General Arrangement Plan, 38.4M Schooner Yacht, John K Griffin designer

Designer Ben Lexcen (1936 - 1988)

Date7 November 1985

Object numberANMS1543[148]

NamePlan

MediumPaper

Dimensions600 x 865

ClassificationsMaps, charts and plans

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds

Terms

DescriptionAn original photo copy design work by John K. Griffin, showing the hull profile and interior accommodation layout, for a 38.4-meter (126-foot) sailing yacht (schooner) dated November 1985. HistoryThe Griffin family were very well known in Sydney for their boat building and yacht charter business. Two brothers, Joe and Harold Griffen started their boatyard 1928 and the operation continued up 1979. During this time the yard built a large number of wooden yachts, boats and commercial vessels. Harold designed and built a very fast 16-foot racing skiff called RIVAL in 1928. The company moved from their original Church Point boatyard to a new purpose built faciality at Mona Vale in 1962. Harold’s son, John K. Griffin, worked as young boatbuilder and later naval architect at the yard designing and building many well-known wooden yachts in the 1950’s 60’. The yard built the 65-foot motor yacht SUNDONER for Sir Theo Kelly and Alan Bond’s APOLLO, designed by Ben Lexcen (then Bob Miller). John K. Griffin designed and built many yachts, motor yacht and boats in his long career. This included the wooden Griffin 34-foot and Whirlwind 29-foot racing boats as well as a 17-foot production GRP boat. John K. Griffin took over the yard from his farther and continued running it up to 1979 when pressure from glass fibre-built production yachts (GRP), made hand crafted wooded yachts uncompetitive. New orders at the yard dwindled and John closed the yard in 1979. He continued working as a production manager and naval architect at ‘Olsen Yachts’ in South Korea and later in Taiwan building a series of motor yachts. He also helped set up and manage a yacht building yard in Indonesia. At this time Korea, Indonesia and Taiwan did not have the background building high quality yachts. He eventually returned home to his family in Australia but continued yacht design work. His son David Griffin, was an apprentice boatbuilder at the old Griffin yard in 1969 and continued building yachts in Australia and Malaysia and later as a technical consultant and marine surveyor in Sydney. The John K. Griffin design work for the 38.4-meter (126-foot) sailing schooner is dated November 1985. This indicates it was after the time he returned home to Australia. A 38.4-meter (126’) sailing schooner, with thirty berths for guest plus more for the crew, represents a considerable cost to build. It may have been intended to build this yacht at a location where labour and material costs were lower, but no records have so far been found if it was built.SignificanceThis John K. Griffin design is unusual, as at 38.4 metre (126-feet) overall it is an unusually large, long keeled traditional yacht for 1985 with a three-mast schooner rig. With accommodation for thirty-two guests, plus a crew, this suggests it is probably a proposal drawing for a sail-training or charter vessel. The design work is a normal photo copy of the original hand drawing, which would have been on water proof draughting paper. It was common practice for yacht designers to make copies to send out to clients and builders and keep the original as the copywrite stayed with them. The drawing date indicates it was made after John K. Griffin returned to Australia from setting up and managing new yacht building facilities in Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia.