck add-on to the freeboard it would make a handsome looking boat. No offense intended to those that own these!

Design 1282 - Whisper V

Unfortunately we don't have any images of this beautiful yawl that was built by the famed Cantiere Sangermani of Italy and launched in 1959. As I mentioned in a previous post 17 boats were built by this yard to the designs of Sparkman & Stephens.

Here is the general arrangement plan.


And here is a brief article about the boat. Double click for readable view.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 40'-6"
LWL 27'-10"
Beam 11"-0"
Draft 5'-9"
Displacement 18,230 lbs

Design 882 - Florita

Here's one of those little gems we come across from time to time in the files. She is a 26.5' powerboat that was built of wood by the Essex Boat Works, of Essex Connecticut and launched in 1950.

She is built of white oak for structural members and planked in mahogany. Power is from a single Chrysler 100 hp gas engine for a top speed of 13.5 knots at 2,000 rpm.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 26'-6"
LWL 25'-0"
Beam 8'-7"
Draft 2'-4"
Displacement 4,915 lbs

Design 1557 - Spirit Class

This lovely little flush deck racing yacht was designed for racing on San Fransisco Bay. She was designed as a prototype for a potential one-design class of boats. She was built of wood by American Marine Ltd of Hong Kong and launched in 1965.

Here is the general arrangement plan.


It looks like a great boat. I like the cockpit so far forward (and generous) and the sliding hatches into the accommodation space and into the lazarette.

Here's an article with some additional details. Double click for bigger view.


A number of these boats were built around the world. As a further development, plans were created for a cruising version with a small deckhouse, nicknamed Orpheus. Plans as follows.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 33'-5"
LWL 28'-6"
Beam 8'-5"
Draft 6'-3"
Displacement 12,320 lbs
Sail Area 613 sq ft