Sparkman & Stephens

Design 148 - 18' LOA Sailing Canoe

2012-01-30T12:37:00.003-05:00

I was very interested to research this design as I found it very hard to believe we actually designed an 18' canoe as part of our portfolio. As I suspected, we were commissioned only to design a sailing rig for a "stock" canoe as can be seen by the plan list. The year was 1936.

The only thing that seems missing would be a sliding seat or some way to get one's weight outboard in order to keep this enormous sail plan upright.

The plan is a bit tattered, and the poor reproduction is due to the fact we pulled this scan from our microfiche files.

Design 2242 - Alpa A34

2012-01-29T09:26:00.004-05:00

This past Friday we posted an article about the Alpa A27, design #2241. This model followed directly on the heels of the A27 and would be the final model designed for Alpa Yachts of Cremona, Italy as well as the final model produced by Alpa. It was introduced in 1977, the final year of yacht production for the company.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 33'-1"
LWL 27'-5"
Beam 10'-6"
Draft 5'-9"
Displacement 11,464 lbs
Ballast 4,848 lbs
Sail Area 699 sq ft

Design 72 - Tawas Bay One Design

2012-01-28T16:51:00.003-05:00

This design takes us back to 1935. We can't tell if the Tawas Bay One Design was commissioned by the Tawas Bay Yacht Club of Tawas Bay, Michigan. The boats were built by Tawas Boat Works from the same town.

The boat are very similar to yet slightly smaller than the Dark Harbor 20, designed 4 design numbers and 3 years earlier, with the exception of the missing deckhouse.

Here is the construction plan.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 27'-1"
LWL 17'-6"
Beam 6'-2"
Draft 3'-9"

Design 385 - Richardson 37 Power Cruiser

2012-01-27T17:33:00.006-05:00

Way back in 2010 we posted an article about the Richardson 31. Here is a bigger sister at 37' introduced in 1941. The images with the models are amusing.

Here is the brochure.

And here is a Richardson 37' today. It's a great looking boat. Thanks for sending this image.

Design 2241 - Alpa A27

2012-01-27T12:11:00.013-05:00

Sparkman & Stephens designed 9 production sailing yacht models for Alpa Yachts of Cremona, Italy between 1969 and 1977 . Alpa was one of the first fiberglass production builders in Europe and was highly regarded. The A27 was introduced in 1976. Like many of the Alpa line, the A27 was a relatively big volume cruising boat.

When Alpa ceased operation in 1977, the A27 molds were moved to the Zuanelli yard and production continued as the Z30.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 26'-10"
LWL 23'-0"
Beam 9'-8"
Draft 5'-3"
Displacement 6,470 lbs
Ballast 2,300 lbs
Sail Area 385 sq ft

Here are some rare images of the Alpa factory, courtesy of Davide Zerbinati.

S&S 30 - Design 97-C2

2012-01-26T17:11:00.007-05:00

Here's a very nice rendering of the new S&S 30 that will be printed full scale and will be on display at the upcoming New England Boat Show in Boston, February 11th - 19th. That means the print will be approximately 32' long x 8' tall!

For plans, additional images, specifications and project history, please visit the Sparkman & Stephens 30 website at www.sparkmanstephens.com/ss30

Offered at $149,000, sail away price.

For more information including how to purchase please contact one of our offices or email us at: ss30@sparkmanstephens.com

More About Saraband - Design 1519

2012-01-26T16:04:00.004-05:00

A blog reader asked us about the sail area on design #1519, Saraband, a design we posted well over a year ago. It dawned on us that we never posted the sail plan, so here it is. Saraband is a very special double-ender.

While we're at it, here are a few magazine articles about the boat. Please double click for zoom.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 35'-0"
LWL 29'-0"
Beam 8'-6"
Draft 5'-3"
Displacement 14,350 lbs
Ballast 5,800 lbs (outside) 200 lbs (inside)
Sail Area 572 sq ft

Design 2175 - Nicola V

2012-01-26T10:25:00.003-05:00

This is one of those designs that we don't know a lot about. After researching this design a bit it looks like 2 boats were built to the same set of plans, of wood. The boats were Nicola V and Anita. The builder was Johann de Dood of Bremen, Germany. The year was 1973. They are Admiral's Cuppers. It's a great looking profile with styling by the very talented designer Johan Valentijn.

I apologize that we don't have a small scale general arrangement handy. Here is a description of the layout: Aft cabin - quarter berths aft, port and starboard; galley forward to port; toilet room to starboard plus navigator's space; main cabin - settee to port converts to berth; upper berth to starboard with settee converting to berth; toilet room to port; forepeak - pipe berths port and starboard.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 42'-0"
LWL 32'-0"
Beam 12'-4"
Draft 6'-11"
Displacement 21,084 lbs
Ballast 10,000 lbs
Sail Area 787 sq ft

Design 2102 & C1 - Rubin and Jan Potte

2012-01-25T14:28:00.009-05:00

We have mentioned Rubin, the Admiral's Cup racing yacht in a previous posting. She was part of the 1973 German team. Two identical sisters were built to this design by Bermester of Germany. Rubin was the first and launched in 1973 followed by Jan Potte the following year.

Here are some interesting construction images showing the cold molded hull, turning of the hull, the aluminum ring frames and leaf spring floors and the deck under construction. We are not sure if these images are of Rubin or of Jan Potte.

Here is the brochure showing the sail plan and the general arrangement. The drafting is beautiful.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 49'-2"
LWL 37'-3"
Beam 13'-10"
Draft 7'-10"
Displacement 27,650 lbs
Ballast 16,000 lbs
Sail Area 1,014 sq ft

Design 1908 - Rose Wilder - New To Market

2012-01-25T10:10:00.005-05:00

One of the prettiest of all of the S&S boats built by Cantieri Sangermani of Italy, Rose Wilder started her life as Sandpiper. She is design #1908, launched in 1968.

Here are a couple of interior images.

The asking price is $295,000. The boat is lying in Newport Beach, California. Click here to access the full listing.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 50'-6"
LWL 34'-6"
Beam 12'-0"
Draft 7'-3"
Displacement 29,250 lbs
Ballast 13,000 lbs
Sail Area 1,040 sq ft

Design 2723 - El Murmullo

2012-01-24T14:47:00.007-05:00

Here are some images of hull #23 of the M42 series being launched last week in Northeast Harbor, Maine, for sea trials with her new owner. She is headed to Peru (flagged in Panama).

Check out this water temperature.

Here is an article about the boat from Maine, Boats & Harbors magazine.

Here are the plans.

Click here to access the Morris Yachts website.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 42'-3"
LWL 30'-0"
Beam 11'-3"
Draft 5'-0" (shoal draft keel) 5'-9" (standard) 6'-11" (deep draft keel)
Displacement 16,279 lbs
Ballast 6,235 lbs
Sail Area 759 sq ft

Design 136 - Proposed One Design Class

2012-01-24T10:21:00.003-05:00

This design takes us back to 1936. The lead draftsman was Roderick Stephens, Jr. The design was for a proposed class of boats to be called the Nevins One Design for the yard of Henry B. Nevins of City Island, New York. It's interesting that the proportions are virtually identical to the New York 32 Class, designed in the same year.

Both yawl and cutter rigs were offered as were the two different layouts as shown below. We apologize that these scans are of such poor quality; we pulled them from the microfiche files.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 45'-4"
LWL 32'-0"
Beam 10'-7"
Draft 6'-6"

Design 2516 - Venture II

2012-01-23T17:05:00.008-05:00

We already posted an article about one Bermuda fitted dinghy, design #2598, launched in 1992. Here's an earlier design of the same type. These boat are incredibly athletic and competitive.

Here is the outboard profile.

Here are a couple of construction images. The boat was constructed of cold molded Western red cedar and Epoxy. She was launched in 1988.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 14'-4"
LWL 14'-1"
Beam 5'-0"
Draft 3'-6"

Design 658 - Chantey

2012-01-23T12:08:00.003-05:00

This little centerboard sloop was built for cruising on the Great South Bay of Long Island as well as southern New England in general. She was constructed of wood by the Jakobsen Shipyard of Oyster Bay, New York. She was launched in 1947.

Here's a brief article from The Rudder magazine. Please double click for zoom.

And here is the general arrangement plan.

Principal Dimensions

LOA 29'-7"
LWL 20'-8"
Beam 3'-0"
Draft 8'-6"

More About Windalier - Design 1615

2012-01-22T09:35:00.004-05:00

A blog reader asked us to discuss the rig change for design #1615, Windalier, done in 1995. It's a pretty straightforward story. The owner felt that the boat was generally underpowered. At the same time he wished to switch to a carbon fiber main mast. Our task was to translate his desire for more sail area + weight savings aloft into increased sail area. The result was a double spreader rig that is 7' taller than the original mast.

Here's a comparison of the two sail plans.

And here she is under sail with the new rig.

Speaking of Windalier, we found this sequence of images from the time of her launch at Abeking & Rasmussen from launch to being loaded on a ship bound for America. Note the varnished deckhouse sides versus the painted sides she has today.

Design 2182-C2 - Azahara

2012-01-21T10:30:00.009-05:00

The owner of this beautiful boat was kind enough to send us these fine images. Azahara started her life as Mandrake, design #2182. She was constructed of aluminum by Walter Huisman of Holland and was designed and built for Admiral's Cup competition. The boat was then sold to the Duke of Arion of Spain and a new "C2" job number assigned when we were asked to assist with some rating changes and rigging modifications.

The images were take in the Oslofjord just outside of Oslo, Norway. It looks like a beautiful place to sail.

Comparing the images to the plans we can see a cockpit coaming and dodger have been added for cruising comfort. She's a great looking boat. Congratulations on her restoration. Thanks very much for sharing these images with us.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 48'-2"
LWL 36'-6"
Beam 12'-10"
Draft 7'-6"
Displacement 30,500 lbs
Ballast 16,100 lbs
Sail Area 1,018 sq ft

Design 2095-C2 - Tartan 42

2012-01-20T10:41:00.004-05:00

A bog follower has asked us to post some information about the Tartan 42. So here you have it. The Tartan 42 was introduced in 1980. It was conceived as a slightly bigger (stretched) version of the venerable Tartan 41, with a more luxurious interior, extended deckhouse with a shoal draft "Scheel" keel as standard and a deep keel as optional. 34 hulls were built during a production run that ended in 1984.

Here is a copy of the brochure. As always please double click for larger view.

Here are the plans.

And here's a peek at a keel schematic for the Scheel keel. I will draw your attention to the section at the center of the drawing which gives a good indication of the shape.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 42'-0"
LWL 32'-0"
Beam 12'-3"
Draft 5'-0" (Scheel keel) 6'-11" (deep keel)
Displacement 22,000 lbs
Ballast 9,200 lbs
Sail Area 759 sq ft

Limited Time Offer Discounted Royalty - Dark Harbor 20

2012-01-19T14:26:00.006-05:00

Photo Credit: Nokomis Nelson

There's is something about Sparkman & Stephens design #68, the Dark Harbor 20, that draws people to her. Designed in 1932, 21 original boats were constructed. It is possible to recreate a copy of this beautiful boat. For a limited time only, now through the end of February, we are offering a discounted royalty for new wooden boat construction at $1,000 per boat. This represents a significant savings from the normal royalty of $3,750 per boat.

Click here for a previously posted article about the Dark Harbor 20.

For more information including how to purchase please +1-203-687-4700 or email us at: info@sparkmanstephens.com

Design 2409 - Gitana Senior

2012-01-19T11:43:00.007-05:00

Photo Credit: Gilles Favez

Gitana Senior (Z 78) was one of the last modern 6-meters to be designed by the firm. She was built for Baron Edmond de Rothschild of Switzerland at Chantier Naval Egger of St-Aubin, Switzerland. She was constructed of wood using cold molded techniques and materials.

Here is an image of the boat being faired at the shipyard which gives a good look at her shape.

Here is the sail plan.

A brief article about the boat. Please double click for zoom.

And finally here is a very dapper Roderick Stephens at the yard inspecting the work, very late in his career. The boat was launched in 1982. She makes Geneva her home port.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 33'-3"
LWL 24'-0"
Beam 6'-2"
Draft 5'-6"
Displacement 11,154 lbs
Sail Area 500 sq ft

Design 2333 - Obsession

2012-01-18T14:47:00.006-05:00

Not to be confused with the larger Obsession built in 1986 for the same owner, this I.O.R. racing yacht was built in 1978 by the Minneford Yacht Yard of City Island, New York. She was constructed of welded aluminum.

Here's an article that tells the story. Please double click for zoom.

The boat was extremely competitive. For example her first season ended with 8 class victories, 7 seconds and 4 third place finishes. Notable victories include: 1st in her first race at Larchmont Race Week, 1st in class Edgartown Race Week, 1st in the 250 mile Stamford-Vineyard Race and 1st in the O.R.C. of America's Fall Series.

Here are the plans.

The boat is now called Eagle One and makes Detroit, Michigan her home.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 45'-8"
LWL 34'-10"
Beam 14'-4"
Draft 8'-1"
Displacement 22,000 lbs
Ballast 8,978 lbs
Sail Area 935 sq ft

S&S 30 - Design 97-C2

2012-01-18T11:58:00.005-05:00

In response to a number of people who have been asking, here's the S&S 30 showing the underbody and appendages.

Here is a comparison of the S&S 30 to some other contemporary designs. Please double click for zoom.

For plans, additional images, specifications and project history, please visit the Sparkman & Stephens 30 website at www.sparkmanstephens.com/ss30

Offered at $149,000.

For more information including how to purchase please contact one of our offices or email us at: ss30@sparkmanstephens.com

Design 1999-C1 - Ruffian

2012-01-17T17:22:00.003-05:00

This past May we posted an article about the Yankee 30, design 1999. A copy was built as a on-off by Swarbrick Brothers Yachts of Australia and simply called an S&S 30. The year was 1975. Here she is, now called Kobi. She looks to be in pristine condition.

2012 Blue Jay National Championship

2012-01-17T16:22:00.004-05:00

We received the following notice from the Blue Jay Class Association. Please double click for zoom.

Sponsored by the Centerport Yacht Club of Centerport, Long Island, New York.

Design 2399 - 55' Sail Trainer

2012-01-17T11:12:00.005-05:00

I hope the readers of this blog site don't mind that we post the obscure designs along with the better known boats. Sometimes this means we have very little digital material and at other times it means we don't know much about the boats themselves. Both of these cases apply to this particular boat.

The client is listed as the Royal Navy, Minister of Defense. I assume this to mean England, but I could be wrong. The year was 1980. The construction material was aluminum.

Looking at the plan list below, it is complete and that makes me feel she was built.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 57'-0"
LWL 46'-3"
Beam 14'-11"
Draft 9'-6"
Sail Area 1,427 sq ft

More on the Preliminary Design of a 35' LOA Sloop

2012-01-16T12:03:00.003-05:00

Saturday we posted an article about the preliminary design of a 35' auxiliary sloop. A blog reader asked us to post the sail plan. Here it is.

Design 2430 - Stevens 75

2012-01-16T10:07:00.004-05:00

This preliminary design of a 75' length overall motorsailer was never built. It must have been created for a potential client of Bill Stevens. I note a client name in the title block and the yacht name Arctic Gypsy. Is is a typical "first pass" for a preliminary design: getting the owner's requirements/ideas down on the paper. The year was 1981.

Principal Dimensions

LOA 75'-2"
LWL 60'-0"
Beam 20'-0"
Draft 7'-0"
Displacement 113,939 lbs

Design 2457 - Fairfax Trawler

2012-01-15T09:34:00.005-05:00

We don't know much about this fiberglass trawler yacht design. There's a memo in the files that says "from James Raymond design, as revised 1982." I cant tell if James Raymond was the client and the man behind Fairfax Yachts or was a yacht designer himself. A search on the Internet reveals nothing about Raymond nor Fairfax Yachts (Virginia?).

Power was to be provided by a single modest Caterpillar 3304 NA (naturally aspirated) 4-cylinder marine diesel producing 115hp.

Here is the general arrangement and inboard profile.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 43'-10"
LWL 41'-9"
Beam 13'-0"
Draft 4'-5"
Displacement 36,100 lbs

Preliminary Design of a 35' LOA Sloop

2012-01-14T09:45:00.009-05:00

This preliminary design has not yet been assigned a job number. We were asked to create a larger version of the Huntington Class Sloop, design #773. The client liked the look of the original but wished to have a bit more headroom and accommodations, including an enclosed head and a small galley, plus a diesel auxiliary.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 34'-11"
LWL 28'-4"
Beam 9'-7"
Draft 5'-0"
Displacement 9,500 lbs

Ratsey & Lapthorn Sailmakers Advertisement - Stormy Weather

2012-01-13T12:13:00.004-05:00

Here's a nice advertisement from 1935 announcing Stormy Weather's win in the Fastnet Race of that year, published by her sailmaker Ratsey & Lapthorn. Our friends over on City Island sent this to us so thank you.

Design 2299 - 1/2 Tonner

2012-01-13T10:26:00.005-05:00

This little half-tonner would be the third S&S design for this client. His first was design #1767, a 40' production yacht (S&S40) built by a brand new boatyard named Teksoglass of Finland in 1964, followed by design #1973, a Swan 43 delivered in 1968.

The client was Åke Lindqvist, at the time Chief Surveyor to Lloyd’s Register in Finland. He had an active interest in offshore racing, had established contacts with S&S, and the knowledge for performing scantling calculations for the yachts. In the days of his first S&S design (1964), fiberglass was then a fairly new and unknown material for boat building, and it is likely that Lloyd’s scantling rules at the time were partly built on Åke’s contributions.

We have no record of where this boat was built.

Here is the general arrangement plan.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 31'-6"
LWL 22'-5"
Beam 11'-0"
Draft 5'-6"
Displacement 5,685 lbs
Sail Area 383 sq ft

Palawan VI - Design 2458

2012-01-12T16:10:00.006-05:00

Photo Credit Steve C. D'Antonio

Here is the final S&S boat designed and built for Thomas J. Watson, Jr. The boat was constructed of welded aluminum by Abeking & Rasmussen of Germany and launched in 1984. The design was for a world cruising yacht, including the capacity to travel to extreme latitudes.

Here's the story in her owner's own worlds. Please double click for zoom.

Here are the plans.

She has recently been completely restored by Zimmerman Marine of Cardinal, Virginia.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 60'-4"
LWL 43'-8"
Beam 14'-9"
Draft 7'-5"
Displacement 53,063 lbs
Ballast 20,239 lbs
Sail Area 1,390 sq ft

Book Release - Dorade: The History of an Ocean Racing Yacht

2012-01-12T09:47:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I was very pleased to have received a copy of Doug Adkins fine book entitled Dorade, The History of an Ocean Racing Yacht. The book has recently been released in a limited edition run of 250. I have never seen a book so well done. The book comes in a fabric bound box and includes a set of drawings including the sail plan, accommodations and construction plans, a high quality image of the cover shot and a leather book mark that is a copy of the famous lapel ribbon worn during the ticker tape parade back in 1931.

I received the following thoughtful note from the author.

The book is the most complete history about the boat that can possibly be imagined and includes all kinds of information about Olin, Sparkman & Stephens and related matter. Granted it's expensive at $250 but based on this publishers previous effort: Lines by Olin J. Stephens II, it should appreciate rather quickly. When the Lines book was released it was done so in two formats: a limited edition run of 250 with fabric covered slipcover and a standard run in plainer binding. The limited edition version cost $250 as well. The limited edition copies are now trading for as much as $2,300.

Click here to access the Dorade book website and learn how to order the limited edition version. A "standard" trade edition of the Dorade book is also available for $65. It is a hardbound copy with dust jacket. Click here for ordering instructions.

Thanks Doug for sending us a copy and congratulations on a monumental achievement.

Zippo Advertisement

2012-01-11T15:47:00.002-05:00

Seems somewhat random to us to associate the Zippo lighter and a Swan 65, design #2110, but that's just what they've done in this advertisement. One of our designers snapped this shot for us at the Zippo Lighter & Case Knife Museum in Bradford, PA. The image is of a large poster they have in the exhibit.

I suppose we would have been happier if the tag line read: "American Classics. The Statue of Liberty, the Zippo name AND a Sparkman & Stephens designed yacht are symbols recognized throughout the world..."

Design 2183 - Wanton

2012-01-11T12:44:00.003-05:00

This attractive one-tonner was launched in 1972. Her aluminum hull and deck were built by Walter Huisman of Vollenhove, Holland, then shipped to England and fitted out by Berthon Boat Works of Lymington, England. It's disappointing that we have no images of this boat.

Here is the general arrangement plan.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 38'-3"
LWL 28'-3"
Beam 11'-6"
Draft 6'-3"
Displacement 15,250 lbs
Ballast 7,500 lbs
Sail Area 631 sq ft

Design 2187 - Alcort Weekender

2012-01-10T10:13:00.003-05:00

Anyone involved with sailing growing up in America probably knows Alcort as the makers of the Sunfish, a very simple boat introduced in 1952. We were commissioned by Alcort to develop the trailerable, fiberglass weekender that you see here. The year was 1973; 3 years after Alcort was taken over by AMF (American Machine and Foundry). The project never materialized.

Here's the general arrangement plan.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 24'-1"
LWL 19'-9"
Beam 7'-11"
Draft 3'-0"
Sail Area 145 sq ft

Design 863 - Shallow Draft Tug

2012-01-09T14:10:00.004-05:00

This vessel was designed for use in shallow waters as a tow boat or "pusher" for use on Lake Chad in French Equatorial Africa. A feature of her design required that she be capable of being disassembled for overseas shipment. She was tested and accepted after construction at the Mill Basin Ship Repair Co, Inc., of Brooklyn, N.Y. The year was 1956.

Mill Basin, Brooklyn, N.Y

Power was provided by a single General Motors 165 hp marine diesel.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 44'-0"
LWL 41'-0"
Beam 11'-5"
Draft 2'-6"

Design 2012-C1 - Swan 55

2012-01-09T12:47:00.005-05:00

Back in July we posted an article about Cresta IV, the prototype of the Swan 55. Cresta IV was launched in 1969. The Swan 55 was introduced the following year using the same tooling that was built for Cresta IV. The following article tells the story. Please double click for zoom.

16 boats were built to the design during a production run that lasted until 1974.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 55'-4"
LWL 38'-0"
Beam 14'-3"
Draft 8'-0"
Displacement 37,220 lbs
Ballast 17,200 lbs
Sail Area 1,281 sq ft (sloop rig) 1,343 sq ft (yawl rig)

Design 3 - 45' Cabin Cruising Launch

2012-01-08T09:12:00.004-05:00

This design takes us back to 1929. The boat was never built and we know very little about who commissioned the design. We hope you find this first S&S design of a motoryacht an interesting study. We pulled these images from the microfiche files and as you can see the plans are in pretty poor condition.

Propulsion was to be provided by twin 125hp Kermath marine engines.

Here are the inboard profile, general arrangement and joiner sections.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 45'-6"
LWL 44'-8"
Beam 11'-5"
Draft 2'-9"

Design 1401-C1 & C2 - 37' R.O.R.C. Auxiliary Sloops

2012-01-07T09:35:00.007-05:00

Just when we think we have identified all S&S built by Carlini of Italy, we find these two addition builds. The two boats were built in 1960. They are simple boats designed to rate under the R.O.R.C. Rule. Construction is of conventional scantlings: white oak backbone, steam bent white oak frames and single planked in mahogany with Everdur fasteners.

Please find below an updated list of Carlini built boats. We have added these two projects and we now find a total of 20 boats built by Carlini between 1956-1984. Many have been posted on this blog site. You can simply do a search in the field provided at top by either design number or boat name. Looking at the list I would hazard a guess that the boat built for Dr. Combe may have been named Kiwi, based on his second Carlini boat built two years later.

Here's the list. Please double click for zoom.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 37'-3"
LWL 25'-5"
Beam 10'-0"
Draft 5'-0"
Displacement 13,291 lbs
Ballast 4,200 lbs (outside) 200 lbs (inside)
Sail Area 590 sq ft

Image of Buzzy III - Design 1151

2012-01-06T18:53:00.003-05:00

Speaking of six meters, it dawned on me that we have this nice image of Buzzy III, design #1151, hanging in our office. Here it is. Sorry for the reflections from the half hull models.

Design 104 - Mood

2012-01-06T10:43:00.004-05:00

Mood was designed and built for J. Seward Johnson by Henry Nevins of City Island, New York. Johnson was a son of one of the Founders of Johnson & Johnson, the pharmaceutical company. He was a good and repeat client of the firm. Mood was to be his 3rd S&S six meter racing yacht after Jill (#16) and Jack (#30).

The boat is notable as she is not only the first S&S six meter with a reverse transom by the first S&S design with a reverse transom. Here's a look at that transom at the Nevins yard. She was launched in 1936.

The boat has been renamed a couple of times over the years. Her first name change was to Bob Kat III. She is now called Firecracker.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 35'-9"
LWL 23'-5"
Beam 6'-2"
Draft 5'-5"

Image of Windalier - Design 1192

2012-01-05T12:44:00.002-05:00

Last week we posted an article about Windalier, design #1192. Here's an image of her that was just found in the wrong file.

Design 2169 - Rawson 40

2012-01-05T09:15:00.004-05:00

Here's a design that was never built. The work was commissioned by Ron Rawson, Inc. of Redmond, Washington. Rawson was known as an early pioneer in building commercial fishing vessels in fiberglass. He transitioned to yacht construction and did produce a number of models by designers such as Bill Garden, Ben Seaborn and Bill Luders. This project never got off the ground. The year was 1973.

Here's the general arrangement plan. This design has Rod Stephens' influence all over it. This was the type of boat he felt was ideal as a cruising boat, suitable for three couples and offering complete privacy for the owner.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 40'-7"
LWL 31'-0"
Beam 12'-0"
Draft 6'-8"
Displacement 23,000 lbs
Ballast 10,950 lbs
Sail Area 762 sq ft

More About Gemini 52 - Design 2650

2012-01-04T10:48:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of nice images the owner of one of the Gemini 52s, design #2650 sent us. The image files are entitled "Sarsala 22 fathoms" which leads me to beleive they were taken in the Sarsala Bay. The Sarsala Bay is located off of the Gulf of Fethiye in southwestern Turkey, just south of the Aegean Sea. They are said to be beautiful cruising grounds. It looks like an easy sail from Athens, Greece.

Thanks very much for sending these.

More About China Clipper - Design 1358-C3

2012-01-03T14:26:00.003-05:00

Image ©RJLaBellaPhotos.com

Earlier in December we posted an article about China Clipper, sister to Anitra, design #1358. After a complete restoration by the craftsmen at Wooden Boatworks in Greenport, Long Island, New York she is almost as good as new. Here she is racing in the Round Shelter Island Race also known as the Whitebread Race. This was her first race for over thirty, possibly forty years.

Image ©RJLaBellaPhotos.com

Images courtesy of www.rjlabellaphotos.com. (©RJLaBellaPhotos.com). Thanks to her owner for organizing these images for us. She's a beautiful boat.

Image ©RJLaBellaPhotos.com

Design 2122 - Marionette IV

2012-01-03T10:46:00.004-05:00

This beautiful Admiral's Cupper was constructed using cold molded epoxy techniques. Her frames are of laminated Iroko and her planking is of three layers of mahogany. She was built by McGruer & Company, Ltd. of Scotland and launched in 1972. Drafting as shown was by the very talented Toshio Kihara.

The boat is in the smaller size range for Admiral's Cup competition. The design is a development of Cervantes IV, design #2061. The layout is comfortable due to her generous beam.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 41'-2"
LWL 30'-0"
Beam 12'-0"
Draft 6'-11"
Displacement 19,969 lbs
Ballast 12,000 lbs
Sail Area 756 sq ft

More About Design 1909 - Mabelle

2012-01-02T16:37:00.003-05:00

Here's a nice image of Mabelle, the Two-Tonner built by Sangermani in 1968. This is the cover of the Journal of the IYRU (International Yacht Racing Union) from 1970 (now know as ISAF - International Sailing Federation).

Design 2112 - Swan 44

2012-01-02T10:45:00.007-05:00

The Swan 44 was introduced in 1972. The production run lasted until 1975 with 76 hulls built. She is one of the great classic cruiser-racers of the period and still provides a great value as a cruising boat today. Two sail plans were offered: heavy and light air, depending on intended sailing grounds.

Here's a brief article about the design.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 44'-0"
LWL 33'-11"
Beam 12'-7"
Draft 7'-2"
Displacement 23,776 lbs
Ballast 12,566 lbs
Sail Area 875 sq ft (heavy weather rig) 910 sq ft (light weather rig)

Even More About Santana - Design 59

2012-01-01T11:23:00.006-05:00

Last week we posted some additional information about the schooner Santana. I mentioned that she was lying in California and in perfect condition. A friend sent us these images he snapped recently at the St. Francis Yacht Club of San Francisco. The images speak for themselves.

And here's the rightfully proud owner. Congratulations Paul.

Thanks for sending these images to us.

Design 1192 - Windalier

2011-12-31T10:30:00.005-05:00

Here is the first Windalier to be designed and built for Colonel Edwin Singer of the Pontiac Refining Corporation of Corpus Christi, Texas. Singer was born in New York but moved to Texas and began building refineries which he ultimately sold. He was hugely successful in many aspects of his life. He was a philanthropist and is credited with shaping Corpus Christi into the modern city it is today.

Although there are many, a typical example of Singer's involvement with Corpus Christi is as follows: in the early 1960s he purchased a significant block of land along the bayfront. He then donated the property to the city. Today it is the site of the Museum of Science and History, the Art Museum of South Texas, the Watergarden and the Harbor Playhouse. His involvement didn't stop there. He lead the fund raising for the Art Museum. Further he then persuaded the architect Philip Johnson to design the Art Museum.

Watergarden and Art Museum, Corpus Christi
Philip Johnson

Singer was also a founding member and Commodore of the Corpus Christi Yacht Club.

Back to his boat. As I said this was his first Windalier. She was constructed of wood by the Abeking & Rasmussen yard of Lemwerder, Germany and launched in 1956. A larger boat would follow in 1962, design #1615, also named Windalier.

Here is the general arrangement plan.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 43'-6"
LWL 29'-6"
Beam 11'-9"
Draft 4'-3"
Displacement 22,400 lbs
Sail Area 847 sq ft

Design 2081 - Shohola

2011-12-30T14:52:00.004-05:00

This well proportioned motorsailer was constructed of welded aluminum by the Paul E. Luke yard of East Boothbay, Maine. She was launched in 1972. Here's an article about the boat with comments from both the design office and her owner. Please double click for zoom.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 58'-8"
LWL 43'-6"
Beam 15'-6"
Draft 5'-9" (board up)
Displacement 63,000 lbs
Ballast 18,000 lbs
Sail Area 1,446 sq ft

Design 2695 - 24' Daysailer

2011-12-30T11:25:00.008-05:00

Here's an interesting little design study that we undertook back in 2002. In the design of this simple daysailer we have taken a proven hull shape, design #1497 - the Dolphin 24, and greatly simplified it. A summary of modifications is as follows:
Eliminate deckhouse
Eliminate interior - simple storage below foredeck
Lower sheer by 50mm from original lines plan as we have no headroom requirement
Modify stern overhang slightly for aesthetically reasons

Other details:
Simple cockpit with bench seats surrounded by a varnished coaming board on edge
Wooden toe rail
Tiller steering
Centerboard
Diesel auxiliary - conventional shafting
Aluminum spar
All halyards led below deck
Dacron sails
Trailerable

The logic behind the exercise was to produce an inexpensive daysailer by significantly reducing the cost of design fees in addition to simplifying the boat to make her affordable.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 24'-0"
LWL 19'-0"
Beam 7'-8"
Draft 2'-10" (board up) 5'-2" (board down)
Displacement 3,600 lbs
Ballast 1,310 lbs
Sail Area 297 sq ft

Design 2157 - Morning Cloud III

2011-12-29T10:58:00.009-05:00

Here is the third Morning Cloud for Sir Edward Heath. She was designed for Admiral's Cup competition, built of wood by the yard of Clare Lallow of Cowes, England. She was launched in 1972. The boat deserves considerable discussion as she was lost at sea during what started out as a pretty straightforward delivery. Heath was not aboard at the time.

Here are a couple of newspaper clippings about the event. Please double click for zoom.

The best summary of the loss of Morning Cloud can be found in the very good book, Heavy Weather Sailing by Adlard Coles. Here's a reprint of appendix 6. This is posted here without permission, so thank you to the author. Again, please double click for zoom.

Here are the plans.

Here's a dramatic sketch that was published in Seahorse magazine as part of an article about the incident.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 44'-9"
LWL 34'-1"
Beam 13'-6"
Draft 7'-1"
Displacement 27,107 lbs
Ballast 14,940 lbs
Sail Area 856 sq ft

Design 367 - Sailing Dinghy

2011-12-28T15:00:00.001-05:00

This little catboat was designed and built for Avard E. Fuller. The year was 1940. We have no record of who built her. Fuller was a very good client of the firm, with seven boats designed over a span of 26 years (1935-1965). Here's a summary and links to his other boats:

Design #280, Cirrus - 33'-6" sloop, 1939
Design #341, 18'-0" runabout, 1940
Design #381, Gesture - 57'-4" sloop
Design #622, Eroica - 48'-9" yawl, 1945
Design #1534, Diogones - 50'-3" ketch, 1959
Design #1819, Pieces of Eight - 47'-7" power

Here are a couple of construction sections. Note for both of the plans shown the draftsman was Roderick Stephens, Jr.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 7'-10"
LWL 7'-6"
Beam 4'-0"
Draft 10" (board up)
Sail Area 48 sq ft

More About Santana - Design 59

2011-12-28T09:42:00.005-05:00

A blog reader asked us about design #59, the schooner Santana: "When was the rig changed to a staysail schooner?"

Here's a brief chronology:

Santana in fact began her life as a staysail schooner, launched in 1935 by the Wilmington Boat Works. In 1942 she was converted to a yawl rig (as seen above) but her main mast was not increased in height and as a result she was sorely under-canvassed. She was configured as a yawl during the time her most famous owner, Humphrey Bogart, owned her.

After numerous owners (I count 11), she was on the market for the 12th time when sadly, in 1977 she sank at the dock in San Fransisco. She was purchased by Paul Kaplan, owner of a San Fransisco Bay boatyard, and underwent a complete refit. It was at this time she was converted back into a staysail schooner, after 35 years as a yawl. Kaplan still owns the boat and she is in perfect condition.

Interestingly the old mizzen mast now serves as a flagpole at Kaplan's home. Here it is.

Design 231 - Michel II

2011-12-27T12:52:00.003-05:00

The 6-meter Michel II was designed for the engineer, Dr. Hans "Polly" Collignon of Berlin. She was constructed of wood by Abeking & Rasmussen of Germany and launched in 1938. Her placement within the group of Sparkman & Stephens pre-war 6-meters is of interest as she was designed between the 6-meters Lulu and Fun, designs #179 and #180 and Djinn and Goose, designs #238 and #243, respectively.

The boat originally made her home on Lake Constance (also known as Bodensee) where she resides to this day to the best of my knowledge. Her sail number is G37.

Here is the construction plan.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 36'-11"
LWL 23'-4"
Beam 6'-0"
Draft 5'-0"
Sail Area 469 sq ft

Mystery Model Solved

2011-12-27T11:17:00.004-05:00

We just happened to receive a comment about design #832, sailing yacht Chance, over the weekend. The current owner has posted some images to his MobileMe Gallery. In reviewing the design this morning it dawned on me that this is possibly the design of the model in question that we posted yesterday. Looking at the general arrangement and sail plans I note the following (matching) details, aside from the obvious:
1. House geometry and number of portlights match
2. Companionway off center to starboard
3. Aft portlight after edge aligned with companionway hatch garage
4. The next portlight forward of it centered on aft end of amidships hatch
5. Extremely tall binnacle at forward end of cockpit
6. Strange hatch at after end of cockpit coaming - very small and tall
7. Keel geometry
8. Rudder geometry
9. Propeller aperture geometry
10. Date of launch is 1949, which works with the model date of 1954.

I believe the mystery is solved. Thanks to the owner of Chance for coincidentally sending us this link.

Mystery Model

2011-12-26T08:15:00.003-05:00

We've had this unusual model with full sail plan sitting in a closet for years. Our model maker friend, Norman Angus, just did a major cleanup for us. It was decided not to do a full restoration such as to repair the dings in the toe rail as we were concerned it would actually hurt the value. Now we just have to figure out what boat it is. The only notation on the back is by who I assume is the model builder: Don Peterson, Larchmont (New York) 1954.

Design 124 - Rainey

2011-12-24T09:57:00.004-05:00

This design takes us back to 1936. To my eye she is very reminiscent of Babe, design #97, built the previous year. But she is six feet longer. The boat was constructed of wood by the Kretzer Boat Works of City Island, New York. It is interesting to note her original owner was one William Appleton and I wonder if he was the father of Joseph Wheeler Appleton, who we have discussed previously in these pages.

Here is the general arrangement plan. Please note the very talented draftsman who produced these two plans was Roderick Stephens, Jr. He would have been 27 year old at the time.

One final note. The boat originally made her home in Port Washington, New York. The last record we have of her is from 1972. She was renamed Hustler and her home port was West Barrington, Rhode Island. I will be curious to know if anyone has seen her.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 36'-9"
LWL 30'-0"
Beam 9'-10"
Draft 5'-0"
Sail Area 715 sq ft

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T10:20:00.003-05:00

More on Comanche 42 - Design 1867

2011-12-23T10:14:00.004-05:00

I was digging through the files and found this great sailing image. On the back someone had clearly written Swan 41. Hmm. I don't think so. I understand why it was misfiled. It's a little hard to miss that Chris Craft logo on the mainsail or those distinctive windows. The boat is in fact a Chris Craft Comanche 42, design #1867.

Design 1986-C1 - Atrevido

2011-12-22T12:59:00.003-05:00

Here is Atrevido. She is a modified version of Niagara, a boat designed for Canada's Cup racing. Her aluminum hull, deck and structure were built by Robert E. Derecktor of Mamaroneck, New York. She was then shipped to Argentina for completion (yard unknown). The year was 1969.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 42'-5"
LWL 31'-0"
Beam 11'-5"
Draft 6'-6"

More About 1985 - Prospect of Whitby (II)

2011-12-22T10:14:00.003-05:00

We have received a couple of emails plus comments from blog readers related to the image that was shown on the PJ40 brochure versus Prospect of Whitby II. Here's a detailed shot of Prospect's cockpit. I have admit that image on the PJ brochure is pretty clearly her, especially when one focuses on the details such as handrails, winch location, traveler and deck prisms. It just seems very strange they would use this image and not an image of a Swan 40, very strange indeed.

Design 1985 - Prospect of Whitby (II)

2011-12-21T15:55:00.004-05:00

Earlier this week we posted an article about the Palmer Johnson 40, design #2025. A blog reader asked: "Is the boat with sail number 130 on the PJ advertising Prospect of Whitby II? Are her lines the same as those of the PJ/Swan 40?" The simple answer is no. Prospect of Whitby II is shown here. She was built of steel by Frans Maas of Holland and launched in 1968. She was designed for Admiral's Cup racing.

Here are the plans.

And an article about her.

I must admit though I am scratching my head about that PJ40 image we showed with the sail number of 130. Here's Prospect I (design #1781) and II sailing together, each with a sail number of 130. I just don't have an explanation.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 42'-7"
LWL 32'-8"
Beam 12'-2"
Draft 7'-1"
Displacement 24,635 lbs
Ballast 8,997 lbs
Sail Area 763 sq ft

Design 2386 - Ocean Cruising 48

2011-12-21T13:01:00.004-05:00

This design was commissioned by Hank Hinckley in 1979 for what appears to be a new yacht building company in Bar Harbor, Maine called Ocean Cruising Yachts. I do not believe the company got off the ground or beyond this stage of promotion. Her Hinckley roots are evident.

Here's the rest of the brochure. Please double click for zoom.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 47'-7"
LWL 36'-0"
Beam 13'-9"
Draft 4'-10" (centerboard up) 9'-6" (centerboard down)
Displacement 29,375 lbs
Ballast 11,494 lbs
Sail Area 1,062 sq ft

Design 2346 - Beach Support Vehicle (BSV)

2011-12-19T17:13:00.004-05:00

This amphibious vehicle looks like a proposal or conceptual package to me. The work was commissioned by Consolidated Diesel in 1978. It looks like a baby D.U.K.W, design #402 (or at least a distant relative). Looking at the plan list (see below) you can see the set of plans from 2346-A through 2346-Y were concept drawings of a variety of different configurations and and four "final plans" were generated. The bottom line is I don't thing any of these vehicles were ever built.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 38'-0"
LWL 35'-9"
Beam 11'-9"
Draft 1'-7"

Design 2025 - Palmer Johnson 40

2011-12-19T11:27:00.003-05:00

We have already discussed the Swan 40 which bears the same design number #2025. So what is this boat versus the Swan (hint: it's the very same boat)? Here's how it came to be: In the late 1960s the boatbuilder, Palmer Johnson of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, established a brokerage division with representatives around the Unites States: New York, Chicago and Newport Beach, California, and a representative in Hants, England. Their strategy was to market a number of fiberglass sailboats under their name but built by various builders, primarily in Europe.

The PJ40 is just such a boat. The boats were in fact built by Nautor Swan and sold by PJ under their name. Eventually Nautor decided that it was no longer in their best interest to have their yachts sold through Palmer Johnson, and returned to the practice of exclusively selling the boats under their own name.

The material shown above is an advertisement form the period. The images below are from their sales literature.

Here's the general arrangement plan, identical to the Swan 40 but with the PJ name in the title block.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 39'-6"
LWL 28'-6"
Beam 10'-10"
Draft 6'-5"
Displacement 15,776 lbs
Ballast 9,200 lbs
Sail Area 706 sq ft

Design 1100 - USS Bittern, Mine Hunter (MHC 43)

2011-12-17T11:25:00.006-05:00

This coastal mine hunter was constructed of pre-fabricated red oak frames by the Consolidated Shipbuilding Company of City Island, New York. Her keel was laid in August of 1955 and she was launched in March of 1957. She was the last vessel of over 100' to be built on City Island as well as the last vessel to be built by Consolidated Shipbuilding before they shut down the following year. This is not to be confused with Consolidated Yachts which remains open and active today.

Propulsion was by twin General Motors diesels generating 600 hp each for a speed of 14 knots. She was manned by a crew of 44. Her armament consisted of a 40mm and two 20mm guns as well as two depth charge projectors.

Here's her outboard profile plan.

Here are some construction images.

Laminating Frames

She was decommissioned in 1965 and struck from the Navy list in 1972. The USS Bittern was used by Southern Maine Technical College as a training vessel for professional mariners, re-named “AQUALAB” and served from 1973 until 1996 when she was towed south for scrapping. Here is the last known photograph of her.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 144'-5"
LWL 138'-0"
Beam 28'-0"
Draft 8'-0"
Displacement 358 t

Design 2146 - Oyster

2011-12-16T14:26:00.006-05:00

Although most people know this boat as Silly Goose, she started life as Oyster. Oyster was designed and built for Admiral's Cup competition. She was built using cold molded wood construction techniques by the R. J. Prior & Son Ltd. yard of England and launched in 1973. So here's yet another contender for the Admiral's Cup of that year.

Here are the plans.

And a brief article about her.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 49'-4"
LWL 37'-6"
Beam 14'-11'
Draft 7'-8"
Displacement 36,270 lbs
Ballast 18,200 lbs
Sail Area 2,146 sq ft

Design 2281 - NYYC 50

2011-12-16T12:31:00.008-05:00

The image above is actually of a New York Yacht Club 48, design #2281-C1. Before we get into a discussion about that design (which will be covered in a future posting), we must first set the stage.

In the spring of 1976 the NYYC received proposals from 18 design firms regarding a new one design class design that the NYYC had solicited late the previous year. The action was in response to the club's desire to encourage level racing by developing a new cruiser-racer class. The design brief was for a boat that would rate well under I.O.R. but would not do so at the expense of cruising and offshore sailing comfort. In addition the boat should be capable to access the Intercoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake Bay and the Bahamas and be manageable by a husband and wife team alone when cruising.

The 18 proposals were then narrowed down to three designs: from Ted Hood of Marblehead, Robert Derecktor of Mamaroneck, NY and Sparkman & Stephens. The S&S was design was selected.

Here are the plans.

Here's an article about the boat.

More about the NYYC 48 soon.

More About Design 97-C2 - S&S 30

2011-12-15T16:02:00.004-05:00

Here's the new S&S 30 in some very nice colors. Click here for more information.

Design 2440 - Fibro Tecnica 45'

2011-12-15T15:46:00.004-05:00

Here's another interesting preliminary design of a cruising boat that just didn't make it into production. The year was 1982.

Here are the designer's comments. Please double click for zoom.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 45'-3"
LWL 33'-6"
Beam 13'-3"
Draft 5'-0"

Design 2470 - 101' LOA Motorsailer

2011-12-15T12:50:00.004-05:00

Here's a design that did not get built. It's too bad as she's a nice looking boat and can pretty easily be imagined in one's mind's eye based on our boats of the same type. The boat was designed to be built of aluminum. The year was 1983.

Here's the general arrangement plan.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 101'-5"
LWL 77'-5"
Beam 23'-0"
Draft 8'-0"

More About Salacia II - Design 2009

2011-12-14T08:57:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we posted an article about the beautiful Salacia II, design #2009. We were happy to hear from her owner and friends from Australia who were kind enough to send these nice photographs. These were taken after her restoration and off of Sydney, Australia. Thanks very much for sending these, she looks fantastic. Also, thanks for reading.

New York Yacht Club 32 Class - Design 125

2011-12-13T22:34:00.006-05:00

Here's a nice (admittedly a bit tattered) painting of a bunch of NY32s, design #125, as published by The Rudder magazine, circa 1937. Courtesy of our friends from City Island, namely Tom Nye. Thanks for sending this.

Design 2501 - Naos

2011-12-13T10:24:00.008-05:00

We've mentioned the Baltic 83 before but in passing. She's special enough that we think she merits further discussion. Only one boat was built to this design. The boat was designed in conjunction with Baltic Yachts with styling and layout by Tor Hinders and naval architecture (hull shape, appendages, structure and rig design) by S&S. This was our first collaboration with Baltic of Finland.

The hull and deck were constructed of fiberglass with a balsa core as are the structural bulkheads. She was launched in 1987.

Here's an article from Yachting magazine by writer Jack Somer. Please double click for bigger view.

Here's a presentation plan.

And some interior images.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 83'-3"
LWL 68'-6"
Beam 20'-3"
Draft 10'-8"
Displacement 106,000 lbs
Ballast 33,000 lbs
Sail Area 2,811 sq ft

Design 2536 - Astral

2011-12-12T11:33:00.005-05:00

Astral was just one of a series of large motorsailers built by Palmer Johnson Yachts of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. She is constructed of welded aluminum. Design work began on the project in late 1988 and she was launched in the spring of 1990.

Here's an article from Showboats International magazine from 1990. Please double click for zoom.

Here are the plans.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 115'-0"
LWL 88'-0"
Beam 25'-3"
Draft 10'-0"
Displacement 265,000 lbs
Ballast 70,000 lbs
Sail Area 4,292 sq ft
Fuel Oil Capacity 3,000 gals
Fresh Water Capacity 1,500 gals

Design 660 - 91' W.L. Twin Screw Diesel Yacht

2011-12-11T10:42:00.004-05:00

Somehow I got looking around the files at some very obscure designs this week as you can see from some of the posted articles. Here's a prime example. It's design #660. I can't really tell you anything about it. The job number is not even on our master job list. If I had to take a guess I would say this preliminary design was generated for promotional purposes only, perhaps to publish in the hopes of getting some interest in our motoryacht designs. The quality is poor as I pulled these from film negatives.

The year was 1946. Some of the design elements clearly made their way into Electron, design #1170, at least in terms of her outboard profile. That would be ten years later.

Design 2009 - Salacia II

2011-12-10T11:30:00.004-05:00

Around 1969, the boat to beat in Australian waters was Ragamuffin, the boat designed and built for Syd Fischer. She is design #1949 and we have discussed her before. In 1970 Arthur Byrne decided to challenge her dominance and asked us to design a similar boat. Byrne turned to Quilkey Brothers of Taren Point, New South Wales, Australia to build her, the same builder as Ragamuffin.

Salacia II was built using cold molded epoxy techniques. Her frames are of laminated Queensland Maple and planking of Oregon Pine. At the time she was declared the most expensive ocean racer ever built in Australia.

The design is similar to Ragamuffin, but she is wider, especially at her transom and has a shallower canoe body. She was designed to rate better under the I.O.R. Rule. She was designed for Admiral's Cup competition and was a member of the 1971 Australian team alongside Ragamuffin and Koomooloo. The team finished second that year.

Here's her sail plan. I apologize that we don't have a scanned copy of her general arrangement handy.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 48'-6"
LWL 36'-0"
Beam 13'-0"
Draft 7'-9"
Displacement 30,975 lbs
Ballast 16,000 lbs
Sail Area 1,068 sq ft

Design 106 - 16' W.L. Sloop

2011-12-09T16:02:00.005-05:00

Here's another design that was discovered in the files. The card file says two things: "proposal" and "not built". The name given is Dark Harbor One Design or Islesborough Class (note spelling). I can't tell if we were asked to prepare this design or if we prepared it trying to sell it to someone like the Tarratine Yacht Club of Isleboro, Maine. Perhaps it was to be a smaller sister to the Dark Harbor 20 designed 3 years earlier. The plan shown above was drawn by Rod Stephens in 1935.

Principal Dimensions
L.O.A. 21'-9"
L.W.L. 16'-0"
Beam 6'-0"
Draft 3'-7"

Design 418 - 174' Navy Harbor Tanker

2011-12-09T11:53:00.006-05:00

These vessels were built of welded steel and were designed to carry gasoline, heavy oil, water and in later designs mixed liquid cargo. These boats were normally designated YO (oil), YOG (gasoline) or YM (water). Typical capacities were 6,500 barrels of gasoline and 5,000 barrels of heavy oil. They were intended for harbor service but were classed for coastwise service by A.B.S. (American Bureau of Shipping). They were excellent sea boats. Approximately 100 units were built between 1942 - 1946.

All were single screw with three types of machinery installations: Union Diesel 560hp, Fairbanks Morse 500hp or General Motors Model 8-278A rated at 640hp. Top speed was about 10 knots.

Here's the outboard profile.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 174'-0"
LWL 68'-0"
Beam 33'-0"
Displacement 950 tons
Draft 11'-10"

Design 97-C2 - S&S30

2011-12-08T15:08:00.009-05:00

“Of all these beautiful boats, which one would you redesign?” Olin Stephens chose design #97, Babe, a 30’ Sparkman & Stephens sloop from 1935.

For plans, additional images, specifications and project history, please visit the Sparkman & Stephens 30 website at www.sparkmanstephens.com/ss30

Offered at $149,000.

For more information including how to purchase please contact one of our offices or email us at: ss30@sparkmanstephens.com

Announcing Sparkman & Stephens Rendezvous - Elliot Bay Marina

2011-12-08T14:51:00.002-05:00

We have been asked to mention the following event. From the organizers:

A Sparkman & Stephens Rendezvous will be held at Elliott Bay Marina (Seattle, WA), the weekend of June 9, 2012. If you have a boat designed by Sparkman & Stephens either power or sail, you are encouraged to attend this event. Elliott Bay Marina is providing free weekend moorings for all boats participating in this Rendezvous, and there will be an opportunity to see other S&S boats and talk with other owners. There will be catered hors d’oeuvres served during the afternoon no-host cocktail party for Rendezvous participants.

The Rendezvous is being held in conjunction with the Leukemia Cup. The Leukemia Cup is a fun filled sailboat race to raise money for and awareness of leukemia and lymphoma. Over $39 million dollars has been raised nationally since the Leukemia Cup was started. The Leukemia Cup will have a sailboat race on Saturday afternoon followed by an evening dinner and auction. Skippers register their boats and recruit their friends and colleagues to help crew and raise funds. The $150 registration fee includes two tickets to the after-party that evening, an event t-shirt and a skipper swag bag. You are encouraged to participate in the Leukemia Cup but it is not mandatory.

Please contact woodleygroup@comcast.net to answer any questions you might have, or to let them know that you will be attending. Information is available at www.ssrendezvous.org. Leukemia Cup information is available at www.lls.org. Registration for the Leukemia Cup will be available at a discount at the Seattle Boat Show in January, 2012 and through the Leukemia Cup website.

Design 109 - Green Pastures and Her Sisters

2011-12-08T13:30:00.010-05:00

While we were looking around in our microfiche files earlier this week and stumbled upon design #111, which we posted, we came across this interesting motorsailer design. I confess I am a bit confused by her. She is another design generated in our Boston office under the direction of K. Aage Nielsen. Our master database states she was "not built", as does the K. Aage Nielsen book.

However looking at our card files there is a note that 3 boats were built to the design: Green Pastures, Folly II and Dormar II. The boats are listed as having been built by Franklin G. Post & Son of Mystic, Connecticut. Green Pasture was supposed to have been launched in 1935 and her sisters in '36. The plot thickens: looking at the list of boats built by Green on the Mystic Seaport website (Records of Franklin G. Post & Son; Collection 200) I see no record of any of the these boats.

In any event here are the general arrangement and construction plans. If you are an Aage Nielsen fan, these three plans are from his hand and probably haven't been seen since '35-'36.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 47'-5"
LWL 41'-0"
Beam 13'-0"
Draft 5'-0"

Design 1862 - Iroquois - Sold

2011-12-07T13:42:00.002-05:00

The 8-meter racing yacht Iroquois, design #1862, has been sold. Here's a great image of her at the time of her launch at the Minneford Yacht Yard of City Island in 1967.

More About Palawan - Design 991

2011-12-07T13:33:00.004-05:00

We did not have any vintage images of Palawan, design #991, the first of the series of Palawans, until yesterday when I came across this great sailing shot that had been placed in the wrong folder.

Design 111 - 50' W.L. Motorsailer

2011-12-06T15:43:00.005-05:00

This proposed motorsailer design was never built. We dug it out of our microfiche files simply to have a look. The preliminary design was generated in our Boston office in 1935.

Here is the general arrangement plan.

The client was either William Bross Lloyd who would have been 60 at the time this design was prepared, or William Bross Lloyd, Jr. who would have been 27 at the time. I'm voting on the former. If so here's a little background on him:

William Bross Lloyd, the son of Henry Demarest Lloyd, was born in 1875. His father published a series of articles (Chicago Tribune) exposing corruption in business and politics. These articles caused Lloyd to be described as America's first investigative journalist.

As a young man his parents introduced him to a lot of political figures including Jane Addams, John Peter Altgeld, Clarence Darrow, William Dean Howells and John Dewey. Lloyd also developed radical views and he joined the Socialist Party of America.

After the death of his mother, he inherited a considerable fortune. This did not change his political opinions and ran for senator on the Socialist ticket in Illinois in 1918. He was also a supporter of the Russian Revolution and in November 1918 joined the Communist Propaganda League and later the Socialist Party of America.

William Bross Lloyd died in 1946.

William Bross Lloyd

Design 2116 - Columbine

2011-12-06T12:47:00.004-05:00

This One-tonner was designed and built to compete in the One Ton Cup of 1972. The boat was constructed of fiberglass with a cored hull and deck by Camper & Nicholson Ltd. of England. She was launched in late 1971.

Here are the plans.

And here's her dapper crew.

United States Sailing Team 1972 - World One Ton Cup

Cruising Yacht Club, Sydney, Australia
Crew listed from left to right:
Jim Dahl, Jeff Foster, David Kellett, (helmsman)
Henry Pickersgill, Al Delasandro, (Owner) Bruce Eissner

Principal Dimensions
LOA 35'-4"
LWL 29'-0"
Beam 12'-3"
Draft 6'-5"
Sail Area 632 sq ft

More About Odyssey - Design 155

2011-12-06T11:59:00.005-05:00

Exactly a year ago, we posted an article about Odyssey, design #155. If you recall she was built by Nevins and launched in 1938. Here are a couple of additional images of her on launch day. She's a beautiful boat.

Here's shot with her full complement of sails.

Design 1397 - Flair

2011-12-05T11:04:00.004-05:00

It's always a disappointment when we don't possess a photograph of one of our designs. That is the case with Flair. Nonetheless she is an interesting motorsailer design. Flair was constructed of steel with a wood deckhouse by the boatyard of Peter Mayer of Racine, Wisconsin. She was launched in 1960.

Here is the general arrangement plan.

And a typical construction section.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 49'-1"
LWL 38'-6"
Beam 14'-4"
Draft 4'-7" (board up) 8'-3" (board down)
Displacement 46,848 lbs
Sail Area 1,028 sq ft

Design 1463 - Cairu III

2011-12-04T09:42:00.002-05:00

I am not exactly sure why this design was assigned a new job number. She is an exact copy of Figaro, design #1107 in terms of shape. It does look like her construction plan was modified slightly. The boat was built for a repeat client who previously owned a Brasil Class, design #509, named Cairu II.

The boat was built by Yachting Brasiliero of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The year was 1960, five years after Figaro's launch.

More about Figaro here.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 47'-6"
LWL 32'-6"
Beam 12'-2"
Draft 4'-5"(board up)
Displacement 25,870 lbs
Ballast 7,550 lbs
Sail Area 1,092 sq ft

Job Opening - Captain & Program Supervisor Schooner Brilliant

2011-12-03T07:20:00.005-05:00

The Mystic Seaport Museum has asked us to mention that they are currently advertising for the position of Captain and Program Supervisor for the schooner Brilliant, design #12. Brilliant is an extraordinary vessel and her program is wonderful. There are numerous postings about her on this blog site. Simply do a "search" in the search field at top.

Click here for details as found on the Mystic Seaport website.

Design 1358-C3 - China Clipper

2011-12-02T12:08:00.007-05:00

Here's design #1358, Anitra going down the ways at the Bengt Plym shipyard of Sweden. It's just such a great photograph that I had to include it here. You only get to take a photo like this once in a boat's life, when she touches the water for the first time.

A sail maker asked us for a sail plan for one of her sisters, China Clipper which was the third boat to be built to this design and that got me thinking about her. Incredibly we don't have a single image of her. I suppose that's not too uncommon for our boats that were built in the Far East. China Clipper was built by the Wing on Shing Shipyard of Hong Kong, and fitted out by the Woodnut Yard of England (Isle of Wight). She was launched in ~1963.

Although a bit tattered, here's her sail plan. In comparing her to Anitra please note she is a sloop.

Here's a brief article about the boat. Please double click for zoom.

In studying the design I see her lines were modified slightly above the waterline which was probably done for rating purposes (RORC Rule).

Although we don't have any images there is a nice brief video clip of her at sea posted on YouTube. Click here to access.

I count a total of seven boats to built to this design. Here's a link to a couple of images of the very beautiful Stiren, the sixth in the line.

Admiral's Cuppers

2011-12-01T16:15:00.012-05:00

Yesterday I mentioned I would try to tie together a string of Admiral's Cup designs from the early '70s. We will need to start with Saudade, design #2140. The year was 1973 and she was designed and built for the German Team. Here we need to step back for a moment and discuss Rubin, design #2102, built in 1971. She is a boat we have not yet blogged about. Rubin was part of the 1973 German Admiral's Cup team. That's a display of Admiral's Cup models that include the full team shown above with Carina, a Dick Carter design next to Saudade on center and Rubin on the right, both S&S designs. Suadade was the overall high scorer that year.

Here's a peak at Rubin's sail plan. More about her in a future blog posting.

We can then move on to design #2149, Prospect of Whitby IV. She is a direct descendant of the designs before her. If you recall her hull and deck were built by Royal Huisman Shipyard and finished by Berthon Boat in the UK. This includes the development of her sisters: Struntje V and Battlecry. I just had to include this interesting image of Prospect of Whitby IV being shipped from Holland. I suppose we know what she weighs at this point.

Here's Prospect of Whitby IV on the day of her launch.

The string of boats continues then with Mandrake, design #2182, launched in 1974 and her sister, Palynodie. Here's a poor quality image of Mandrake.

In any event, we could probably go much, much further in the rapid development of these boats but I thought I would provide you with at least few links to tie these blog postings together.

Oh and yes, I should not fail to mention design #2202, Patrice III and her sister s. That's what started this whole string.

More About Swan 41 - Design 2150

2011-12-01T14:51:00.004-05:00

A blog reader sent us this material regarding design #2150, the Swan 41, so we are posting it here. The photographs were taken in 1974, just after the boat's introduction. Thanks very much for sending the material.

He also included the following Swan advertisement about the boat also from 1974. Please double click for zoom.

Design 1729 - Olin Mathieson Barge

2011-12-01T09:54:00.007-05:00

This was the first of three large barges designed and built for transporting phosphate rock for the Chemicals Division of the Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation. Each barge was capable of carrying 9,500 net tons of dry cargo from Tampa, Florida to the company's fertilizer plant at Pasadena, Texas. At the time the latter was the world's largest facility for the production of synthetic pelletized fertilizer.

The barges were built by the American Bridge Division of U.S. Steel of Ambridge, Pennsylvania at a cost of approximately $2,000,000 each. The year was 1963.

Here's a nice set of launch sequence images. She's being launched into the Ohio River.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 324'-6"
Beam 61'-0"
Draft 26'-0"

Saudade - Design 2140

2011-11-30T17:47:00.003-05:00

A blog reader sent us this dramatic image of sailing yacht Saudade, design #2140. We've already posted an article about her. I think tomorrow I will post an article about the design evolution of a bunch of Admiral's Cup designs from the early 1970s that are all very related to each other. What got me on this tangent was researching Chiquita of the Sea, which we have blogged about earlier today and yesterday. She is part of this great family of yachts.

Thank you very much for sending this image. It's a great shot.

More About Chiquita of the Sea - Design 2202-C2

2011-11-30T14:57:00.003-05:00

As a follow up to our posting of yesterday the son of the former owner of Chiquita of the Sea was kind enough to send us the image seen above. He also provided the following explanation: My family owned her from approx 1980 till approx 1994. Indeed in 1988 my father, an engineer among many other things, felt the deck layout needed improvement for family sailing, but also for racing. Together with your offices the deck, rigging and keel balance was reworked. The rigging got an extra 3ft height, the boom got an extra 3 ft length and about 500 kilos of ballast was relocated from the top of the keel to the bottom of the keel. The result was breathtaking. She still went upwind like no other boat, but with 2 more knots in any wind speed. The deck layout also gave her a more modern touch. The interior was done from scratch, saving another 500 kilos but giving way more comfort.

From the Berthon website we gained some further clarity as well. The aluminum hull and deck were fabricated by Allday Aluminum Ltd and fitted out by Berthon Boat Works of Lymington, England.

Thanks for sending this to us.

Dorade's Tender

2011-11-30T14:42:00.003-05:00

As a follow up to the posting regarding Stormy Weather's tender this past weekend, a blog reader has asked us to compare her to Dorade's tender. The sail plan above is an extract from her plans. She is similar to Stormy Weather's tender for sure. Dimensionally they are very similar but Dorade's dinghy is a foot longer overall. Again the best reference for what these boats looked like are the images we posted about Edlu II's Nevin's built tender which is in the collection at Mystic Seaport.

Design 510 - 82' Dragger

2011-11-30T11:55:00.003-05:00

This trawler of moderate size was constructed of welded steel with an insulated fish hold. Power was provided by twin 6-71 General Motors marine diesels producing 165 hp each. A large trawl winch was powered by a hydraulic power take-off from the main engines.

The design was developed using the results of extensive model tests conducted at the Stevens Institute experimental towing tank.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 82'-0"
LWL 74'-5"
Beam 20'-0"
Draft 10'-0"