The PY23 and PY26 were designed by John Deknatel (now President) of the famous marine architectural firm C. Raymond Hunt Associates sometime in the late 60's early 70's. Interestingly, only these two boats seem to carry the "PY" designation

Hunt, an early marine architect earned a reputation in the 30's as a formidable racing sailor in Marblehead, MA, has many successful sail and motor yacht designs to his credit. Notably, he is the original designer of the Deep V Hull and is also the creator of the famous Boston Whaler. He and his firm, C. Raymond Hunt Associates, have designed many successful performance sailboat yachts including the Concordia yawl, the Cal 24 and the Beetle class boats. The designs are noted for their performance as well as their graceful lines.

The original Concordia Yawl was commissioned and won her first race in 1939. A total of 103 boats were built, making this the largest class of large one-design wooden sailboats in the history of the sport. All 103 survive today.  Although the first Concordia Yawl was designed primarily as a daysailer, coastal cruiser and all-around family boat, it was the racing successes of the Concordia class that first caught the wide-spread attention of buyers.

The official Beetle Cat Boat sail and deck plan was first published by the Concordia Company of South Dartmouth, MA in 1947. The Beetle Cat continues to be manufactured today by Beetle, Inc. of South Dartmouth, MA and Beetle Boat Builders of New Bedford, MA, who licensed the design from Concordia Company.

Hunt's success was fostered in part by his relationship with Waldo Howland whose family first started Concordia Company, Inc. as an investment firm. Hunt and Howland used the firm as a basis for a successful yacht brokerage which they ultimately transformed into a boat building firm. Their first small yacht was commissioned in the late 30's and larger designs quickly followed.

Ray Hunt died in 1979. Those interested in learning more about C. Raymond Hunt can find much information in the books "Life in Boats; The Years Before the War" and its sequel "Life in Boats : The Concordia Years," both by Waldo Howland. The former is currently out of print; the latter last published in 1988.

Below are a few of the Boats designed by C. Raymond Hunt and Associates

Visit the C. Raymond Hunt Associates Site!

Information summarized from many individual
contributors by Jay Moran

This Page last Edited 12/11/04 10:09 PM