Design 1998 - Dida II

This particular boat was the prototype of the Alpa 12.7. This would the first of 9 production sailing yacht models designed by Sparkman & Stephens for Alpa Yachts of Cremona, Italy between 1969 and 1977. The boat was built of fiberglass and launched in 1969. She was built for a syndicate of owners primarily for racing.

The final production model would bear the name Alpa 42 and would be quite different from this flush deck boat but more about that in a future posting.


Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 41'-7"
LWL 30'-0"
Beam 11'-5"
Draft 6'-10"
Displacement 20,825 lbs
Ballast 9,300 lbs (outside) 500 lbs (inside)
Sail Area 788 sq ft

As a postscript here's Rod leaning on the freshly built boat at what I believe to be the Genoa Boat Show of 1969.

Design 2572-C3 - Silver Lining

We have posted articles about this boat before. If you recall her construction started in China but the project stopped and the hull lay dormant. Years later she was purchased and towed to Thailand for completion. Click here to access the earlier articles.


The owner was kind enough to send us these sailing shots. Thank you very much for sending them.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimension
LOA 102'-0"
LWL 84'-6"
Beam 23'-7"
Draft 10'-6"
Displacement 210,156 lbs
Ballast 54,000 lbs
Sail Area 3,935 sq ft

NEW - Sparkman & Stephens Brokerage Blog

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new Brokerage Blog. There you will find a dedicated link to all of our listings, the latest news about our listings, new boats coming onto the used boat market, recommended brokerage offerings and all things having to do with brokerage boats.

Click here to access. The link has also been added to our HOME section at right.

Design 1973 - Swan 43

Pursuant to my previous posting, here is the boat featured in the book, Down Denmark Straight, the Swan 43. We have mentioned this design in passing in these pages before. This was the second model to be designed by the firm for Nautor Swan.

The prototype was completed in 1968. During a production run from 1969-1972, 67 boats were delivered. Here's an early article. Please double click for zoom.


Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 43'-0"
LWL 31'-0"
Beam 11'-8"
Draft 7'-0"
Displacement 19,800 lbs
Ballast 9,000 lbs
Sail Area 780 sq ft (heavy weather rig) 807 sq ft (light weather rig)

Down Denmark Straight - Book

A blog reader was kind enough to send us the following note ~

I found a book at my local library that I wanted to share: "Down Denmark Strait" by E. Newbold Smith, 1980. The author takes his Swan through the '76 Newport-Bermuda race and then north through Newfoundland to Iceland, Sweden, Spitsbergen, Greenland, Gulf of St Lawrence, and New York. The book includes a layout and profile of REINDEER, with S&S approval noted. It is a quick read and is entertaining from a pre-GPS sailor's point of view with several Cold War references.

ISBN 0-316-79958-0

Quickly looking on the Internet the book seems to be fairly readily available on the used book market. Thank you for sending this.

Design 794 - Ciocca II

Ciocca II is a 6-meter racing yacht. She was constructed of wood by Cantieri Baglietto of Italy and launched in 1947. The boat was based in great part on the shape of the very successful 6-meter Goose, design #243. However changes were made and the boat was tank tested at the Davidson Laboratory at the Stevens Institute in Hoboken, New Jersey. Obviously the transoms are significantly different.

Here are the plans.

The story I have heard is that the boat lay at the bottom of a lake in Italy for years and was then raised by someone snagging the mast head. The boat then spent years on the hard at a yard in England.

She has recently been purchased and is currently for sale by the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard of Maine. Click here for more information. I am sure if my story is wrong I will be corrected!

Here is her current condition.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 36'-5"
LWL 23'-10"
Beam 6'-0"
Draft 5'-5"
Displacement 9,570 lbs
Sail Area 455 sq ft

Palawan III - Price Reduction

Palawan II, design #1821, is currently on the brokerage market and has had a significant price reduction. She is now listed at $125,000, which represents a $30,000 price reduction. Click here to access the complete listing.

More about Kestrel and Sailmaster 22 - Designs 1631 & 1743

There is a very enthusiastic group of owners of both the Kestrel 22 and Sailmaster 22, designs #1631 and #1743 respectively. We are always pleased to receive images of the S&S boats and thought we would share these with you.


Here's a nice Sailmaster 22 where an owner has retrofitted a diesel auxiliary. It also gives a nice peek at her underbody shape.

Design 2405 - Howmar Twelve

The Howmar Twelve was introduced in 1982 as a smaller sister to the Howmar Designer's Choice, design #2349. Here are some images of the prototype.


Here's a good, comprehensive press release about the boat. Please double click for zoom.


Here is the sail plan.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 12'-2"
LWL10'-5"
Beam 5'-0"
Draft 0'-4" (board up) 2'-6" (board down)
Sail Area 90 sq ft