1933 – 2021 • Website
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 time, Ted was working on the Westlawn School of Yacht Design course.
Ted learned a great deal about design from George and also from Dick Telford, a boat builder, a very capable designer, and a good friend who also worked there. During his years with Cuthbertson, Ted was racing aboard 8 meter yachts in Lake Ontario and sailing his own small boats up and down the lake. Then, in late 1960 he had a chance to move to Connecticut and work for A. E. "Bill" Luders Jr. as assistant designer.
While with Bill he worked on everything from 5.5 meter sloops (about 50 of them), to 12 meter America's Cup racers, ocean racing yachts and power boats. He assisted in the modification of WEATHERLY for the successful 1962 Cup defense and did all the drawings for the Bill Luders' designed 12 meter yacht AMERICAN EAGLE, and supervised her construction.
In 1967 Ted moved to Brooklin, Maine to hang out his shingle but still did all of Luders drafting, including the conversion of EAGLE to an ocean racer. In partnership with Bob Wallstrom he produced over 100 custom and production designs, from 18' catboats to the exquisite 62' teak ketch TRAVELLER III and, from the sublime to the ridiculous, even a 64' 3 masted schooner approved by the USCG for daysailing 125 passengers.
In the mid '70s Ted pioneered his, widely copied, radius bilge method of building metal hulls and, over the years, designed dozens of steel and aluminum craft from 30 to 100 feet. One of these yachts, GLOBE STAR, circumnavigated the globe in '81 without the use of sextant, compass or instruments of any kind.
From 1970 to 1979, Ted worked in partnership with Bob Wallstrom, who had a hand in many of the designs during this period.
In '79 Ted moved to Washington state and, in the next 20 years, produced 160 more designs including the beautiful Whitby 55 ketch, the handsome 45' schooner SOPHIA CHRISTINA and the fast and powerful 70' schooner TREE OF LIFE, winner of the 2000 Antigua Race Week.
In 1999 Ted and his wife Betty moved to Gabriola Island, B.C. Where he donated time, for several years, lecturing at the Silva Bay Shipyard School. They moved to Agassiz, B.C. In 2006, where he still sells stock plans and writes for Good Old Boat magazines. In addition to completing over 270 designs, Ted has written three books; one of them, 'Understanding Boat Design', is now in its 4th edition and has been a popular design primer for 30 years.
'Understanding Boat Design' by Ted Brewer
Available at www.tedbrewer.com or at any number of book sellers.
Pub: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 4th edition (November 1, 1993)
ISBN-10: 0070076944
ISBN-13: 978-0070076945
Ted has raced and cruised in waters from Hawaii (3 Trans-Pacs) to the eastern Mediterranean, and from the Caribbean to the Great Lakes.
Editors addendum:
I want to express my appreciation to designer Ted Brewer, and his wife Betty, for providing many valuable corrections, and additions, including a number of terrific drawings of his many boats.
I'd like to add that one can purchase full sized drawings of most of his designs, as well as his book from his web site. I believe you can also purchase any of his past articles from the Good Old Boat website. (goodoldboat.com)
Thanks again, Ted and Betty.
| Name | LOA (ft) | First Built | Last Built | Rig |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALOHA 10.4 | 34 | 1981 | — | Cutter |
| ALOHA 28 | 28 | 1972 | 1988 | Masthead Sloop |
| ALOHA 34 | 34 | 1975 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| ALOHA 8.5 | 28 | 1983 | 1988 | Masthead Sloop |
| ARAGOSA 35 | 34.75 | 1989 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| ARAGOSA 38 | 38.08 | 1988 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| BREWER 12.8 | 42 | 1983 | — | Cutter |
| BREWER 44 | 44 | 1984 | — | Cutter |
| BREWER 46 | 46 | 1985 | — | Cutter |
| CABOT 36 | 35.58 | 1974 | — | Cutter |
| CAPE CARIB 33 | 32.33 | 1970 | — | Staysail Ketch |
| CAPE NORTH 43 | 43.24 | 1977 | — | Staysail Ketch |
| CONSTELLATION 44 | 44.33 | 1978 | — | Masthead Ketch |
| DOUGLAS 31/32 | 32.09 | 1967 | 1982 | Masthead Sloop |
| EO 32 | 31.75 | 1979 | — | Cutter |
| GODERICH 35 | 35.67 | 1977 | — | Cutter |
| HM-27 | 27.25 | 1975 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| HULLMASTER 27 | 27.25 | 1974 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| HULLMASTER 31 | 31.25 | 1973 | 1979 | Masthead Sloop |
| ISLANDER 48C | 47.5 | 1982 | 1985 | Cutter |
| JASON 35 | 34.5 | 1972 | — | Cutter |
| KAIULANI 34 | 33.92 | 1980 | — | Cutter |
| KAIULANI 38 | 38 | 1980 | — | Cutter |
| KANTER ATLANTIC 45 | 44.75 | 1989 | — | Staysail Ketch |
| LAZY JACK SCHOONER | 31.58 | 1972 | — | 2 Mst. Schooner |
| MAO TA 42/44 | 44 | 1980 | — | Cutter |
| MARINER 47 (BREWER) | 47.5 | 1980 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| MORGAN 32 | 31.92 | 1980 | 1986 | Masthead Sloop |
| MORGAN 32-2/3 | 32 | 1983 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| MORGAN 382 | 38.33 | 1977 | 1982 | Masthead Sloop |
| MORGAN 383/384 | 38.33 | 1982 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| NIMBLE 20 | 20.92 | 1986 | — | Fractionally Rigged Ketch |
| NIMBLE 24 | 28.42 | 1988 | — | Masthead Ketch |
| NIMBLE 25 ARCTIC | 26 | 1988 | 1993 | Fractional Sloop |
| NIMBLE 30 | 29.92 | 1985 | — | Masthead Yawl |
| NIMBLE KODIAK 24 | 24 | 1998 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| NIMBLE WANDERER MS | 32.42 | 1997 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| OCEANIC 38 | 37.83 | 1982 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| OCEANIC 43 | 42.92 | 1980 | 1983 | Cutter |
| OCEANIC 46 (BREWER) | 45.75 | 1980 | — | Cutter |
| OLYMPIC 42 | 41.99 | 1976 | — | Masthead Ketch |
| OLYMPIC ADVENTURE 42 | 42.25 | 1978 | — | Masthead Ketch |
| OLYMPIC ADVENTURE 47 | 47 | 1974 | — | Masthead Ketch |
| PACIFIC 42/45 | 45 | 1980 | — | Staysail Ketch |
| PAN OCEANIC 38 | 37.83 | 1982 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| QUICKSTEP 24 | 23.92 | 1976 | 1989 | Masthead Sloop |
| ROB ROY 23 | 28.67 | 1980 | 2001 | Fractional Yawl |
| SUN SEEKER 23 | 23.67 | 1980 | — | Fractional Sloop |
| THREE SEAS 40 | 40 | 1986 | — | Masthead Sloop |
| THREE SEAS 45 | 45 | 1980 | — | Staysail Ketch |
| WHITBY 42 | 42 | 1972 | 1988 | Masthead Ketch |
| WHITBY 55 | 55 | 1982 | — | Staysail Ketch |