Of all the design offices to rise to prominence in the 20th century, Sparkman & Stephens must rank near the top. From cruising yachts to America’s Cup 12 metres (with an unsurpassed record of six winners), the iconic S&S name ruled supreme.
Brothers Olin and Rod made their mark in 1931 when their beautiful 52ft yawl Dorade carried off the Transatlantic Race closely followed by the Fastnet. And thus began a six-decade domination of inshore and offshore racing on both sides of the Atlantic. When the mould-breaking Dorade hit the scene, Olin was just 23. While he drew the lines with his unique blend of artistry and science, his brother Rod applied his seaman’s eye to gear, layout, construction and fit-out.
Thereafter, commissions cascaded in and thousands of cruising and racing S&S designs hit the slips, going on to enhance the sailing scene with their grace and sailing prowess.
Design No. 2166 started life on the drawing board in 1974/5 in the US as the Three Quarter Ton cruiser-racer Northstar 1500, subsequently renamed the Northstar 50 then the Hughes 35.
British builder South Hants Engineering introduced another take on Design 2166, calling it the She 36. The S&S website shows its dimensions as LOA 35ft 6in, LWL 26ft, beam 10ft 5in, draught 6ft and displacement 11,500 lbs. The She 36 brochure says it displaces around 5 ½ tons……
Article kindly reproduced courtesy of www.classicsailor.com