Irwin

Irwin Yachts was an American boat builder based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats and became one of the largest producers of sailboats in the United States. The company was founded by Ted Irwin 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.

The first design produced was the Irwin 27, in 1967. Typical of his cruising boats was the Irwin 41, a 41.50 ft (12.6 m) blue-water cruiser introduced in 1982. 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. 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 to get founders John Brooks and Rob Valdes started in the boat building business.

The company built more cruising sailboats with a length overall of greater than 50 ft (15.2 m) than any other company worldwide, with more than 300 of the Irwin 52, 54, 65 and 68 models completed. Irwin yachts closed in 1992 for the final time.

Source: Wikipedia