Robert H. Perry is a U.S. yacht designer based in Seattle, Washington. Among his designs are some of the most successful cruising yachts in modern cruising such as the Tatoosh 42, Tayana 37 and Valiant 40. Through his career he has designed boats for many well recognized names in the yachting industry, such as Tayana, Cheoy Lee, Valiant, Baba, Ta Shing, Islander, Passport and Saga. Perry has taught yacht design at Evergreen State College.Robert Perry bio on perryboat.com

Early life In 1957 when Robert H. Perry was twelve, he and his family moved from Sydney, Australia to Vancouver, British Columbia. He writes that the trip made a lasting impression on him and spurred his interest in yacht design. At the beginning of his ninth-grade year, his family moved to Mercer Island, Washington, an area renowned for its school system. Here, his interest in sailboats really clicked. He met famous designer William Garden, joined the local yacht club, and excelled at mechanical drawing. Perry graduated with a 1.69 GPA from Mercer Island High School in 1964. The only local college that would accept him (and on a probationary status) was Seattle University. He enrolled as a mechanical engineering student, but dropped out after four years. Although the Vietnam War was growing and called him for enlistment, his childhood history of petit mal seizures made him ineligible.

Career

In 1970, Jay Benford gave Perry his first job as a yacht designer. Benford was promoting ferrocement boats in Seattle. Soon, Perry had his first published design, a 47-foot ketch in National Fisherman. Boatbuilder John Edwards who would found Hans Christian Yachts sent a letter to Perry in response to the 47-foot ketch. Eventually, this relationship would lead to Perry's first design, the CT 54, a clipper-bowed ketch. Ted Brewer consulted and helped Perry with the design. Ta Chaio Brothers, a Taiwanese yard built the CT 54 and the larger CT 65.

Simultaneously, Perry was working on what would be his landmark design, the Valiant 40. Along with Nathan Rothman and Sylvia and Stanley Dabney, he would design the first "performance cruiser." They all met at Benford's ferro-cement studio, but even as Perry moved to work for Dick Carter they continued to strategize about building a bluewater cruising boat like the Westsail 32 that would have better performance. Rothman contacted Uniflite, a Bellingham, Washington boat builder, and by 1974 the first Valiant rolled off their line. The design combined the classic canoe stern cruiser shape with a fin keel and skeg hung rudder instead of the traditional full keel.

These two starts led to more design commissions for Islander Yachts and Tayana Yachts. Perry became a popular designer for Taiwan-built boats.

Recent Perry designed the latest (and largest) yacht for Pacific Seacraft, the SouthSea 61, beginning work in 2007.Pacific Seacraft press release

Perry also designed a unique long narrow 62 foot double ended daysailer built at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, Washington, and launched in March, 2014. This design was inspired by a number of famous classic vessels including vessels designed by L. Francis Herreshoff, Bruce King and Bill Garden. Perry was selected to create the design due to his past very successful double ended designs and the recent success of a number of his designs on the race course.

Awards

1979, Yacht Racing/Cruising Magazine, Medal of Achievement for Performance Cruising Design 1989, Cruising World Magazine, Cruising Hall of Fame 1995, American Boatbuilders Hall of Fame, Valiant 40 inducted into Hall of Fame 2023, National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee

Boat designs

Name Length First BuiltAloha 26 26.50 ft / 8.08 m 1979Aloha 27 26.50 ft / 8.08 m 1984Aloha 271 26.75 ft / 8.15 m 1987Aloha 8.2 26.50 ft / 8.08 m 1980Baba 30 30.00 ft / 9.14 m 1976BABA 35 34.83 ft / 10.62 m 1979BABA 40 39.83 ft / 12.14 m 1980BABA 40 PILOT HOUSE 39.83 ft / 12.14 m 1980BYSTEDT 30 30.00 ft / 9.14 m 1975CHEOY LEE 35 34.83 ft / 10.62 m 1979CHEOY LEE 43 MS 42.78 ft / 13.04 m 1981CHEOY LEE 44 43.80 ft / 13.35 m 1979CHEOY LEE 48 47.83 ft / 14.58 m 1980CT-37 36.67 ft / 11.18 m 1976CT-54 54.00 ft / 16.46 m 1975CT-56 55.50 ft / 16.92 m 1986CT-65 / SCORPIO 72 64.83 ft / 19.76 m 1983EO 36 35.83 ft / 10.92 m 1978ESPRIT 37 37.00 ft / 11.28 m 1977FLYING TIGER 10M 32.66 ft / 9.95 m 2005GOLDEN WAVE 42 42.00 ft / 12.80 m 1981HANS CHRISTIAN 34 34.00 ft / 10.36 m 1974ISLANDER 26 25.83 ft / 7.87 m 1976ISLANDER 28 27.92 ft / 8.51 m 1975ISLANDER 32-2 31.96 ft / 9.74 m 1976ISLANDER 32-3 31.96 ft / 9.74 m 1977ISLANDER 34-2 34.33 ft / 10.46 m 1983ISLANDER 38 C 38.00 ft / 11.58 m 1983ISLANDER BAHAMA 26 26.00 ft / 7.92 m 1976ISLANDER BAHAMA 28 27.92 ft / 8.51 m 1981ISLANDER FREEPORT 36 35.75 ft / 10.90 m 1976ISLANDER FREEPORT 38 38.00 ft / 11.58 m 1983ISLANDER FREEPORT 41 41.00 ft / 12.50 m 1974LAFITTE 44 44.33 ft / 13.51 m 1978LAFITTE 66 66.00 ft / 20.12 m 1982LANDFALL 39 (C&C) 38.75 ft / 11.81 m 1985MARINER 39 (PERRY) 38.83 ft / 11.84 m 1981MIRAGE 25 (PERRY) 25.17 ft / 7.67 m 1982MIRAGE 26 (PERRY) 26.17 ft / 7.98 m 1976Mirage 27 (Perry) 27.92 ft / 8.51 m 1982Mirage 30 30.00 ft / 9.14 m 1983Mirage 32 32.00 ft / 9.75 m 1987Mirage 33 33.50 ft / 10.21 m 1982Mirage 35 35.50 ft / 10.82 m 1983NASSAU 45 44.92 ft / 13.69 m 1984NORDIC 34 34.33 ft / 10.46 m 1985Nordic 40 39.70 ft / 12.10 m 1982NORDIC 44 43.83 ft / 13.36 m 1980NORDIC 45 RS 45.33 ft / 13.82 m 1988NORSEMAN 447 44.58 ft / 13.59 m 1980NORSTAR 40 39.67 ft / 12.09 m 1995NORSTAR 44 43.83 ft / 13.36 m 1995PANDA 40 39.91 ft / 12.16 m 1983PASSPORT 37 37.00 ft / 11.28 m 1984PASSPORT 40 40.67 ft / 12.40 m 1980PASSPORT 41 41.33 ft / 12.60 m 1987PASSPORT 44 45.50 ft / 13.87 m 1995PASSPORT 456 45.50 ft / 13.87 m 1995PASSPORT 47 46.58 ft / 14.20 m 1983PASSPORT 470 AC 47.00 ft / 14.33 m 1997PASSPORT 50 50.00 ft / 15.24 m 1994PERRY 41/ALOHA 41 40.83 ft / 12.44 m 1981PERRY 47 46.58 ft / 14.20 m 1977PH 41 41.00 ft / 12.50 m 1975POLARIS 43 42.67 ft / 13.01 m 1979RELIANCE 37 37.00 ft / 11.28 m 1981SAGA 35 36.50 ft / 11.13 m 2000SAGA 43 43.25 ft / 13.18 m 1996SAGA 48 52.30 ft / 15.94 m 2003SCORPIO 72 65.00 ft / 19.81 m 1982SEAMASTER 46 46.00 ft / 14.02 m 1981SOUTH PACIFIC 42 41.92 ft / 12.78 m 1988SUN 27 27.50 ft / 8.38 m 1977SUN 28 28.00 ft / 8.53 m 1977SUN 838 27.50 ft / 8.38 m 1977TASHIBA 31 31.19 ft / 9.51 m 1986TASHIBA 36 36.00 ft / 10.97 m 1986TASHIBA 36 PH 36.00 ft / 10.97 m 1986TASHIBA 40 39.87 ft / 12.15 m 1984TATOOSH 42 41.83 ft / 12.75 m 1980TATOOSH 51 50.58 ft / 15.42 m 1983Tayana 37 36.67 ft / 11.18 m 1976TAYANA 47 CC 47.00 ft / 14.33 m 1991TAYANA 47 DS 47.00 ft / 14.33 m 1991TAYANA 52 52.42 ft / 15.98 m 1983UNION 36 36.67 ft / 11.18 m 1977VALIANT 32 32.00 ft / 9.75 m 1976VALIANT 37 37.00 ft / 11.28 m 1977VALIANT 39 39.33 ft / 11.99 m 1995Valiant 40 (101-199) 39.92 ft / 12.17 m 1973Valiant 40 (200-235) 39.92 ft / 12.17 m 1978VALIANT 40 PH 39.82 ft / 12.14 m 1981VALIANT 40-2 39.82 ft / 12.14 m 1981VALIANT 42 42.00 ft / 12.80 m 1992VALIANT 42RS 42.00 ft / 12.80 m 1992VALIANT 47 47.00 ft / 14.33 m 1981VALIANT 50 50.67 ft / 15.44 m 1997VALIANT ESPRIT 37 37.00 ft / 11.28 m 1978WESTSAIL 39 38.67 ft / 11.79 m 1979WHITE WING 35/36 35.93 ft / 10.95 m 1980YACHTCRAFT 32 31.92 ft / 9.73 m 1976

References

External links Robert Perry homepage