Young at heart

On the 20th anniversary of the versatile Y88 there is talk of a comeback for the race-tuned cruiser, as ROBIN BAILEY writes.

Designing yachts that can cruise comfortably and race successfully is an exercise in compromise. One New Zealander who has proved he can master this equation is Jim Young.

The Auckland boatbuilder, who describes himself as first and foremost a builder of wooden boats, has broken new ground with power craft as well as a succession of yachts of all sizes.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of one of his triumphs.

His aim was to design an attractive family cruising yacht that could sleep six, had standing headroom and perform well on the race course. It also had to be a pleasure to sail.

The result was the Young 88. There are now about 200 of them cruising and racing here, in Australia, Britain, the United States, Japan and Malaysia. Young and Roger Land, who put the 88 into production, can look back with great satisfaction as their creations continue to perform as predicted.

When the Y88 production deal was struck in 1981, the pair had worked together on other projects, with Land having moved from building surfboards in the 60s into GRP boatbuilding.

The first of the new cruiser/racers was Tickled Pink, built in Land's yard by Greg Elliott for Russell and Sue Satherthwaite. That hull became the mould for the production run and the first Y88 was Paddy Wagon, for then-policeman Ross Field, who is now sailing to Rio de Janeiro in the Volvo Ocean Race.

He campaigned Paddy Wagon to 10 wins in a row on the harbour, won the Balokovic Cup and in 1982 did the Round North Island two-handed race with Peter Jackson. After more wins on the Waitemata and in coastal races, Field sold the yacht and delivered her to Wellington.

The boat survived a severe hammering off the Wairarapa coast without damage, enhancing the Y88's growing reputation.

In 1995, Y88 No 1 was sold to 1976 Soling Olympic representative Hugh Poole, who was then 60 years old and had previously been sailing centreboarders. He quickly became a dedicated Y88 fan and campaigned Paddy Wagon with considerable success.

A date for lunch at Devonport with Young, Land and Owen Lockerbie, the first owner of Ruru, one of the early 88s, meant a conversation ranging over many aspects of the sprightly 76-year-old designer's long career.

There were tales of the newest apprentice brewing tea in four-gallon petrol cans for the boatyard staff, and of designing boats from 12ft championship-winning catamarans to the famous Vindex launch.

Not surprisingly, the conversation often drifted back to the 88. Land and Lockerbie are adamant no other compromise 30-footer in New Zealand or Australia compares with the 88.

Roger Land Yachts built 139 of them in GRP before the 1987 sharemarket crash spelt the end of production boatbuilding in this country.

The moulds are now owned by the Young 88 Class Owners' Association.

The history of the class was not always plain sailing, given the way sailing here and around the world evolves amid much discussion of class rules and restrictions.

When Paddy Wagon first started making an impact on the local racing scene, it aroused opposition that Young still smiles about today.

In early 1982, then Akarana commodore Gil Hedges, a noted competitor from the traditional yachting scene, had a serious swipe at light displacement yachts. He said some clubs had concerns about the safety of the new yachts outside harbour waters. He didn't like the open transom, either.

Young pointed out in print that the extra beam on deck of the Y88 provided more stability for racing and cruising. The argument quickly petered out as the success of the Y88 on the track, combined with its advantages as a cruising craft, built its reputation.

What of the future? Land believes there is still a place in the market and that the 88 could go back into production under the umbrella of the Y88 association after some work on the moulds.

No doubt there will be much discussion of the future of the class at the 20th anniversary dinner at the Squadron on March 2.

Young 88