Irwin Yacht and Marine Corporation, often just called Irwin Yachts, was an American

boat builder This is a list of boat builders, for which there is a Wikipedia article. Motorboats (<50 feet)

* American Skier * St. Petersburg, Florida. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...

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 ...

s and became one of the largest producers of sailboats in the United States. The company was founded by Ted Irwin (June 28, 1940 – February 5, 2015) in 1966 and went through a succession of bankruptcies and subsequent name changes, before finally closing in 1992. The company produced more than 6,000 boats. Ted Irwin was a competitive sailboat racer, but the company built many of their boats specifically for the cruising market. Many designs were aimed at the Caribbean

yacht charter Yacht chartering is the practice of renting, or chartering, a sailboat or motor yacht and travelling to various coastal or island destinations. This is usually a vacation activity, but it also can be a business event. There are two main kinds ...

market, including the Irwin 42, 52 and 65.

History

Irwin was born in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

in 1940 and developed a passion for sailing at an early age. He built his own

Moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

and went on to sail it to win the class North American and world championships. He served in the

US Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

and also worked for Charley Morgan at Morgan Yachts as a draftsman, illustrator and boat builder. He commenced his first design, the ''Voodoo'' in 1963, a boat that took six months to complete. He raced the boat from 1964 to 1966 and won 24 of the 28 races that he competed in. Irwin founded his own company, Irwin Yacht & Marine Corporation, in 1966. He ran the company and was also the chief designer. The first design produced was the

Irwin 27 The Irwin 27 is an American sailboat that was designed by Ted Irwin as a cruiser and first built in 1967. Production The design was built by Irwin Yachts in the United States starting in 1967, but it is now out of production. The Irwin 27 was ...

, in 1967. To control costs, Irwin bought his supplies in large lots and also owned his factory and the land it was located upon, as well as the production tooling. He also produced everything possible in-house, from the boats' masts, right down to the marketing

brochure A brochure is originally an informative paper document (often also used for advertising) that can be folded into a template, pamphlet, or leaflet. A brochure can also be a set of related unfolded papers put into a pocket folder or packet or can ...

s. The company started out with a factory, but expanded to and employed more than 200 people at its peak. Typical of his cruising boats was the Irwin 41, a blue-water cruiser introduced in 1982.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 364-365. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. In the 1980s, Irwin designed a series of racing boats, all named ''Razzle Dazzle'', that he raced in the Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC) in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

. His 1982 ''Razzle Dazzle'' was sold after winning the SORC that year, but the design was the basis for the Irwin 41 Citation, of which four boats were completed. Many years he sold his winning boats, which fetched high prices, using the funds and lessons learned to design better boats for subsequent years. Irwin encouraged other builders, even when they became competitors. In 1974 he traded the molds for the 1970 model Irwin 32 in exchange for a small number of shares in the fledgling

Endeavour Yacht Corporation The Endeavour Yacht Corporation was an American boat builder based in Largo, Florida. Founded in 1974 by John Brooks and Rob Valdes, the company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats. The company went out of business ...

to get founders John Brooks and Rob Valdes started in the

boat building Boat building is the design and construction of boats and their systems. This includes at a minimum a hull, with propulsion, mechanical, navigation, safety and other systems as a craft requires. Construction materials and methods Wood W ...

business. The company built more cruising sailboats with a length overall of greater than than any other company worldwide, with more than 300 of the

Irwin 52 Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

, 54, 65 and 68 models completed. Irwin Yacht & Marine closed in 1992 for the final time. Ted Irwin died in

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

on 5 February 2015, from

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, ane ...

, at age 74.

Boats

Irwin 30 Citation sailboat Time Out 5928

Summary of boats built by Irwin Yachts: *

- 1967 *

Irwin 23 The Irwin 23 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Ted Irwin as a cruiser and first built in 1968.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 236. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. Product ...

- 1968 * Irwin 24 - 1968 *

Irwin 31 Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1968 *

Irwin 25 The Irwin 25 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Ted Irwin as a cruiser and first built in 1969.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 348. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. Product ...

- 1969 *

Irwin 28 Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1970 * Irwin 32 - 1970 * Irwin 38-1 - 1970 * Irwin 45 - 1970 * Irwin 37-1 - 1971 *

Irwin 43 (1971) Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1971 * Irwin 30 Competition - 1972 *

Irwin 32.5 Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1972 * Irwin 37 1 Ton - 1972 *

Irwin 37 Competition Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1973 *

Irwin 28 Mk III Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1974 * Irwin 33 - 1974 * Irwin 10/4 - 1975 * Irwin Avanti 42 - 1975 * Irwin 1/2 Ton - 1976 * Irwin 28 Mk IV - 1976 * Irwin 3/4 Ton - 1976 * Irwin 30 - 1976 *

Irwin 33 Mk II Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1976 * Irwin 37-2 - 1976 * Irwin 37-3 - 1976 * Irwin 42 - 1976 *

- 1976 * Irwin 1/2 Ton Mk II - 1977 * Irwin 30 Citation - 1977 * Irwin 37-4 - 1977 * Irwin 40 Citation - 1978 *

Irwin Mini-Ton Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1978 * Irwin 34 Citation - 1979 *

Irwin 39 Citation Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1979 *

Irwin 21 Free Spirit Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1980 *

Irwin 46 Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1980 * Irwin 65/68 - 1981 * Irwin 34 - 1982 * Irwin 37-5 -1982 * Irwin 41 - 1982 * Irwin 41 Citation - 1982 *

Irwin 52-2 Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1982 * Irwin 31 Citation - 1983 *

Irwin 38-2 Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1984 * Irwin 43-CC Mk I - 1984 *

Irwin 32 Citation Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1985 * Irwin 43-CC Mk II - 1985 * Irwin 35 Citation - 1986 * Irwin 38 Citation - 1986 *

Irwin 43-CC Mk III Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1986 *

Irwin 44 Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1987 * Irwin 52-3 - 1987 *

Irwin 54 Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County ...

- 1988

References

{{Irwin Yachts Irwin Yachts

History

Boats

See also

References