Newly available, too late for Christmas. But you can have one if you want. My twenty favorite designs from my own studio, plus three sailboats by other designers that have enhanced my life. Order from the home page- you will love it!.
Also available on Amazon.com, print version only.
I’ve just published my latest book on the subject of yacht design. THE BOATS I’VE LOVED- 20 classic sailboat designs, by Chuck Paine. This 108-page print or e-book features my selection of the finest small sailboat designs from my forty-year career as a designer, plus three other “boats I’ve loved” from the hand of Olin Stephens and Nat Herreshoff. Packed with beautiful photograps and a lifetime’s worth of advice about my most popular sailboat designs, most of which can be bought on the used boat market for a modest price, spruced up a bit and taken sailing for years to come. I never designed anything but the best quality yachts- read all about them here and if you’ve got any sense, buy one and sail away
You can get yours by going here:
http://www.chuckpaine.com/my-new-book/
Tom Thumb punching her way into a lot of wind.
Here’s Tom Thumb– a FRANCES 26 built in Australia. Watch for an article on this, my first ever design, in the next issue of Classic Sailor in the UK. She’s going to windward really well in over 20 knots apparent- note that the mainsheet traveler has been let down to leeward so that the helm is dead on centerline. Reef a Frances when she heels twenty degrees, carry the headsail as long as you can, and she’ll chug ahead into a whole lot of wind.
This is Bella Luna– a modified Herresoff Alerion with a fixed keel. DON”T built an Alerion until you have consulted with us- the centerboard versions are very tender and hard to steer. With our new fixed keel and rudder, and carbon spars, the boat is an absolute delight.
Here I am sailing AMELIA two summers ago. Since then she ‘s been repainted a lovely green- I hated this robin’s egg blue. If you want incredible fun for modest cost, (compared to what it would cost to build a sistership at today’s inflated prices) schedule a test sail here in Maine and you’ll never regret it!
On March 12th I had the honor (honour, Peter would write) of speaking at the Victoria/Shadow Owners’ Association 25th Anniversary luncheon in Warsash, England. Peter and Ida Gregory started with my FRANCES 26 design, then went on to build over 500 yachts to three more of my designs in the heady days of the late ’70s through the 1980s. I had not seen Peter for many years, and it was great to catch up with one of the ambitious entrepreneurs who, along with Tom Morris and Charles Maunder, propelled my firm to a position among the more successful yacht designers of the past century.
Peter Gregory and Chuck Paine
York Marine of Rockland, Maine asked us to do just one more design. It’s a 19-foot fiberglass keel/centerboarder. The use of a shallow keel has three benefits: It retains shoal draft for easy trailering and beaching; it enables some lead ballat to be fitted for enhanced stability, and it lowers the centerboard trunk so it has minimal impact upon the cockpit, merely serving as a nice footrest when seated in the bench seats. Keep your eyes on this blog to watch the design progress.
YORK 19
I do one 30″ x 40″ oil painting every winter from memory of sailing transatlantic in 1966. This is my latest.
I have put together a number of fascinating illustrated talks, which I present at yacht clubs and boat shows. Quite a few people wonder, “How did a kid from the wrong side of the tracks whose parents didn’t know what a yacht was, end up designing million dollar yachts?”
In just over an hour I can answer this question, and bedazzle my audiences with hundreds of photos of gorgeous yachts of my design. All I need is a powerpoint projector, a young person to help me through the inevitable computer glitches setting it up, and expenses reimbursed for myself and my wife, who likes to accompany me. All you need to do is to tell me, do you want me to cover both sail and powerboats- which we designed in almost equal numbers- or just to stick to sail, as they are arguably more beautiful.
I will be away, travelling, this early winter. So far for next year I will be speaking at the Victoria/Shadow Yacht Owners Association in Warsash, England on March 12th, and at the New York Yacht Club on April 6th. If you would like me to talk at your club, just email me and we will find a mutually convenient time.
