MY FINAL, end of my life double-ender is a 30-footer named FULL CIRCLE. This article will describe how her hull shape developed from my earlier designs. THE 26′ FRANCES MY FIRST double-ended design was the 26-foot FRANCES. My intention was …
The Latest Yacht Designs from Chuck Paine
Time marches on, but the sea never changes. Classic designs from the hand of a master will always be pleasing to the eye, conform to the lumpy face of the sea with grace and swiftness, and retain the highest proportion of their original value. Chuck has spent the past three years improving the very finest of his many classic designs, and adding one or two new ones. Presented here are his very best- designs that are so appealing that they promise to enhance their owners’ lives for generations. Computer-generated lines eliminate the need for hand lofting, and the older classics have had their keels, rudders and rigs brought up to the latest technology.
CAN YOU LOVE A BOAT? Comments from owners of the FRANCES and VICTORIA 26.
I have received many comments over the past few years about my first design, the FRANCES 26. The majority of them have come from members of the Facebook Group, The Chuck Paine Yacht Design Fan Club. A couple …
CAN YOU LOVE A BOAT? Comments from owners of the FRANCES and VICTORIA 26. Read More »
HOW TO GET A “NEW” FRANCES 26
The Frances 26 was my first successful design. I designed her in 1975. About 35 of them were built by Morris Yachts and 175 by Victoria Marine in the UK, and a few others built one-off in the WEST System …
IMPROVING A MATURE FRANCES 26
The Frances 26 was my first successful design. I designed her in 1975. About 35 of them were built by Morris Yachts and 175 by Victoria Marine in the UK, and a few others built one-off in the WEST System …
YORK 18
YORK 18 DIMENSIONS LOA : 18’ 1” LWL: 14’ 10” BEAM: 6′ 3” DRAFT: 2’ 10” DISPLACEMENT: 1653 lb BALLAST (LEAD): 695 lb SAIL AREA: 155 sq ft D/L RATIO: 233 The YORK 18 design was inspired by the popularity of the smaller …
FIVE “NEW” FRANCES 26s
THREE OLD FRANCES 26s are presently under full reconstruction! And two excellent renovations have been completed. Meaning in less than a year there will be what are five essentially brand new yachts of this design afloat! The FRANCES is one …
THE FULL CIRCLE 30
A SAFE AND MANUALLY MANAGED OCEAN VOYAGING YACHT ABOUT TWO YEARS ago I began designing my swan-song yacht- the one my many yachting friends all predicted I would have no choice but to design. I started at an overall length …
THE FULL CIRCLE 30 Read More »
EXPANNIE- AN EXPANDED ANNIE
EXPANNIE 36 DIMENSIONS LOA: 36′ 3″ LWL: 30′ 0″ BEAM (excluding guards): 11′ 8″ DRAFT, on DWL: 5′ 2″ DISP, 1/2 load: 18,125 lbs BALLAST: 7,000 lbs SAIL AREA (100% fore triangle): 645 sq ft SAIL AREA (IMS): 715 sq …
26’ FRANCES. A small double-ended cruiser.
The FRANCES is one of recent history’s most famous cruising designs. Over 200 of the small yachts are now sailing, and they are well loved wherever they voyage. I decided to design this small but capable cruising boat in 1974. My boat was flush-decked, and I cruised it from Maine to Rhode Island. A more ambitious one sailed from Maine to New Zealand!
CLEARING UP THE HERRESHOFF 12 1/2 VERSUS PAINE NEW DESIGNS COMPARISON
The 12 1/2 is on top, the LEVANT 15 is below. The Paine 14 and York 18 are a scale-down and a scale-up of the same basic shape. I tried to make the topsides of my designs …
CLEARING UP THE HERRESHOFF 12 1/2 VERSUS PAINE NEW DESIGNS COMPARISON Read More »
JOIN THE CHUCK PAINE YACHT DESIGNS FAN CLUB GROUP ON FACEBOOK
A friend of mine has set up a new “group” on Facebook called the Chuck Paine Yacht Designs Fan Club. It’s a place where people who admire my designs can mix and mingle. Every day there will be new “posts” …
JOIN THE CHUCK PAINE YACHT DESIGNS FAN CLUB GROUP ON FACEBOOK Read More »
THE MOST VERSATILE SMALL SAILBOATS EVER
(THIS ESSAY IS BASICALLY ABOUT THE VARIOUS WAYS THAT YOU CAN REDUCE SAIL AREA ON MY HEW DESIGNS) The new PAINE 14, LEVANT 15 and YORK 18 are intended to be the most versatile small sailboats yet offered. They are …
THE MOST VERSATILE SMALL SAILBOATS EVER Read More »
WHAT’S HAPPENING to sailboat prices? UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2023.
THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2020. MUCH HAS CHANGED! Therefore I’ve added an addendum. We’ve all been watching it. It is clear that the resale values of used “production” fiberglass sailboats over a length of 20 feet or so …
WHAT’S HAPPENING to sailboat prices? UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2023. Read More »
THREE BRAND NEW CLASSIC YACHT DESIGNS
I’d like to introduce you to three new “classic” designs. They are all styled to look very much like a Herreshoff 12 ½ above the waterline, but are completely different below. I’ve owned a Herreshoff 12 ½ ever since I …
THREE BRAND NEW CLASSIC YACHT DESIGNS Read More »
MY VELCRO STRAP INVENTION
My Velcro Strap sail attachment—an accidental invention. I first dreamed up this use of Velcro straps back in 2008 when I had inherited a rowing dinghy from my father in law and wanted to add a sailing rig to it. …
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THE PROBLEM WITH BUYING BOATS CHEAP
I have recently encountered a few cruising yacht aficionados who’ve contacted me for help upgrading some of my older designs dating from 1975 to 1980. Which I am happy to do- it does my heart good. I thought it might …
EXPERT CONSULTATION ON THE SUBJECT OF SAILING YACHTS.
I offer consultation on the subject at which I am truly an expert- Sailing Yacht Design. And best of all, my fees for same are guaranteed to be good value for money. Because I do not have a set fee- …
EXPERT CONSULTATION ON THE SUBJECT OF SAILING YACHTS. Read More »
Much more about the LEVANT 15
MORE ABOUT THE LEVANT 15 By Chuck Paine Why LEVANT? Todd French had come down and sailed my smaller PAINE 14, liked it, and signed on to build future sisterships. Then I decided to scale it up, was happy with …
Much more about the LEVANT 15 Read More »
HIGHER QUALITY, LOWER COST COLD MOLDED CONSTRUCTION
Todd French of French & Webb Boatbuilders in Belfast, Maine has been thinking about this for years. Dan Miller, of Belfast Boatworks, enthusiastically agreed to provide his workspace and skilled workers. What if there were a way of laying up …
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WHAT WOULD NAT DO?
I consider myself a disciple of Nat Herreshoff, whom boat nuts like myself practically worship. We’ve all heard the common query, What would Jesus do? I often contemplate the question, What would Nat do? Captain Nat died in 1938—too early …
WHAT WOULD NAT DO? Read More »
MY NEWEST BOOK!
My latest book, featuring twenty of my best classic cruising sailboats, plus three other “boats I’ve loved” designed by S&S and Herreshoff. Available as a colorful, large format softcover book of very high quality from my website or Amazon.com, or …
THE LEVANT 15
Perhaps the single finest sailboat in the world—the LEVANT 15. If you love sailing and want, and deserve, and can afford, the finest sailboat ever designed and built anywhere in the world, read on. First a few pictures to tantalize …
BELLA LUNA- A Chuck Paine perfected Herreshoff Alerion
I was hired in 2015 to make upgrades to Nat Herreshoff’s Alerion, and to develop computer faired lines and loftings. Like many other …
BELLA LUNA- A Chuck Paine perfected Herreshoff Alerion Read More »
THE PAINE DVT
INTRODUCING CHUCK PAINE’S INVENTION- THE PAINE DVT! The PAINE DVT (stands for Dang Vang Thangs) are a series of fiberglass battens extending all the way from the leech to the foot of a jib. They have the following characteristics: 1. …
Lots More about the PAINE 14
I intend with this beautiful gemstone to rewrite the history of the search for pleasure under sail. I’ll start with a few theses on yacht ownership, specifically PAINE 14 yacht ownership. Read more below.
The Paine 14 – A Herreshoff – inspired daysailor
The PAINE 14 is a scaled-down adaptation of the venerable and much-loved Herreshoff 12 ½ with a fin keel for more modern performance. She is available in beautifully hand-built WEST epoxy cold-molded wood, or equally beautifully detailed molded fiberglass. At approximately half the weight of the original 12 ½ and a little shorter in length, she preserves some of the “big boat” feel of her predecessor thanks to a lead ballast keel that accounts for nearly half her entire weight, but is optimized for easy trailering, maintenance, launch and retrieval, and home-stowage in your garage.
24′ Double-ended voyager CAROL
CAROL is in many ways my favorite pocket cruiser, a scaled down and “flattened” FRANCES. She evokes an adventurous spirit that prevailed in the happy times of the late ‘70s when I designed her. At 24 feet she’s as small as a prudent sailor would ever think of taking to sea. CAROL is the ultimate in making do with less. Her hull is stable and easily driven, and her rig is simple and powerful.
