The Boat

Designer – C. Raymond Hunt (1908-1978)

Naval Architect: 210, 110, 5.5 Meter,
Concordia Yawl, 12 Meter, Boston Whaler.

C. Raymond Hunt was an internationally known and respected helmsman and yacht designer. He won the Sears Cup twice, the first time when he was only fifteen years old. He sailed R-boats, Q-boats, 8-meters, and was a member of the afterguard of the J-boat “Yankee”. He had an uncanny ability as a helmsman to know how to move a boat through the water fast. His intuitive skills enabled him to become one of the most innovative designers of his time. Although he had no formal education beyond prep school, he developed radically new designs, which made a strong contribution to the development of yachting.

In the late 30’s Hunt designed the 110, one of the first boats made of marine plywood. The 110 was a flat-bottomed, double-ended, 24-ft. splinter that was the first of the semi-planing hulls. It was light, easy to care for and inexpensive. Ray designed the Concordia Yawls in 1939. It seems safe to say that to this day Concordias have given more pleasure to more owners and won more important races than any other boat of similar type. After the war, the 110 was followed by the still-popular, larger 210. His 5.5-Meter “Minotaur” captured the Olympic gold in Naples. In 1963, Ray Hunt sailed his “Chaje II” to the 5,5 World Championships. He developed the 13-ft. Boston Whaler in the mid fifties. Thousands have been built and the design has changed little through the years. His most significant contribution to powerboats, however, was the development of the deep-vee.

A quiet introspective man, C. Raymond Hunt stood alone in the world of yachting. Not only was he an internationally known and respected helmsman, but he was unmatched in his ability to design innovative power and sailing yachts.