Australians build American icon Santa Cruz Yachts

by Bob Maxwell on 7 Jul 2008 Santa Cruz Yachts, founded by Californian Bill Lee, has a 35-year history building ultra-light displacement high performance racing sleds. Not built to a handicap rule, just built to go fast, there will soon be a new series of Santa Cruz fliers and if you listen carefully you might hear their Aussie accents.

In the 1977 Transpac Race a 66-foot (20 m) Santa Cruz sled called Merlin hit an unheard of 28 knots (52 km/h) surfing, while winning in record time. Four years later the same Santa Cruz yacht again won the Transpac, but this time seven of the top ten finishers were Santa Cruz 50s, a scaled down production version of that first design.

Over the decades Santa Cruz Yachts has produced many innovative, award-winning designs including the SC 27, SC 33, SC 40, SC 50, and the 1996 Sailing World's Boat of the Year the SC 52, and the legendary SC 70.

This American yacht builder changed the face of US offshore racing and now the company is changing too.

In January 2008 Santa Cruz changed hands and with new ownership, new management, new production facilities, new designs and materials and it is stepping onto the international scene.

The company has relocated to Jacksonville Beach (FL), where they have have acquired their new production facility and have started building the new designs. Florida is a Mecca for boatbuilding.

While Santa Cruz ownership is Florida based, the senior management comes from half a world away.

VP and Director of Operations Darren (Baz)Williams is a highly experienced Australian boat builder, who has raced boats big and small around the world. Williams has been building both production and custom racing boats all his life, most recently for Australia’s Sydney Yachts, where he was the CEO for seven years. The new production foreman Rod Gill was for ten years, the factory foreman at Sydney Yachts. The Sales Manager Dave Tomlinson has been 20 years on the West Coast of America selling boats, but he has the same Aussie drawl.

Darren Williams comments, ‘Our new Santa Cruz boats will follow the 35 year tradition of being ahead of their time; they will be ultra light and very fast. We are building carbon fibre production boats instead of fibreglass and that gives us an edge.'
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Williams and his team know the offshore racer and one design scene and are right on the pace with the latest manufacturing technology. One of his early building projects was the famous maxi Sovereign and he managed the boat, racing it in multiple Hobart races and on the Maxi European circuits. He then did the 50' circuit in the USA, before going back to Australia to launch a one design manufacturing company. They built Elliot 5.9’s, which became the backbone of the Australian match racing programs, 11 metre one design and Etchells.

Having sold that company he moved to Sydney Yachts, developing a string of production one designs, the Sydney 38, 32, 36 and 47, while producing a string of successful custom boats including Bumblebee, Vanguard, Atomic and luxury cruisers like the Warwick 66.

'My background is ocean racing, nine Hobarts', Southports', all sorts of maxi racing, and building one design boats. The 37 is a one design, we build to a very tight spec, which we can do in carbon.'

From the office of U.S. West Coast designer Tim Kernan, the SC 37 represents the first new model for Santa Cruz Yachts in several years, and is the first in a series of exciting next-generation performance yachts from this venerable brand. The SC 43 will launch early in 2009 and a new SC 52 shortly after that.

The SC 37 combines leading-edge thinking in offshore performance with modern, clean and functional lines. The hull form is similar in concept to Kernan’s highly successful 70 footer Peligroso, and is optimized for blast-reaching conditions. This proven hull concept offers exceptional off-wind performance and reduces wetted area quickly while extending upwind waterline when heeled.

Williams says ‘As far as a rating goes, we haven't built to IRC rule even though these designs will all rate well. The whole thing is about speed, to make a fast boat. At the end of the day the rules always catch up with the boats.'

The timing is perfect for Santa Cruz with the US dollar allowing competitive US manufacturing for a world scene that is now enjoying seeing high quality American products, that have become affordable at last. The new management understands the international market and with upgrade in technology, change of designs and a big injection of enthusiasm, comes an excellent flow of sales.’

The Jacksonville Beach plant of Santa Cruz is geographically a lot closer to the large international markets and European sales are already flowing strongly.

Williams continues. ‘The first SC 37 will be at Annapolis, the second goes to San Francisco for the Big Boat Series, however number 3 and 4 are going to the UK and Italy. We have new dealers across the US and new dealers in Germany, Italy and the UK and there are more international dealers keen to be involved with Santa Cruz.

‘Pricing wise, the SC 37 starts at $300,000 US. We are still finalizing the SC 43 design and will have pricing soon. It will similarly have a carbon fiber mast and boom, and a hydraulic-electric lift keel and rudder.

'Perfect for getting in and out of marinas that have shallow water, while still having full stability and great for just pottering around, until that is, its time to do some serious sailing. Rosebud which won the 2007 Sydney - Hobart race, has the same setup.'

Tim Kernan from Kernan Yacht Design, Inc. continues. ‘The foil shapes and bulb geometry for the new SC 37 were developed using the same codes employed in grand-prix and ACC yachts.

‘We have designed the rig and Sail Plan in conjunction with leading sail makers, to produce a versatile and easily managed sail plan that is also IRC friendly.

'And the new SC 37 offers performance and safety features not found in other series-built sailboats.’

Darren Williams sums up. ‘Our Plan is to bring sailors into the next decade and to new levels of the sailing experience.

'We are bringing high end custom boat manufacturing techniques and materials to production manufacturing along with production pricing.

'With light displacement and a powerful mast and sail plan, the new series of Santa Cruz boats will be good in light and heavy air and will plane downwind.

‘The SC 37 has a big open cockpit with twin wheels, which allows the helmsperson to get further outboard and this permits crew to go through the cockpit instead of climbing around things. Combine this with a lift keel and rudder for easy shallow water handling and make the yacht towable … I think we have hit the nail on the head!!!

For more information go to www.santacruzyachts.com

Tim Kernan explains more about the SC 37.

The spar geometry features highly swept spreaders, which terminate at the sheer. This reduces compression on the rig and provides a simplified and robust structural arrangement for the chain plate attachments.

Standard jibs are non-overlapping 105% LP. Masthead genoas can be flown from the 18' fixed sprit that also accepts a drop-in bow roller. A 5-foot carbon bowsprit retracts through the fixed sprit and within the forepeak. The Mainsail will feature max top girths and full battens, a highly efficient shape. The backstay will be on a masthead 'flicker' to facilitate tacking and gybing in light air.

The interior arrangement is designed to provide comfortable and ergonomic space for offshore or dockside use. Modern materials and design will produce a warm and efficient interior. The cabin features 6’3' headroom throughout.

There is a Double/split quarter berth aft, with an ergonomic U-shaped galley abreast the companionway to port. To starboard is a generous Nav. station. Station area. Amidships a