Classic Boat — November 2017

76 CLASSIC BOAT NOVEMBER 2017

DAVID BOYD

Australia.” Sadly, the 1964 Challenge was perhaps an

even greater disappointment for Boyd than his fi rst

attempt with Sceptre. But, as in 1958, Boyd received

many letters of support from people in the marine

industry who understood the complexities of America’s

Cup campaigns in a way that contrasted sharply with the

tabloid press. And he also received a heartfelt ‘mea

culpa’ letter from hapless skipper Peter Scott.

Boyd moved on from this heartbreak but, even today

with the benefi t of hindsight, it is diffi cult to credit quite

how the Sovereign challenge could have misfi red on so

many levels. The 8-Metre cruiser-racer Sunburst built in

1966 benefi ted from both Boyd’s tank testing and the

practical lessons of the 12-Metre campaigns. She was big

for the class, being almost 2ft (0.6m) longer and slightly

wider and heavier than Debbie, the last of the McGruer

boats. Sunburst ‘killed’ the class and also signalled the

end of wooden boatbuilding at Robertson’s.

In 1965, after years of insolvency, Robertson’s Yard

was acquired by Peter Fairley and his associates. After a

protracted handover, David Boyd retired from the fi rm.

The handover coincided with a shift to glassfi bre

construction and the gestation of the Piper One Design

daysailer. More than 50 Pipers were built over the period

to 1977. The class celebrated its 50th anniversary in

2017 and is in robust health. In 2006, Adrian Jones of

Rustler Yachts still had faith in the old Boyd design. “The

Piper hull is as pretty as it gets and fi tted our vision.”

Adrian has built another 50 of these sweet little boats.

Boyd drew two 8-Metre designs at the behest of the

Robertson’s Board in 1966 and 1969. The plan was to

series-produce this type of boat as a one design in

glassfi bre. The fi rst design was an elegant long-ended

yacht epitomising the classics of the class, but with

separate keel and rudder and a long, low coachroof. The

second was snub-ended, like the generation of Metre

boats we class as ‘Moderns’ today. This iteration had an

‘Intrepid-style’ underbody and a low ‘Etchells-type’

coachroof. Both variations are gorgeous. Boyd’s fi nal

design was Victorious in 1977, a daysailer in wood by

McGruers on the Gareloch. Her lines show that David

had kept up with contemporary Metre boat trends.

Was Boyd a great designer? In evaluating the man’s

career, we have to consider the environment in which he

sought commissions. When he left Fairlie, the golden age

of yachting on the Clyde was coming to a close. Beautiful

yachts were still being conceived; but the specialised

marine industries, which had grown up to cater for a

wealthy and leisured elite, struggled through the 1930s

and failed to recover in the aftermath of World War II.

Post-war austerity and currency controls lingered

into the 1960s, as American industry raced ahead,

cherry-picking the best scientifi c minds and capitalising

on the opportunities of burgeoning consumer markets.

In these circumstances, it is remarkable that for 20

years from 1938 to 1958, an inspired designer working

on his own in Scotland could match, and sometimes

better, the mighty USA in the red-hot International

6-Metre class. So yes, while David Boyd was perhaps

not one of the ‘greats’ in the global pantheon of naval

architecture, he was indeed a great designer.

Above: Rustler

24, based on

the Piper OD,

the hull by

Boyd, the deck

and rig by

Rustler.

Above, right:

Piper ODs at

Holy Loch.

Below: Sunburst

built in 1966

EUAN ROSS

BARNEY SANDEMAN

RUSTLER YACHTS

The Piper Calls the Tune, the Life and

Legacy of David Boyd, Yacht Designer,

by Euan Ross, published to mark the

50th anniversary of the Piper OD in 2016,

is available at £14.99 from Amazon

CB353 Boyd pt2.indd 76 26/09/2017 16:46