Lines plan of hull
Designer
Ben Lexcen
(1936 - 1988)
Date1936-1988
Object numberANMS1543[369]
NamePlan
MediumInk on film
DimensionsOverall: 2740 x 890
Copyright© Ben Lexcen
ClassificationsMaps, charts and plans
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionAUSTRALIA II hull lines plan, made by renown Australian yacht designer Ben Lexcen in 1981.
HistoryThe hull ‘lines plan’, showing a three-dimensional shape of a ship’s hull on paper, was developed by English master shipwright, Mathew Baker in the mid 1600’s. He is the first known shipwright to use design drawings to calculate and build ships, rather than use scaled models made in wood. With this ‘mathematical process’ of ship building, using technical drawings, he designed and built at least thirteen royal ships, which due to their revolutionary underwater hull shape, manoeuvred particularly well. Sailing boats for pleasure appears to have started in Holland in the 1400’s but when Charles II returned to England in 1660, after ten years in exile, the Dutch gave him a luxurious 60-foot yacht called MARY. He sailed this yacht extensively on the river Thames, and went on the study naval architecture and navigation. He built more than twenty yachts in his lifetime, and together with his brother, James (Duke of York), started the first 40-mile regatta on the Thames. The first race was in October 1662, with Charles at the helm of his new yacht KATHERINE and his brother James sailing his yacht ANNE. The yacht KATHERINE won and the new sport of yacht racing was born. The design of fast sailing boats, specifically for pleasure, started and continues today.
Ben Lexcen (born Bob Miller in 1936) started designing and building fast sailing boats, and winning races, in the early 1950’s. He later became a skilled sail-maker and international winning small boat sailor. In 1959 he designed and built a revolutionary 18-foot skiff called ‘TAIPAN’ and later in 1961 designed and built ‘VENOM’, a world championship winner. He teamed up with sailing companion Craig Whitworth, forming the ‘Miller& Whitworth’ sail makers during the early 1960’s, while continuing to design fast boats. Largely self-taught as a naval architect, Bob Miller (later Ben Lexcen) quickly established himself as one of Australia’s premier yacht designers. He designed many well-known race winners such as: MERCEDES II, GINKGO, APOLLO, APOLLO II; and the 72-foot maxi BALLYHOO.
The America’s Cup was originally known as ‘The British ‘Royal Yacht Squadron £100 cup’ and offered as the prize for a yacht race around the Isle of Wight in 1851. The first race was won by the schooner yacht ‘AMERICA’ owned by the group of members from The New York Yacht Club (NYYC). This syndicate donated the cup to the club and it was re-named ‘The America’s Cup’ after the name of the yacht. The ‘12mR International Rule’ for racing yachts, participating in the America’s Cup, started in 1958 and ran up to 1987 when the International America’s Cup Class (IACC) was introduced.
Australia’s quest for the America’s Cup began in 1962 with the Alan Payne designed ‘GRETEL’. This was followed in 1966 with the Warwick J. Hood yacht ‘DAME PATTIE’ and by ‘GRETEL II’ in 1970. Alan Bond took up the challenge hopes for Australia in 1974 when he hired Ben Lexcen (then Bob Miller) to design ‘SOUTHERN CROSS’ (KA-4).
During his career, Ben Lexcen designed seven 12mR Australian America’s Cup challenge yachts, starting with ‘SOUTHERN CROSS’ in 1974 thenAUSTRALIA in 1977, and again in 1980. The design of AUSTRALIA II (KA-6) and ‘CHALLENGE 12’ (KA-10) started in late 1980, and continued up to the build of the yachts by ‘Steve E. Ward & Co.’ in Perth, Western Australia in 1982. Alan Bond sold ‘CHALLENGE 12’ to…. And the yacht participated in the elimination trials at Newport RI in 1983.
Following crew training, AUSTRALIA II was shipped to the United States in the early spring of 1983, the Australian challenger took part in the 1983 America’s Cup races at Newport Rhode Island, on September 14th to 26th. After defending the trophy for 132 years, AUSTRALIA II (KA-6) beat the America yacht ‘LIBERTY’ and won the coveted America’s Cup for Australia.SignificanceThe hull lines, of the now world famous 12mR yacht AUSTRALIA II, were developed by Ben Lexcen from early 1981. Following extensive design and tank testing of several scale models of the hull, rudder and ballast keel, the ideal shapes were found. This work, showing the final three- dimensional shape of AUSTRALIA II, is one of the most important design drawings on the whole project and was used to build the yacht. 
