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Ted Brewer: A Stand-Up Draftsman

Posted by Fiona McGlynn | BWI Award-Winning Articles , Sailor Profile

Ted Brewer: A Stand-Up Draftsman

Yacht designer Ted Brewer gazes back over a storied career.

T ed and Betty Brewer’s living room is warm and inviting. Two harpoons hang on teak-colored walls, and a model boxcar sits on the shelf alongside other artifacts marking a life well-lived. A picture window overlooks a baseball diamond across a quiet street in Agassiz, British Columbia. With its neat buildings and carefully trimmed yards, the town feels bricked with charm and mortared with apple pie. But just outside the window, above the baseball diamond, the craggy, glaciated peak of Mount Cheam towers, a reminder of the wild Coast Mountains and North Cascades ranges that embrace the community.

“I’ve never been a sit-down draftsman. I’ve always been standing up at the drafting board,” says Edward “Ted” Brewer, the world-renown yacht designer who worked on two America’s Cup contenders and designed 260 boats including yachts built by Aloha, Morgan, Nimble, Union, and Whitby.

“For many years it was standing up at the drafting board with a cigarette,” says Betty.

“Yeah, too many years with a cigarette,” Ted agrees, leaning back in a sage-green armchair with extra foam padding. “No more cigarettes.”

At 87, Ted no longer designs or smokes, but he tells stories with his whole being, arms thrown up in amazement, voice soaring high with incredulity, mouth crinkling with infectious laughter. A mischievous twinkle in his eyes reveals a certain boyish quality that belies his grey hair. On his left forearm, a weathered tattoo takes him back to his youth, roaming the Navy docks in Hamilton, Ontario, learning to sail from his father’s veteran friends.

“By the time I was 15, I was proficient at rigging, rowing, and sailing, and I was allowed free run of the Navy’s 14-foot dinghies and 26-foot whaleboats. I could go down to the Navy base in Hamilton and sign out a 27-foot sailboat on my own account. My girlfriend, her girlfriends, and my buddies would all be there. We’d get the boat rigged and ready and out we would go.”

When he was about 15, Ted and a friend bought their first boat.

“We coughed up 55 dollars for Quest , a 16-foot ship’s gig that someone had put a long wood fin on and an overly heavy, gaffy rig.” A year of scraping, painting, and replacing rotted planks, and Quest was ready for her maiden voyage. After ballasting her with 400 pounds of sandbags, they cast off into afternoon squalls. They were soon knocked down, and panic rose as water came over the lee hull. The two boys managed to fling the sandbags over the side and eventually right her. Upon being towed in, a photographer appeared on the scene, and much to Ted’s chagrin a photo of their woeful yacht made the paper the next day.

It wasn’t long after that he got the tattoo: an anchor with Quest stenciled beneath it.

Ted Brewer at desk

Downstairs in Ted’s studio, half- models and photos of some of his hundreds of designs cover the wood-panelled walls. Two drafting boards hold metal weights or “whales” (aka ducks), a handful of pens and pencils, articulating table lamps, cardboard blueprint tubes. These are the tools of a traditionalist; Ted has always preferred drawing by hand to using CAD software.

Even as a child, he liked to draw. He would doodle Navy boats in the margins of his school papers where, despite being the youngest in his class, he earned top grades, at least until high school, when boredom set in.

“I really goofed off…I quit school to get a job as a Class 4 electrician at the steel company in Hamilton.”

During one night shift, Ted read a military recruiting advertisement in Liberty magazine. The next morning, he went to the armory and signed up.

“I didn’t get home until almost 10 a.m. When mum met me at the door she asked if I had to work overtime again. I said, ‘No, I just joined the Army,’ and I caught her before she hit the floor!”

Ted survived the grueling Army boot camps, and by 1957 he’d made lieutenant. But he remained restless, and one day, his company commander finally suggested that he pursue his passion for boating. “He knew I loved boats. I resigned my commission and got a job in Toronto as a yacht broker with George Cuthbertson.”

Cuthbertson, who would go on to become the first “C” in C&C Yachts, at the time was building Inishfree , a 54-foot wooden ocean racing yawl. Not long after joining the firm, Ted asked if he could accompany Dick Telford, the yacht brokerage firm’s boatbuilder, to see Inishfree under construction. When he saw the yard and spoke with the builders, Ted was struck with yearning.

“I thought, ‘Oh god, this is what I want. I want to design boats and build boats.’ ’’ Encouraged by Telford, Ted enrolled in a yacht design course at Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology. He’d almost completed it when he heard that Alfred Edward “Bill” Luders Jr. in Stamford, Connecticut, was looking for a design assistant.

“With Dick’s blessing, I applied for the job.”

Betty and Ted Brewer

“He doesn’t stand for very long,” Betty says, gently ushering Ted over to an office chair. Seated, Ted reaches for the computer mouse, one of few visible concessions to modern technology. Above the desk is a black-and-white photo of Bill Luders’ 40-foot Storm flying a spinnaker. Tucked into a corner of the frame is a photo of Luders himself, in a pullover and collared shirt.

In 1960, at the age of 27, Ted started working as Luders’ assistant, basically a second-in-command in the shipyard. He’d visit each department daily to see what was happening, problem-solve, and then head for the drafting room, where Luders would give him sketches to turn into a working drawing. At the end of the workday, Luders and Ted would sit in the office, smoking, and mull over designs and construction work. Often Ted would ask for Luders’ advice on his own designs. “He didn’t look at me as competition,” Ted says.

While at Luders, Ted worked on two America’s Cup boats. Weatherly , a Phil Rhodes design, which they modified, went on to win the 1962 regatta, and Luders earned the commission to design, and build a 1964 contender, American Eagle . Though American Eagle was initially the “bird to beat,” winning 20 out of 21 races in the June and July trials, by the end of summer Constellation , designed by Olin Stephens, had pulled ahead and won the right to defend the 19th America’s Cup.

By 1968, the shipyard business was foundering, and Luders closed Luders Marine Construction Co., 60 years after his father had founded it. Ted and Luders remained close until Luders’ death in 1999.

Bob Wallstrom, Bill Luders, and Ted Brewer

“Bill Luders was my boss, my teacher, and my great friend,” Ted says. “He was like a second father to me. I truly loved the man.”

After Luders closed the yard in 1968, Ted moved to Brooklin, Maine, to hang out his shingle. He bought an old hotel from the 1870s, “a weird place. It had eight or nine bedrooms, and only one bathroom. My first office was in the hotel dining room.”

There, he developed a design for a client who sailed on Lake Champlain and wanted a boat that would go well to weather. The boat was eventually named Black Velvet , and at the boat show in Annapolis, Kurt Hansen of Whitby Boat Works saw a photo of it and said, “I want a boat just like that.”

But as Ted began working with Whitby Boat Works, he discovered Hansen had some ideas of his own. Though Black Velvet was a fin keel, Hansen insisted on a full keel . “I wanted to at least cut it away and make the rudder separate. But no, it had to be full keel.”

At a time when full keels were the gold standard for cruisers, Ted often found himself attempting to sway owners to incorporate a fin keel’s windward sailing advantages.

“I felt the ideal was a fin keel with a skeg hung rudder behind it…If a client w anted a full keel boat, I’d cut away as much of the keel as I could…When he complained, I’d have to add a bit back.” This “Brewer Bite” would become one of Ted’s signature design features.

The Whitby 42 became an enormously popular design, selling over 230 hulls, and according to Ted, “was what established me as a production boat builder, designer.”

In 1976, Morgan Yachts approached Ted to work with Jack Corey, head of Morgan’s design staff, on a 36- to 38-foot fast cruiser. Ted recalls taking the Morgan 382 on its first sea trial. What started as a great day for a sail quickly descended into inky black skies and a lightning storm, with strikes as close as 50 yards from the boat. Though frightful, the boat emerged unscathed, perhaps the beginning of a lucky streak that would see 400 Morgan 382s built between 1977 and 1981.

Ted rests a forearm on the desk and gazes up. Centered above the desk is a large-format color photograph of a ketch flying two rainbow spinnakers over turquoise water. This was Mystic , which he designed for Marvyn Carton, who became a lifelong best friend. Built of aluminum, Mystic was launched and sailed through the Great Lakes to Europe. Ted sailed the boat with Carton in a Transpac that started slow and became a wild ride.

“We’d be going down waves doing 17 knots. Almost everybody on board was seasick. We roared through for about six or seven days of this storm. All the time Marv’s listening to the radio, and we’re hearing about crews that are out with sickness, broken this and broken that, and boats turning back. But we were on a big custom cruiser.” Not only did they finish second in class, Carton celebrated by serving the crew a 55-gallon-drum of Mai Tais and flying all their wives and sweethearts to Hawaii to join the party.

One day in 1988, Ted, living in Anacortes at the time, was driving home when he spotted a man on a BMW motorcycle.

“I owned a BMW, brand new, and so I followed him home, my big black dog on the seat beside me, and pulled into his driveway. He came out very suspicious.” Once Ted had introduced himself, the two men bonded over motorcycles, and pretty soon, the fellow introduced Ted to his daughter, Betty.

“She had just had a divorce, and I was winding up a rather disastrous marriage, so I asked her for a date to go sailing. I had rather a fancy little yawl, one that I’d designed, a Nimble 30,” Ted says. Betty, who at that point had sworn off men, was taken with Ted.

“I was definitely swept off my feet,” she says. After marrying in 1988, Ted and Betty eventually moved to Gabriola Island in 1999, where Ted designed custom yachts, sold plans, and wrote for magazines, including Good Old Boat . From 1998 to 2003, Ted was a contributing editor at Good Old Boat . He wrote humorous stories in “Fireside chats with Ted Brewer,” divulged lessons on cruising etiquette, and shared his love and knowledge of boat design.

Though he often wrote highly technical articles, Ted liked to have fun with his topics. In the July/August 1999 issue, in an article called “Brewer by the Numbers,” Ted discussed different ratios and terms used by yacht designers. Amid LODs, LOAs, LWLs, CBs, and CEs, Ted introduced a new ratio, the Comfort Ratio (CR), a formula that indicates the speed of the upward/downward motion of a boat in waves and swell. The lower the ratio, the more uncomfortable the ride.

“People were coming up with all of these sail area displacement ratios and this and that ratio. I thought, well there’s one ratio that nobody’s ever thought of, a comfort ratio. I’ll work one out,” he says. “So, I diddled around and came up with this crazy comfort ratio, and it was a joke and I published it, and it took off like a rocket. It does have a basis in fact, but I thought it was a joke.” The CR ratio remains in use to this day.

Sailboat Designer Ted Brewer

In addition to writing articles, Ted also authored three books, Understanding Boat Design , Cruising Yacht Design , and Ted Brewer Explains Sailboat Design .

These days, Ted no longer draws, but he still sells boat design plans to boatbuilders around the world at TedBrewer.com.

“His babies are everywhere,” says Betty. “When we were sailing, he would pick up the binoculars and he would look and look and say, ‘That’s one of my babies!’ ”

Some of Ted’s boats have also retired. No longer racing, Weatherly and American Eagle are in the America’s Cup Charters fleet in Newport, Rhode Island, where sailors can experience the golden age of America’s Cup racing. Other boats have had less dignified endings. Ted points to a model boat in a glass case and says, “I’ll tell you where that is right now. That’s 200 feet underwater off the coast of Machias, Maine, with a cargo of marijuana.”

Some people find time heavy on their hands when they retire, but Ted has always pursued interests including folk music, American Civil War books, and model trains. Nor are these always half-measure hobbies; at one point he had a couple hundred feet of railroad in the backyard, and to this day he sells plans for model railroad buildings and bridges online at BrewerPlans.com.

Recently, he has become an avid stock investor. He wakes up at 5 a.m, and with a coffee in hand, he checks the stock markets before going downstairs to his computer to “make any buys, sells, and trims” and answer email inquiries about his boat designs.

Retiring is in some ways like crossing a finish line, a time to reflect on achievements and legacies. Ted’s career has been extraordinary, and it’s clear that he relished every tack, jibe, and sail change. But most important to him, it seems, are the people who mentored and influenced him: George Cuthbertson, Bill Luders, Marvyn Carton, and Dick Telford among others. You need only look around his studio, where seemingly every square inch of wall space is dedicated to a boat or a photo of a loved one.

As Ted works at his computer, cane propped against one knee, Storm and Bill Luders watch down from their frame.

Ted Brewer at helm of sailboat

“The last race we ever sailed together was in 1967,” Ted says. “Bill had been at the helm two hours and said, ‘Boys I need a rest, I’m just getting weary here, somebody take over.’ Everybody volunteered and he said, ‘No, we need the best at the helm, come on, Ted.’ I drove her to within a half mile of the finish line and I said, ‘Here, Bill, take over now.’ He took her across the finish line. We won. We were not only first in our class, we were first overall. The boat was that good.”

About The Author

Fiona McGlynn

Fiona McGlynn

Fiona McGlynn, a Good Old Boat contributing editor, has sailed from Canada to Australia.

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1988 Ted Brewer 45

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Iron mistress, punta gorda fl.

Derek Jarvis

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David Walters Yachts

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Yacht

I ron Mistress  is an incredible yacht from the board of legendary designer, Ted Brewer! Hull and deck were constructed in 1987 by Mooney Marine, with the interior finished up in York Maine. The quality of the build and the attention to detail of its only owner shine in this classic circumnavigator.

Iron Mistress is a conically developed radius chine steel sailboat that was custom designed by Ted Brewer for her owner. She has circumnavigated the globe and is a one-owner sailboat who has spared no expense on her upkeep and refits over the years. Although her owner is a doctor, now retired, he is heavily versed in the industrial arts and boat building.  Iron Mistress has always been ready and equipped to circumnavigate the globe, coastal cruise, liveaboard, or day sail. She is insulated with Spray Polyurethane Non-Toxic above the waterline with an Espar internal diesel heater, thus, she is quite capable of sailing in higher latitudes.

Features: All the hand rails are stainless steel which sits on top of bar stock on the cabin house which is 316L stainless steel. Thus, there are no communications for water leakage. All port lights are 316L stainless steel TIG welded to prevent future maintenance problems. Her chain plates are solid stainless steel and are TIG welded through the mild steel, therefore, no water leakage. She has a true double backstay rig for safety and double bobstays for the bowsprit. All areas that can be made out of stainless steel have been done to reduce wear and tear and future maintenance. Other features: She has stainless steel stanchion bases which has a removable teak bulwark that eliminates the need for scuppers. She has a unique aft slanting cockpit, so again, no need for scuppers. The cockpit well is small enough that the boat will not be overwhelmed by an onboard rogue wave. She has a keel-stepped mast and with hatches closed is designed to be rolled and come back up.

The interior steel has been coated with non-toxic spray polyurethane above the waterline for sailing in higher latitudes.

Her interior layout is a two-stateroom single-head arrangement with exquisite fit and finish. Please read the vessel walkthrough in the description section.

Iron Mistress is powered by a 2002, 56 hp Yanmar maintained to the highest standard.

Features include:

  • Newer standing and running rigging
  • Newer sails and canvas including a Stackpak
  • New bottom paint
  • Newer topside paint
  • Newer electronics
  • Fleming self-steering gear
  • Sea Frost Refrigeration (2021)
  • Broadwater 4 burner propane stove with oven.

I have an extensive survey on request, along with hull thickness graphs and numbers.

Iron Mistress is available to show by appointment only.

Her original design brief was to have a boat built of steel for strength, durability, and safety and be able to carry large amounts of stores, and supplies and provide a sea kindly platform that was easy to single-hand or be sailed by a couple to circumnavigate, live-aboard or coastal cruise. Her interior is designed on an "open" concept basis for a couple and occasional guests. She has four usable sea berths with proper lee cloths in the main cabin and a double aft quarter berth to port. Thus, she can safely and comfortably sail with 2-4 crew on passages. This is something that is lacking in a lot of boats that are designed to sit at the dock. Her rig is second to none in regards to strength and her cutter rigged with a mast-mounted spinnaker pole on a track (which can be handled by a 105 lb woman). All standing rigging is oversized and she features a Harken Batcar system with lazy jacks and a Doyle stack pack for the mainsail. This system allows one person to reef the main going downwind - no more turning into big seas to reef the main. 

Let's start at the companionway, as you come below you will be impressed with the clean and modern ambiance and comforted by the solid traditional feel of Maine solid wood joinery with painted bulkheads in the traditional Herreshoff fashion. She has Corian countertops in the galley with gleaming stainless steel ports. The bright white headliner is Formica with solid ash wood molding complimented by stainless steel lighting throughout as well as an oil lamp for ambiance. To help keep air moving, there are 7 Hella turbo fans throughout the interior as well. Immediately to port, is a double quarter berth with lee cloth. Next, you come to the galley on the port side. It is a secure offshore galley, beautifully finished with solid Corian surface countertops, where the cook won't have a problem being secure in a seaway or at anchor. There is tons of counterspace and a large molded Corian sink into the counter for easy cleanup and a clean look, four burner Broadwater propane stove with oven, a Seafrost holding plate refrigeration system with a huge separate freezer. It can be run off 110 or engine driven while underway. It is new as of 2021. You will always be able to make ice as well as keep ice cream frozen for 72 hours even with the system turned off.

The navigation station is to starboard, across from the galley. The nav station is a bench style with Ultraleather covering the foam cushions throughout the whole boat. The nav station is well equipped for cruising with all the communication and navigation equipment within reach. Just before the navigation station on the starboard side, there is a large wet locker and a large deep pantry. All lockers have caning in the doors for ventilation. Before the galley on the port side, directly across from the pantry is the enclosed engine box amidships. It provides copious amounts of extra counter space and can be dismantled very easily for complete engine access. In fact, once it is removed, the motor can be removed by one person using the 12,000 lb pad eye above the motor with a line to the primary winch for lifting.

  • Garmin GPSmap XS EVT ACU chartplotter
  • Garmin GPSmap XS radar in chartplotter
  • Raymarine i70 autopilot with rudder angle
  • Raymarine i70 multifunction, depth, wind and speed
  • Venus 5" compass
  • Double spreader aluminum mast
  • Keel stepped mast
  • Aluminum boom
  • Genoa with Profurl roller furling
  • Staysail with Profurl roller furling
  • New standing rigging in 2012
  • Chainplates, stainless steel, and welded to hull
  • Running rigging replaced in 23/24
  • Two Enkel #28 2-speed self-tailing winches (cockpit)
  • One Enkel #20 2-speed self-tailing winch (cockpit)
  • Two Enkel # 20 2-speed self-tailing winches (Cabin top)
  • 1 Lewmar # 44 2-speed self-tailing winch (cabin top)
  • 1 Enkel # 18 2-speed self- tailing winch (mast)
  • 1 Enkel # 18 2-speed self-tailing winch ( mast)
  • 1 Enkel # 18 2-speed self-tailing winch (mast)
  • 2 Doyle mainsails with Harker Batcar system
  • 1 Highcut Doyle jib (good condition)
  • 120 Hard Sails Genoa (Excellent condition)
  • 1 Highcut Yankee ( good condition)
  • 1 Storm staysail (excellent condition)
  • 1 Storm Trysail with separate mast track (excellent condition)
  • 1 cruising spinnaker with Iron Mistress logo
  • Custom 12-volt electrical system with floating ground
  • 4 six six-volt batteries for the house
  • 2 six-volt batteries for engine start
  • BatteryMINDER monitor
  • Balmar 210 amp series 94 large case alternator
  • Balmar 130 amp small case alternator
  • Alternators have isolated ground
  • Air Marine wind generator with Ferris controller
  • 12-volt electrical panel
  • Marinco shore power core and power inlet
  • Galvanic isolator
  • Reverse polarity indicator
  • Magnum 2000-watt inverter/charger
  • Yanmar 4 cylinder naturally aspirated diesel
  • 4JH3E 56 hp diesel (good condition)
  • Racor RS 20 fuel filter
  • Kanzaki KBW20-1,  2.63 gear ratio
  • Last drop stuffing box
  • Whitlock rack and pinion steering
  • Numerous life jackets
  • Fire extinguishers
  • 2 3500 gal/hr 12v bilge pumps
  • Manual bilge pump in cockpit
  • Smoke and carbon detectors
  • Class 406 EPIRB
  • Winslow 6-man liferaft ( needs service)
  • Proper navigation lights

David Walters Yachts is pleased to assist you in the purchase of this vessel as a Buyers Agent. This boat is centrally listed by Derek Jarvis

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Brewer 12.8/44

The venerable whitby 42 has evolved into these two blue-water cruisers, both good, solid values..

Brewer 12.8/44

The Brewer 12.8 and the Brewer 44 are developments of the Whitby 42, a cruising boat from the board of Ted Brewer. Brewer is one of the great modern cruising boat designers. His boats are well-mannered, attractive and practical.

According to the designer, the Brewer 12.8 and Brewer 44 use the same basic hull and deck as the Whitby 42, a boat that was designed in 1971. Hull changes to the Whitby 42 were made by cutting out the long keel and attached rudder, replacing them with a more modern short keel and skeg-mounted rudder. This eliminated a lot of wetted surface, improving the light-air performance.

To improve windward performance, a high aspect ratio centerboard extends through the bottom of the 12.8s shallow keel. Since the board is not ballasted, it does not affect stability, but can be used when reaching to shift the center of lateral resistance.

The Brewer 44 is the same boat as the 12.8, with the stern extended slightly, increasing the size of the aft stateroom. This has the fortunate side effect of making the boat slightly narrower aft and reducing the size of the transom.

Both the Brewer 12.8 and the Brewer 44 are semi custom boats: you don’t go down and buy one from a dealer, you have one built. Eliminating a dealer network does away with commissions of approximately 20%-a significant saving to the customer on a boat this size.

Since the Brewer 44 is slightly larger-more boat for the buck-has a better aft cabin, and doesn’t cost a lot more to build, it has replaced the Brewer 12.8 as the standard model. You can still get a 12.8 on special order if you want a 42′ boat. Wed opt for the bigger boat because its better looking and has a much better aft cabin. Otherwise, the boats are virtually identical.

Absolutely the only advantage the 12.8 has over the 44 is that it is easier to lower a dinghy stowed in davits down the vertical transom of the 12.8. On the reverse transom of the 44, the dinghy tends to hang up as you drop it.

Its easy to get a little confused reading the specifications for the three boats. The beam of the 12.8 and the 44 is listed as 13′ 6″, while the Whitby 42 is 13′ wide. According to the designer, the difference probably comes from including the molded-in guardrails of the Brewer 12.8 and Brewer 44, since no change was made to the hull width.

Both the 12.8 and the 44 have 4′ 6″ standard draft, yet the 44 has from 2,000 to 3,000 pounds more ballast, from 2,650 to 3,650 pounds more displacement (depending on which ad you read), and a waterline from 1′ 3″ to 1′ 9″ longer. According to the builder, the 44 started out with 11,000 pounds of ballast, but that has gradually increased to almost 12,000 pounds.

Since there is no actual change in the keel depth or position in the two boats, it is reasonable to assume that the increasingly heavier 44 actually draws more than the advertised 4′ 6″. The extra displacement of the 44 probably translates into a base draft of about 4′ 9″. In practice, both the 12.8 and the 44 will draw even more in cruising trim, since owners of these boats frequently load them up with heavy items such as generators and bigger-than standard batteries.

The 12.8 and the Brewer 44 are built by Fort Myers Yacht and Shipbuilding. The yard has built 40 12.8s, and 24 of the 44′ version have been sold. The yard also built 33 Whitby 42s under license from the Canadian builder.

The 12.8 and the 44 were conceived as good performing, long distance livaboard cruisers. The members of the original syndicate which commissioned the Brewer 12.8 were experienced racing and cruising yachtsmen who wanted the livability and layout of the Whitby 42, coupled with a higher performance hull and rig configuration.

Brewer 12.8/44

Hull And Deck There is nothing fancy about the construction of the Brewer 12.8. The hull is a conventional layup of mat and roving, with balsa core from just below the waterline up to just below the sheer.

The hull-to-deck joint is formed by a glass hull bulwark with an inward-turning flange. The outward-turning bulwark flange of the deck molding overlaps this, and the hull and deck are bolted and bedded together. This is a good, solid joint. It is capped with teak.

A fiberglass rubbing strake is molded into the hull just below the sheer. Its a toss-up between a molded fiberglass rubbing strake and a bolted-on wooden one. Certainly maintenance will be easier with the fiberglass strake, but a wooden strake might absorb a little more impact without damage to the hull, and would probably be easier to repair or replace. In any case, a rubbing strake is a good idea on a boat that may well be laid alongside primitive docks in far-off places to load fuel or water.

Some of the construction details strike us as a little light for a serious cruising boat of this displacement. The shroud chainplates, for example, are 1/4″ stainless steel. If this were our own boat, and we were planning serious offshore cruising, wed want those chain plates to be 3/8″ material.

Likewise, rig specifications call for 9/32″ wire for shrouds and backstay, plus a 5/16″ headstay. Wed rather see at least 5/16″ shrouds, plus a 3/8″ headstay. The specified wire sizes are adequate, but we prefer a little more margin in an offshore cruiser. The lighter wire saves some weight and windage aloft, and a little money.

Some of the construction details are very good. Lifeline stanchions are 29″ tall, spaced closely together, and properly backed with aluminum plates. Some finishing details on the early 12.8 we sailed, on the other hand, were less satisfactory. For example, rather than using solid teak molding in the door frames, the Brewer 12.8 had glued-on veneer edging. Likewise, aft of the settee backs there are access hatches to storage areas. These access hatches are merely cutouts in the plywood, and the edges were not even sanded smooth before painting.

The Brewer 44 we looked at was a totally different animal in finish detail. Doorways have solid teak edge moldings; detailing is much better throughout. Where the early 12.8 rates only average production boat in the detailing category, the 44 detailing is very good production boat in quality. When we looked at the 12.8, we figured it needed another 200 hours of detailing to match its potential. The 44 is just about there.

Rig The standard rig of both the 12.8 and the 44 is a well proportioned, modern, high aspect ratio cutter. The mainsail area of 368 square feet is about the maximum size conventional mainsail that a retired couple would want to handle. If the boat is going to be a longterm retirement home, wed consider going to a roller-reefing mainsail such as the Hood Stoway or Metalmast Reefaway. This type of decision should be made when the boat is built, since a retrofit is an expensive proposition involving replacement of the spar.

The mast is by Isomat, with Lewmar halyard winches mounted on the spar. The rig is stepped through to the keel.

Engine And Mechanical Systems Standard engine for the Brewer 44 is a 62 hp Perkins 4-154. A larger 85 hp Perkins is optional. Either engine is more than adequate power for the boat. We prefer the smaller engine for its better fuel economy, but if you want a real motorsailer, the bigger engine is a reasonable choice. The Brewer 12.8 used the 62 hp Lehman Ford engine.

With the standard 135 gallons of fuel and the smaller engine, range under power is about 700 miles. This is just about what youd want in a big cruising boat that sails well.

Plumbing and wiring systems are good, but the standard batteries are too small for the boat. Although the standard equipment list is reasonably thorough, a lot of equipment you’d want for serious cruising is optional. The basics such as hot and cold pressure water, propane for cooking, fuel tank selection system and fuel filters are standard, and well executed.

Brewer 12.8/44

Handling Under Power The Brewer 12.8 with the Lehman diesel motors comfortably at 6 knots at about 1700 rpm. This is a very economical cruising speed. Both of the Perkins engines are capable of pushing the boat faster, but when you’re cruising, fuel economy is more important than how quickly you get there. The boats have a lot of windage. A major criticism of the Whitby 42 was that it was difficult to handle at low speeds when docking, particularly in a crosswind. Both the 12.8 and the 44, with their more cutaway underbodies, maneuver substantially better. This is still a big boat, and it will not spin on a dime like a smaller boat.

One change that would dramatically improve both speed under sail and handling under power would be to install a feathering prop such as the Maxprop instead of the standard solid prop. The 44 we looked at had a three-bladed Maxprop, and the owner wouldn’t have it any other way. A feathering prop gives full thrust in reverse-unlike either fixed or folding props-yet offers little more resistance under sail than a folding prop.

Midships cockpits with engine rooms below can be noisier both on decks and belowdecks. These boats have fairly good sound insulation in the engine room; you know the engine is running, but it’s not obtrusive.

Handling Under Sail The Brewer 12.8 sails as well as you’d want for a cruising boat. The boat is extremely well balanced. In about 12 knots of true wind-16 knots or so over the deck-we could trim the sails for upwind sailing, then walk away from the helm without even setting the wheel brake. In smooth water, the boat tracks and holds course well.

In puffier conditions, the boat tends to round up sharply when close reaching with the board fully extended. This is not much of a surprise, since most beamy boats do this.

With a large-diameter steering wheel and mechanical pull-pull steering, response and feel are excellent.

The boom on the 12.8 we sailed was very high off the deck. We ended up climbing onto one of the halyard winches to hook up the main halyard. This is a disadvantage, particularly if the crew is older and less agile.

Furling the main is also complicated by the high boom. You can reach the boom for furling at the mast and atop the aft cabin, but its difficult to do it over the center cockpit. Likewise, with the big dodger up, you can’t get to the boom over the main companionway. The boom is probably placed this high to clear a Bimini top, but it sure makes it a chore to set and furl the mainsail.

In contrast, the boom of the new 44 we examined was just enough lower to make hooking up the halyard and furling the mainsail a straightforward proposition.

Most of the standard winches for the boat are marginal in size, particularly if the boat is to be used for retirement sailing. Standard genoa sheet winches, for example, are Lewmar 52 self-tailers. These are approximately equivalent to the Barient self-tailing electric 28s that were on our test boat. Larger Lewmar primaries are optional, and should be chosen. Wed pass up the optional electric primaries at over $6,000, unless its the only way you can trim the sails.

The main halyard on the boat we sailed-one of the original eight Brewer 12.8s-had a poor lead: from a block at the base of the mast, through a deck mounted cheek block, through the dodger coaming, to a stopper and winch atop the cabin just forward of the cockpit. The turning block at the base of the mast was too high, allowing the halyard to chafe at several points, particularly on the cheek block. In fact, we could barely crank up the main using the Lewmar 30 halyard winch. This is easily corrected, but it was annoying to see the same poor lead on the brand new 44 we examined. In fact, the owner of the 44 had ordered a larger than standard main halyard winch to overcome the friction in the system.

Our test boat was rigged as a cutter. Staysail sheet winches are self-tailing Lewmar 30s mounted on the forward end of molded winch islands just outboard of the cockpit coamings. With a large cockpit dodger in place, it is difficult to impossible to use these winches: they’re actually hidden outside the dodger, and the dodger side curtains have to be unclipped to trim the staysail.

The primary headsail sheet winches are also awkward to use. The winch handle swings through the lifelines. This is a function of the wide, midships cockpit; sail handling has been compromised to create cockpit room.

There are properly through-bolted aluminum genoa tracks mounted atop the bulwarks. On our test 12.8, there was also a shorter inboard genoa track, which could be used to advantage going to windward, since the main shroud chainplates are set inboard of the rail. In practice, few of these boats will be equipped with a deck-sweeping genoa, so the inboard track is probably superfluous.

The 12.8 we sailed had large Schaefer turning blocks aft for improving genoa sheet leads to winches. However, these blocks were mounted almost flat on their welded winch islands. Since the winch is higher than the turning block, the lead from the block to the winch is not fair, which can cause chafe on the sheet and increased friction in the system. The blocks should be angled upward slightly to correct this, which could be done with shims or with a slight redesign of the mounting weldments.

On the Brewer 44, aft turning blocks are not standard. With a very high-cut genoa whose lead was very far aft, you could end up with an awkward sheet angle at the winch unless turning blocks are installed. This is a disadvantage of sail handling from a cockpit in the middle of the boat.

A full-width mainsheet traveler is mounted atop the aft cabin. Our 12.8 used a Schaefer traveler, while the 44 has a Lewmar unit. Controls for the Lewmar traveler cars are at the back end of the aft cabin. You have to climb out of the cockpit to adjust them. The original Schaefer traveler has car adjusters just aft of the helmsman, with stoppers and a Lewmar 30 winch. We’re at a loss to explain why a good setup was traded for a bad one.

The mainsail is trimmed by a Lewmar 30 self- tailer mounted atop the aft cabin, reasonably accessible to either helmsman or crew. This winch is powerful enough for a mainsail this size.

A double-headsail ketch rig with bowsprit is an option that will set you back about $7,000 by the time you buy the mast, sail and fancy bowsprit. Frankly, if you want a ketch rig because its easier to handle on a boat this size, you’d be better off spending that seven grand on a Stoway cutter rig, huge self-tailing sheet winches all around, and roller furling on both the genoa and staysail. It would probably be easier to handle than the ketch, and you’d keep the better performance of the single-masted rig.

Despite relatively shoal draft, the Brewer 12.8 is reasonably stiff. With full main and 150% genoa, the boat heels about 20 with 18 knots of breeze over the deck. With the optional deeper keel she would be a little stiffer, but the keel/centerboard combination is probably slightly faster on most points of sail, if a little tippier in heavy air.

We think the extra ballast in the Brewer 44 will make her an even better performer than the Brewer 12.8 in winds of over about 15 knots. Although the extra displacement and wetted surface will slow the boat slightly in very light winds, the standard rig is big enough to keep the boat moving in winds as light as most people care to sail in. When it’s too light, you can always turn on the engine. Most cruisers simply aren’t interested in squeezing out every ounce of performance in light air.

There are actually three different underwater configurations for the Brewer 44: a shoal fin keel; the same shoal keel with a high aspect ratio centerboard; and a slightly deeper-but still relatively shallow- fin keel.

The centerboard has become optional-it was originally standard on the 12.8-because a lot of people simply never bothered to use it. The boat sails fine without it; it just goes sideways a little more.

Brewer 12.8/44

On Deck Sail handling limitations aside, the cockpit is just about ideal for a cruising sailboat. You can comfortably seat eight in the cockpit for idle hours at anchor.

An Edson wheel steerer dominates the cockpit. It has custom boxes with electrical switches for anchor windlass, autopilot-you can practically run the boat from here. We’re a little concerned about the proximity of all this wiring to the steering compass, however. When having the compass swung, be sure to operate every piece of electrical equipment on the steering console to make sure that nothing affects the compass.

A high molded-in breakwater makes installing a full-width dodger fairly easy. A good cockpit dodger is essential on a center cockpit boat. Without a dodger, a center cockpit is a wet place to live sailing or motoring to windward in a blow. Both of the dodgers we looked at, however, blocked access to the staysail sheet winches.

Side decks are very narrow due to the wide cabin trunk. This is a definite compromise. The shroud chainplates come down right in the middle of the side decks, yet there isn’t room to walk outboard of the shrouds. Instead, you must step up and over the cabin.

Although its a $1,500 option, most owners will choose the stainless steel stub bowsprit with twin anchor rollers. The 12.8 we sailed had a CQR plow in the starboard roller, and a Danforth stowed sideways in the port roller. It was not the best arrangement. The 44 we examined had plows in both rollers, and they fit, although it is a tight squeeze.

A lot of these boats are equipped with custom davits for carrying a dinghy off the stern. They’re a good idea, since theres little deck space for stowing a dinghy aboard.

At the same time, carrying a dinghy in davits offshore can be a risky proposition, particularly in a following sea. The skipper of one 12.8 had the dinghy fill with water during a rough passage- someone forgot to take the plug out-and was afraid the entire arrangement of davits and dinghy was going to be lost. For passage making, wed probably bring the inflatable aboard and break it down for stowage, as awkward as that may seem.

Fuel fills are located in the waterways at just about the low point in the sheer. Water fills are in the waterways forward. As we found, you have to be careful if you’re taking on fuel and water at the same time. We overfilled the water tank, sending water straight toward the open fuel fill. Quick hands-not ours-got the cap back on the fuel fill before water could pour into the tank. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to raise the fuel fill about an inch off the deck on a pad to reduce the chances of this happening.

Belowdecks Some of the compromises in sail handling and deck layout have been made for the sake of the interior. The wide deckhouse that makes for narrow side decks creates a huge interior volume, and the space is used very well.

Because the forward cabin is pushed well into the eyes of the boat, the forepeak anchor locker is small. You can lead the anchor chain aft to the locker under the berths in the forward cabin, which has the advantage of moving a lot of weight further back in the boat, where it has less effect on pitching moment.

The forward cabin has V-berths, with an insert to form a double. The berths are quite narrow at the foot, and are only comfortably long for someone under 6′ tall. Outboard of the berths there are storage lockers, and there are drawers below.

Ventilation in the forward cabin at anchor is provided by a large Lewmar hatch and Beckson opening ports. Offshore ventilation consists of a cowl vent in a Dorade box.

You can enter the forward head from either the main cabin or the forward cabin, since there are two doors. Unfortunately, the door to the forward cabin wipes out the space that would otherwise be used as the head dresser. Instead, you get a little sink with not much space for laying out the essentials of your toilette.

The forward door also means that the head sink is pushed fairly far outboard. With the boat heeled over on starboard tack, seawater backs up through it. One boat we looked at had a big wooden plug to stick in the drain, while the other owner had added a shutoff valve to the drain line just below the sink.

Ironically, the small head dresser is quite low, and could easily have been raised up another 4″ or so. This wouldn’t eliminate the problem, but the boat could heel over a little more before you’d have to do something about it.

Both the forward and aft heads use inexpensive, bottom-of-the-line water closets. Our experience is that cheap heads work fine for daysailing and coastal cruising, but are a curse for the serious livaboard cruiser. Wed rather see a Wilcox-Crittenden Imperial or Skipper on a serious cruising boat.

A solar-powered vent overhead provides exhaust ventilation, but we think in addition that every head should have an opening overhead hatch. A cowl vent in a Dorade box would also be a good idea. It’s impossible to have too much ventilation in a head.

The main cabin has a straight settee to starboard, an L-shaped settee to port. You can also have a pair of armchairs on the starboard side instead of the settee, but we see no advantage to this. The L-shaped settee has a drop-in section to convert it to a double, so that you can have three double berths on the boat, if you’re masochistic enough to want to cruise with three couples. The good thing is that the boat does contain three separate living spaces, with direct access from each of the spaces both to the deck and to a head compartment. Thats a tricky thing to do, and Ted Brewer has pulled it off as well as you can.

Aluminum water tanks holding 200 gallons are located in the bilge under the main cabin.

There is good locker space outboard of the settees in place of the more commonly-seen pilot berths that usually become useless catch-alls. One locker is designed as a large booze locker. When you think about the imbibing habits of a lot of sailors, this makes a lot more sense than stuffing one bottle here, another over there.

Ventilation in the main cabin is good for in port, less good for offshore. There are four opening ports in the main cabin. The standard ports are plastic, which we think is not an acceptable material for an offshore cruiser of this type. Stainless steel opening ports are an option costing $1,890. This buys you very good cast-frame opening ports, which we think should really be standard on a boat of this caliber.

There are also two aluminum-framed hatches over the main cabin. The hatches currently used are single-opening Lewmar hatches with extruded frames. The older 12.8 we sailed had double-opening Atkins & Hoyle cast hatches. A double-opening hatch allows you to open the hatch forward in port for maximum air flow, aft when sailing to keep water from getting below. We wish they had stuck with the more expensive cast hatches.

Two cowl vents in Dorade boxes are provided for sailing ventilation. Like the cowl vents on a lot of boats, the down take pipes into the cabin of the Brewer boats are improperly proportioned: they should never be smaller than the nominal pipe diameter of the vent itself.

The galley has undergone a lot of minor changes since the first boats in the Brewer 12.8 series were built. The early boat we examined had sinks that were too small, water fixtures that were too low relative to the sinks, drawers that were difficult to operate, and fiddles without corner clean outs. The 44 we examined had changed all of these things.

One thing has not changed. Between the sinks and the stove, there is a large dry well for storage. This is about the size and shape of a large grocery shopping cart. You wouldn’t want to have to dig to the bottom of a grocery cart for the cereal and crackers every time you wanted to use them, but thats pretty much what you have to do with this well. It should at least be divided with sliding shelves to make it easier to use.

At the aft end of the galley, there is a large refrigerator and freezer mounted athwartships. It is well insulated, and has a well-gasketed top.

Theres another big opening hatch over the galley, and it is properly placed behind the dodger breakwater, where it can serve as an exhaust vent in any conditions-as long as the dodger is up.

Standard stove is a three-burner propane stove with oven-just what youd want.

A big chart table is opposite the galley. While it has good storage for navigation books, there is no coherent arrangement for the mounting of the array of electronics that you find on the typical modern cruising boat. Since these boats are built on a semicustom basis, you could probably have the nav station modified to suit your particular electronics. These boats were designed before the contemporary electronics explosion, and some details have not been upgraded to reflect the state of the art.

Aft of the nav station, there is a passageway with stooping headroom to the aft cabin. On the starboard side of the passage, there is a huge workbench with chart storage and tool storage below. This is a great way to use this space, rather than trying to throw in another berth.

On the older boat we looked at, this same space was filled with a huge freezer and battery storage- an advantage of semi-custom flexibility. The big electrical panel is located over the workbench: out of the way, yet reasonably accessible. Opposite the work area, under the cockpit, is a real engine room. Theres room for the main engine, an optional generator, fuel filtration system, hot water storage tank, and batteries. Although you have to climb over the engine to check the batteries, everything is reasonably accessible. A real engine room is a rarity in a boat this size, and is only practical with the center cockpit configuration.

The aft cabin of the 12.8 has two quarterberths which can be joined by a drop-in section to create a large thwartships double. The extra 2′ in the stern of the 44 makes it possible to have a big permanent fore and aft double berth. If you want, you can still get the two berth configuration.

A separate companionway at the forward end of the aft cabin gives access to the cockpit without going through the passageway. This companionway has a slatted drop board, and since it faces forward, it is vulnerable to spray. For offshore sailing, it should be secured with a tight-fitting canvas cover. In port, it will provide good ventilation at the expense of some privacy. There is also another aluminum-framed hatch over this cabin. It suffers from the same limitations as the hatches over the main cabin.

You can get a sit-down shower stall in the aft head, or have a more conventional arrangement using the entire head as the shower compartment. A sit-down shower may be easier to clean, but you give up a lot of head dresser space to get it.

There is excellent locker space throughout the boat, including three hanging lockers and a foul weather gear locker. Instead of packing in extra berths, the designer and builder have chosen to limit the number of berths and maximize storage. It was a wise choice.

With the exception of the under-cockpit passage, headroom is well over 6′ throughout.

Conclusions Since the Brewer 44 is a lineal descendant of the Whitby 42 and Brewer 12.8, a lot of the shortcomings of those boats have been ironed out over the years. Finishing details have gradually improved, and have generally kept pace with the boatbuilding industry trend toward better detailing.

At first glance, the sail away price of just under $160,000 seems like a misprint. That price includes main and genoa, Hood roller furling on the headsail, propane, refrigeration, basic electronics and pumps. Theres also a long options list. The kicker is that a lot of the things on the options list should be standard on a high-quality cruising boat. For example, the bigger primary sheet winches that we think are required cost an extra $1,800. A teak and holly cabin sole is another thousand; two tone decks (rather than plain white) add $670. Lightning grounding costs $720, an anchor platform $1,500.

Although the boat was designed as a cutter, staysail rigging, winches, and the sail itself add $2,600.

Standard batteries total only 225 amp hours capacity. For batteries the right size, add $400. For metal ports rather than plastic, shell out almost $1,900. Even the centerboard in a boat that was designed as a keel/center boarder adds $2,600 to the sail away price.

With the options that we think are really essentials, the sail away price jumps by about $15,000.

What do you get for $175,000? You get a well designed, good-sailing, well-built ocean cruising home, a retirement cottage for every romantic port in the world. The boats are not as well detailed or equipped as higher-priced boats such as Aldens, Hinckleys, and Little Harbors. But they’re good, solid values, and they’ll take you to the same places as more expensive boats. In this day and age, thats not a bad recommendation.

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CAPE RACE A 44' Motorsailer for steel construction Brewer Design #53

CAPE RACE is a husky motorsailer of steel construction, designed for year round live-aboard usage and long distance, blue water cruising. The yacht was designed as a pure round bilged hull but a simpler double chine hull form is also available.

Her accommodation plan is worthy of study as it features accommodations for 6-7 in three separate staterooms, each with its own head and shower. There is generous stowage space throughout and ample tankage for extended voyages.

Comfort is assured by the well sheltered helm station, 7kw generator set, air conditioning, deep freeze, electric refrigeration, warm air heating and many other amenities.

The ketch rig is simple and easily handled with its roller furling jib. The mast are mounted in tabernacles for ease of lowering as the original boat built to this design was used extensively in the canals in Europe. Although the sail area is quite moderate the CAPE RACE performs well under sail in a decent breeze and the owner of ZIG ZAG, the first yacht built to this design, reported that she was surprisingly fast and comfortable.

Auxiliary power is by a diesel of 70-80 hp for economical cruising in the 7-8 knot range. The engine compartment is quite spacious and affords room for all the necessary machinery without crowding.

ZIG ZAG was well named. She has cruised the Baltic, the Mediterranean, the canals of Europe, the Danube, the Black Sea, crossed the Atlantic, cruised the Caribbean, the east coast to Nova Scotia, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico, the Panama canal and the west coast of North America. She was truly well named!

   

Study plans contain sufficient drawings to price out materials or obtain a professional bid; the cost of study plans is credited if complete plans are later ordered. Complete plans include rights to build one boat, plus reasonable consultation during construction.

Brewer Yacht Designs 1825 Evergreen Drive Agassiz, BC Canada VOM 1A3 Phone 604-796-373 2  Fax 604-796-3738 [email protected]

Sail Far Live Free

Sail Far Live Free

Question of the month w/ ted brewer: 50 years of cruising sailboat evolution.

Brewer-designed 42' alumninum s/v
has cruised the S. Pacific extensively
Brewer-designed Pacific 42 belonging to Burl Ives
Brewer-designed Puffin 38 (s/v ) features twin fin keels and a central ballast pod.
She's cruised a lot of bluewater, from Seattle to the Bahamas and back 
Brewer-designed Carib ketch, built by Cape North
Ted Brewer's very first production boat design - a Douglas 31 from 1967.
Notice the short waterline & long overhangs from the CCA rule.

So does that mean it's OK to sail a Laser - or not?

Of course! I learned the very basics of sailing aboard a Laser using the trial and (mostly) error method. It's exhilarating to be that close to the water getting sprayed and feeling such a close connection to the boat.

Keep on working, great job!

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Whitby Brewer Sailboat Association

We are a group of sailors who own, use or are interested in Ted Brewer-designed boats, primarily focused on Whitby Boat Works Whitby 42 and 55, Ft. Myers' Whitby 42, Brewer 42, 44, and 12.8 . The goals of the all-volunteer Association are simple: learn, share and help others learn about, maintain, repair, sail and enjoy their Ted Brewer designed boats. 

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COMMENTS

  1. Ted Brewer Yacht Design

    This includes individual designs such as the Lazyjack, Rob Roy, and Quickstep. Brewer Yacht Designs. 1825 Evergreen Drive. Agassiz, BC. Canada VOM 1A3. Phone 604-796-3732 Fax 604-796-3738. [email protected]. Ted Brewer is a world renowned yacht designer, with over 270 sail and power designs.

  2. Ted Brewer Yacht Design

    CARIOCA A handsome, clipper bowed, flush decked 40' cutter with full keel and Brewer bite. Radius bilge hull. Berths for 6-7, large galley, deep, protected cockpit. A yacht that blue water sailors will appreciate. SP-$90 US/ FP-$895 US. VERITY 40 A 40' fast, radius bilge, fin keel cutter and a very successful design.

  3. Edward S. Brewer

    Edward S. Brewer. 1933 - 2021. www.tedbrewer.com. From Designers website: Ted was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1933. In 1957 he was a Lieutenant in the Canadian Army and resigned his commission to return to his first love, boating. He was lucky to get a job as yacht broker with George Cuthbertson, who later founded C&C Yachts and, at the same ...

  4. Ted Brewer: A Stand-Up Draftsman

    Yacht designer Ted Brewer gazes back over a storied career. T ed and Betty Brewer's living room is warm and inviting. Two harpoons hang on teak-colored walls, and a model boxcar sits on the shelf alongside other artifacts marking a life well-lived. A picture window overlooks a baseball diamond across a quiet street in Agassiz, British Columbia.

  5. Ted Brewer Yacht Design

    Ted Brewer Presents A Primer on Yacht Design. The Numbers (More Than You Ever Wanted To Know!) (And please don't ask me what the Metric equivalents are!) The terms and ratios that follow are used by all yacht designers so it's a good idea to have an understanding of them if you are considering buying a boat, or having a custom design created ...

  6. Ted Brewer boats for sale

    Ted Brewer boats for sale on YachtWorld are listed for a swath of prices from $28,500 on the moderate end of the spectrum, with costs up to $185,000 for the highly-specialized, bespoke models. What Ted Brewer model is the best? Some of the most widely-known Ted Brewer models currently listed include: 45 Custom, Jason Pilothouse Offshore, Nimble ...

  7. Sail Ted Brewer boats for sale

    Boats for Sale ⁄ / Sail ⁄ / Ted Brewer; Sail Ted Brewer boats for sale. Save Search. Clear Filter Make / Model: All Ted Brewer Category: All Sail. Location. By Radius. By Country. country-all. All Countries. Country-US. United States. All. All 25 miles 50 miles 100 miles 200 miles 300 miles 500 miles 1000 miles 2000 miles 5000 miles. from ...

  8. 1988 Ted Brewer 45 Custom Iron Mistress

    DESCRIPTION: Iron Mistress is an incredible yacht from the board of legendary designer, Ted Brewer! Hull and deck were constructed in 1987 by Mooney Marine, with the interior finished up in York Maine. The quality of the build and the attention to detail of its only owner shine in this classic circumnavigator. designed by Ted Brewer for her owner.

  9. Brewer 12.8/44

    The venerable Whitby 42 has evolved into these two blue-water cruisers, both good, solid values. The Brewer 12.8 and the Brewer 44 are developments of the Whitby 42, a cruising boat from the board of Ted Brewer. Brewer is one of the great modern cruising boat designers. His boats are well-mannered, attractive and practical.

  10. 1988 Custom Ted Brewer 45 sailboat for sale in Florida

    12.6'. 5.6'. Florida. $185,000. Description: Absolutely the finest steel cutter I have ever seen! Immaculate in every way, owner by the same highly respected Yachtsman since she was built. Hull and deck built by Mooney Marine and interior was finished in York Maine. She completed a five year circumnavigation in the early 2000's.

  11. Ted Brewer Yacht Design

    Brewer Design #53. CAPE RACE is a husky motorsailer of steel construction, designed for year round live-aboard usage and long distance, blue water cruising. The yacht was designed as a pure round bilged hull but a simpler double chine hull form is also available. Her accommodation plan is worthy of study as it features accommodations for 6-7 in ...

  12. Question of the Month w/ Ted Brewer: 50 Years of Cruising Sailboat

    50 Years of Cruising Sailboat Evolution by Ted Brewer. I thought it would be interesting to look back over the changes in boat design that have come along in the 50 plus years since May '57, when I was discharged from the army. That's when I got into the boating business, beginning as a yacht broker at George Cuthbertson's Canadian ...

  13. Ted Brewer Yacht Design

    About Ted. Consulting. Stock Plans: Power vessels. Sail-Fibreglass. Sail-Wood. Sail-Steel. Sail-Aluminum. Ordering Info. Links. Contact. Sailing Vessel Designs for Wood Construction ... Brewer Yacht Designs 1825 Evergreen Drive Agassiz, BC Canada VOM 1A3 Phone 604-796-3732 Fax 604-796-3738 [email protected].

  14. Brewer boats for sale

    Brewer. There are presently 15 yachts for sale on YachtWorld for Brewer. This assortment encompasses 1 brand-new vessels and 14 pre-owned yachts, all of which are listed by knowledgeable yacht brokers predominantly in United States, Canada and Mexico. Models currently listed on YachtWorld span in size and length from 30 feet to 52 feet.

  15. BREWER 44

    Ft. Myers Yacht & Shipbuilding (USA) Designer: Ted Brewer: KLSC Leaderboard. Auxiliary Power/Tanks (orig. equip.) Make: Perkins: Type: Diesel: HP: 62: Fuel: 136 gals / 515 L: Accomodations. Water: 200 gals / 757 L: Sailboat Calculations ... This is a ratio created by Ted Brewer as a measure of motion comfort.

  16. Ted Brewer boats for sale

    Ted Brewer boats for sale on YachtWorld are listed for a range of prices from £28,500 on the relatively lower-priced models, with costs up to £185,000 for the most luxurious yachts. Which Ted Brewer model is the best? Some of the most popular Ted Brewer models presently listed include the 45 Custom, Jason Pilothouse Offshore, Nimble 30 and ...

  17. Ted Brewer Jason Pilothouse Offshore

    Engine · 1 x diesel 52hp, Perkins 4-108 (1977) Lying · Kenmore, WA USA - Shown by Appointment. Broker's Comments: The Jason 35 is featured in the book "Best Boats to Build or Buy" by Ferenc Mate, and was designed by Ted Brewer for experienced owners who wanted a seaworthy, fast, maneuverable blue water cruiser.

  18. Ted Brewer Yacht Design

    TEHANI: This 38' modern radius bilge sloop was designed to circumnavigate the globe but her performance hull and generous sail area will make her equally at home in coastal waters. The layout was designed for live-aboard usage for a couple with occasional guests. She is a true bird of passage. SP-$85 US/ FP-$895 US.

  19. 1977 Ted Brewer Jason Pilothouse Offshore

    Ted Brewer Design 3 VIRTUAL TOURS - 1 VIDEO - 103 PHOTOS - FULL SPECS & BROKER'S COMMENTS CAN BE VIEWED OF THIS Jason 35 Pilothouse Offshore - Visit our website Boats For Sale page! Boat REF# · 323146 Length · 35'0" Year · 1977 Construction · GRP Underwater profile · Fin Sleeping berths · 3 Engine · 1 x diesel 52hp, Perkins 4-108 (1977)

  20. 44.8' Ted Brewer 45 CC Chen Blue Water Cruiser

    North Carolina. $45,990. Description: Brewer 45 Cutter Ketch Full Keel Unique Blue Water cruising Sailboat. PRICE DROPPED WITH $15,000 for quick sale!! Very rare opportunity to buy one of the best ocean cruiser, ever built! Ted Brewer design, this 44'8" was built by famous The CC Chen boat builder in Taiwan, All Fiberglas, full keel.

  21. Whitby Brewer Sailboats

    Whitby Brewer Sailboat Association. We are a group of sailors who own, use or are interested in Ted Brewer-designed boats, primarily focused on Whitby Boat Works Whitby 42 and 55, Ft. Myers' Whitby 42, Brewer 42, 44, and 12.8.The goals of the all-volunteer Association are simple: learn, share and help others learn about, maintain, repair, sail and enjoy their Ted Brewer designed boats.

  22. Ted Brewer Yacht Design

    Fuel, 230 gals. Water. VICTORY. A 44' Auxiliary Cutter for fibreglass construction. Brewer Design #98. VICTORY was designed for a west coast owner who knew exactly what he wanted in the way of a blue water cruiser and a home afloat during extended voyages. The hull is a deep Y section and has proven comfortable and able in heavy going.

  23. TED BREWER sailboats for sale by owner.

    TED BREWER preowned sailboats for sale by owner. TED BREWER used sailboats for sale by owner.