Lock Crowther (9 September 1940
–1993; first name by birth Lachlan
) was an Australian
multihull
A multihull is a boat or ship with more than one Hull (watercraft), hull, whereas a vessel with a single hull is a monohull. The most common multihulls are catamarans (with two hulls), and trimarans (with three hulls). There are other types, wi ...
sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminology ...
designer. He grew up in Bairnsdale in the
East Gippsland region of
Victoria.
Though his first name was Lachlan by birth, he insisted on being called Lock or Lockie.
Career
Lock and his family
built his first boat, a trimaran called ''
Bunyip'', in 1959 while he was still a teenager. In 1960 he raced in the
Easter
Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
regatta at
Paynesville,
Victoria,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, and won against a field of 300 boats. This initial success inspired others to build similar boats. Crowther then studied electrical engineering in Melbourne
and in the early 1960s became involved in multihull design and the ''
Amateur Yacht Research Society''.
In 1962
''Trio'' was built based upon his designs.
Crowther's next design was the
Kraken 25, garnering some recognition.
Later, Lockie decided to give up his day job in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
and move to
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
to design multihulls full-time.
In 1969, a
Kraken 40 won the New York to Bermuda race with him aboard.
Crowther's first offshore racing trimaran, ''
Bandersnatch'', won the
Sydney to Hobart multihull race in 1996.
Legacy
During Crowther's career, over 2500 of his designs were built.
A notable design was the trimaran ''Spirit of America'', an early user of GRP-foam sandwich construction featuring composite beams with unidirectional fibres and turned-down ends. Crowther also developed 'bulbous bows' to reduce pitching, and thus increase speed when sailing upwind in a swell.
After Crowther's death in 1993, Crowther Designs was run by his son, Brett.
Based in northern
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, it merged with Incat Designs - Sydney in 2005 to form
Incat Crowther. Some Crowther designs are now offered
through
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
-base
Bloomfield Innovation run by a former associate.
Designs
Please note this list is incomplete.
*
Bunyip 20 (1959)
*''
Trio'' (1962)
*
Buccaneer 24
*
Buccaneer 28
*
Buccaneer 33
*
Buccaneer 35
*Buccaneer 36
*
Buccaneer 40
*
Kraken 18
*
Kraken 25
*
Kraken 33
*
Kraken 40
*spindrift 37
*Quickcat (1986 Auckland Ferry)
See also
*
Austral 20
*
Trimaran Yacht Club of Victoria
References
External links
*http://www.incatcrowther.com/ Incat Crowther
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowther, Lock
1993 deaths
Multihull designers
1940 births