Alfred Edward "Bill" Luders, Jr. (December 31, 1909 – January 31, 1999) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners. {{Commons category, Architecture by occupation Design occupations Occupations Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's rol ...

, who designed all but one of the

Sea Sprite Sailing Yachts Sea Sprite sailing yachts is a family of US built sailing vessels. The series includes the following yachts, a 23', 28', 30', and a 34'. They were all simply designated Sea Sprites. The twin sails in a following seas emblem is well known in the ...

. Born in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

, Luders attended

The Hill School The Hill School is a coeducational preparatory boarding school located on a campus in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admission Organization. The school is accredited by the Mi ...

Pottstown, Pennsylvania Pottstown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts (Pennsylvanian), John Potts. The old name was abando ...

, then forwent further education to undertake an apprenticeship in naval architecture. Luders later became the director of the family business, Luders Marine Construction Company in Stamford, which was founded by his father, A.E. Luders, Sr., in 1908.Bill Luders Has Them Crying: Beat The Bird!
''Sports Illustrated'', July 27, 1964. In 1946, Luders was one of a committee of five boat designers (including George Hinman, Arthur Knapp, Emil "Bus" Mosbacher and Cornelius Shields) who codified and regulated the International One Design class of yachts.Wallace, William N.
Alfred E. (Bill) Luders Jr., 89; Designed and Raced Sailboats
''The New York Times'', February 3, 1999. With the revival of the

America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...

yacht race with 12-meter yachts in 1958, Luders built the yacht '' Weatherly'' to a design by

Philip Rhodes Philip Leonard Rhodes (1895–1974) was an Americans, American naval architect known for his diverse yacht designs. Life Rhodes designed a wide variety of vessels from 7' dinghies to 123' motor-sailors, from hydrofoil racers to America's Cup win ...

. Although the yacht was not selected that year, it successfully defended the Cup at the

1962 America's Cup The 1962 America's Cup, the second to be sailed in 12-metre yachts, marked the first challenge for the Cup from a country other than Great Britain or Canada, and was the first challenge from a country in the southern hemisphere. An Australia ...

against the Australian yacht '' Gretel''.

Designs

Sea Sprite 27 The Sea Sprite 27, also called the Sea Sprite 28 and the Luders 28, is an American sailboat that was designed by Bill Luders as a cruiser and first built in 1960.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Editi ...

* Sea Sprite 34

References

1909 births 1999 deaths Engineers from Connecticut American yacht designers The Hill School alumni {{Design-bio-stub