Sparkman & Stephens is a

naval architecture Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, and ...

and

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

brokerage firm with offices in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...

and

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

, USA. The firm performs design and engineering of new and existing vessels for pleasure, commercial, and military use. Sparkman & Stephens also acts as a yacht and ship brokerage. The firm offers similar design and engineering services for the performance optimization of existing yachts. Their designs have won most of the major international yacht races such as the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one ...

, for several decades, including a string of victories in the

Fastnet Telkom SA SOC Limited is a South African wireline and wireless telecommunications provider, operating in more than 38 countries across the African continent. Telkom is majority state-owned (55.3%) with the South African government owning 40.5% ...

and

Sydney to Hobart The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately . The race is run ...

as well as winning twice the

Whitbread Round the World Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Ra ...

by ''

Sayula II ''Sayula II'' is a Swan 65 yacht designed by Sparkman & Stephens. She won the 1973–74 Whitbread Round the World Race skippered by Ramón Carlin. In 2016, the race was featured in a documentary film called ''The Weekend Sailor''. 1973–74 ''Say ...

'' in 1974 and '' Flyer'' in 1978. S&S has a number of custom yacht design projects as well as being designers for boat builders such as

Nautor's Swan Oy Nautor AB is a Finnish producer of luxury sailing yachts, based in Jakobstad. It is known for its ''Nautor's Swan'' range of yachts models. The company was founded in 1966 by Pekka Koskenkylä. The designers Nautor has worked with four ...

Grand Banks Yachts Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

, and

Morris Yachts Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manit ...

. With more than 100 units built, the S&S design #1710 also known as

Swan 36 Swan 36 is a fin keeled, fiberglass constructed masthead sloop first manufactured by Nautor's Swan in 1967. The first Swan sailing yacht ever produced by the firm, it was designed to serve recreationally but also compete in the One Ton Cup. Pr ...

became the most utilized design in the history of Sparkman & Stephens. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the company was employed to design the hulls for the invaluable

DUKW The DUKW (colloquially known as Duck) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the -ton CCKW trucks used by the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War. Designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Step ...

'army duck' and the

Ford GPA The Ford GPA "Seep" (Government 'P' Amphibious, where 'P' stood for its 80-inch wheelbase), with supply catalog number G504, was an amphibious version of the World War II Ford GPW jeep. Design features of the much larger and successful DUKW amp ...

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

jeep. For this

Roderick Stephens Roderick Stephens, Jr. (August 7, 1909 – January 10, 1995) was one of America's best known and respected sailors. In 1933 he became Associate Designer, later promoted to President, of Sparkman & Stephens naval architecture and yacht design fi ...

was awarded the

Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...

, the United States' highest civilian award.

History

Sparkman & Stephens Inc was formally created on October 28, 1929, with five partners: Drake Sparkman and his younger brother James Sparkman, James Murray, and brothers

Olin J. Stephens Olin James Stephens II (April 13, 1908 – September 13, 2008) was an American yacht designer. Stephens was born in New York City, but spent his summers with his brother Rod, learning to sail on the New England coast. He also attended the Ma ...

and

. The Stephens brothers began their careers as self-taught sailors on Barnstable Bay, Massachusetts. Both entered the marine industry at an early age – Olin apprenticing in yacht design under

Philip Rhodes Philip Leonard Rhodes (1895–1974) was an 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 winners - his ...

, and Roderick learning shipbuilding at the prominent Nevins Yard in City Island, New York, which would later produce several of his firm's designs. With their father's backing, the 21-year-old Olin and his brother entered into a partnership with the already successful yacht broker Drake Sparkman, and Sparkman & Stephens, Inc. was formed. S&S remains involved in designs having created a range of production sailing yachts such as the Morris 36 and 52 and a number of custom super-sailers including ''Victoria of Strathern'' and the 52-meter ketch ''Nazenin V'', recently bestowed with multiple Superyacht of the Year Awards. In August 2018 Donald Tofias purchased S&S and is now the firm's President. The brokers at Sparkman & Stephens represent over 800 crewed charter yachts worldwide in both sail and power, from 55 to 200 + ft.

Designs

Lightning dinghy on Lake Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania

Aura A35 The Aura A35 is an American sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser- racer and first built in 1975. The A35 is a version of Sparkman & Stephens's design 2166, as are the Hughes 35, North Star 1500 and the SHE 36. Produc ...

Cape Cod Mercury 15 The Cape Cod Mercury 15, also called the Mercury Sloop and just the Mercury, is an American trailerable sailboat and sailing dinghy, that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens and first built in 1940.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sa ...

Catalina 38 The Catalina 38 is an American sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a racer- cruiser and first built in 1978.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 322-323. Houghton Mifflin ...

* D&M 22 * Designers Choice *

Dolphin 24 The Dolphin 24 is an American Trailer sailer, trailerable sailboat that was designed by William Shaw (yacht designer), William Shaw of Sparkman & Stephens as a Midget Ocean Racing Club (MORC) Sailing (sport), racer-Cruising (maritime), cruiser ...

Howmar 12 The Howmar 12, sometimes written Howmar Twelve, is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Craig V. Walters of Sparkman & Stephens as a one-design racer, trainer and day sailer and first built in 1983.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Fie ...

* Hughes 26 *

Hughes 31 The Hughes 31 is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser and first built in 1979. It is a version of Sparkman & Stephens's design number 2098. The Hughes 31 is a development of the North Star 1000. Productio ...

Hughes 35 The Hughes 35 is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser- racer and first built in 1977. The Hughes 35 is a development of the North Star 1500, which was built by North Star Yachts prior to Howard Hughes re-a ...

Hughes 38-1 The Hughes 38-1 or Hughes 38 Mark I, is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser- racer and first built in 1967. It is Sparkman & Stephens design number 1903. The design was originally marketed by the manufact ...

Hughes 38-2 The Hughes 38-2 or Hughes 38 Mark II, is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser- racer and first built in 1970. The boat is a version of Sparkman & Stephens' design number 1903. The Hughes 38-2 is a developm ...

Hughes 38-3 The Hughes 38-3 or Hughes 38 Mark III, is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser- racer and first built in 1977. The Hughes 38-3 is a development of the Hughes 38-2, which was developed in turn from the Hu ...

* Hughes 40 *

Hughes 48 The Hughes 48, also sold as the North Star 48, is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser and first built in 1970. The boat is Sparkman & Stephens' design 1956. The Hughes 48 is a development of the Seafarer ...

Interclub Dinghy The Interclub Dinghy is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a one-design racer and first built in 1946. It is sailed in frostbite racing on the US east coast, particularly on Long Island Sound. Frostbite ra ...

Lightning (dinghy) The Lightning is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens, as a one-design racer and first built in 1938.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', page ...

Nautor Swan 47 The Swan 47, also called the Swan 47 S&S, is a Finnish sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a Cruising (maritime), cruiser-Sailing (sport), racer and first built in 1975. The design was developed into the centreboard-equipped S ...

New Horizons 26 The New Horizons 26 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser and first built in 1958. It was Sparkman & Stephens design #1235.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', pa ...

North Star 38 The North Star 38 is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser- racer and first built in 1971. The North Star 38 is a development of the Hughes 38-2 with a lighter displacement and other minor changes. All of ...

* North Star 48 * North Star 80/20 *

North Star 500 The North Star 500 is a Canadian trailerable sailboat that was designed by the American firm of Sparkman & Stephens as an International Offshore Rule Quarter Ton class racer and first built in 1973. The boat was Sparkman & Stephens' design #2 ...

* North Star 600 *

North Star 1000 The PJ-30 1/2 Ton is a sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as an International Offshore Rule Half Ton class racer and first built in 1973. It was simultaneously sold in Canada with a different deck and coach house design as the ...

North Star 1500 The North Star 1500, also called the North Star 35, is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser- racer and first built in 1974. The North Star 1500 was developed into the Hughes 35 and was built by Hughes Boat ...

Pilot 35 The Pilot 35 is an American sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a racer- cruiser and first built in 1962.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 286-287. Houghton Mifflin Co ...

* Sailmaster 22 *

Seafarer 23 Kestrel The Seafarer 23 Kestrel is a Dutch trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens in daysailer and cruiser models, first built in 1963.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 251-252. Internationa ...

Seafarer 45 The Seafarer 45 is a Dutch sailboat that was designed by Americans Sparkman & Stephens as a racer- cruiser and first built in 1961. The sloop version was S&S design #1618 and the yawl version design #1618.1. The boat was later sold under the ...

Seafarer 46 The Seafarer 46 is an American sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser and first built in 1967. The Seafarer 46 is probably a development of the Seafarer 45. Production The design was built by Seafarer Yachts in the U ...

* Seafarer 48 * S&S 34 *

Shields (keelboat) The Shields, also called the Shields 30 and the Shields One-Design, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens as a one design racer and first built in 1962.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field G ...

* Stevens 47 *

Tartan 27 The Tartan 27 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser- racer and first built in 1961. It is Sparkman & Stephens' design #1617. The design was developed into the Tartan 27 Yawl in 1961 and th ...

Tartan 34 C The Tartan 34 C is an American sailboat, that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens and first built in 1968. The boat is Sparkman & Stephens Design Number 1904. The Tartan 34 C was initially marketed as the ''Tartan 34''. When a later, unrelated ...

Tartan 34-2 The Tartan 34-2 is an American sailboat, that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens and first built in 1984. The Tartan 34-2 is a development of the 1979 Sparkman & Stephens-designed Tartan 33 R, with the stern extended and a different interior ...

Tartan Ten The Tartan Ten, also called the Tartan 10, is an American sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a one-design racer and first built in 1978.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', p ...

* Tartan 41 *

Weekender 24 The Weekender 24 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as a cruiser and first built in 1965. It was Sparkman & Stephens design number 1701-C1.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboat ...

Yankee 38 The Yankee 38 is an American sailboat that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens as Sailing (sport), racer-Cruising (maritime), cruiser and first built in 1972. The design was a development of the 1971 International Offshore Rule, IOR One Ton Cu ...

References

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External links

Official websiteS&S Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparkman and Stephens Sparkman & Stephens

History

Designs

See also

References

External links