Sailing Anarchy's Ten Questions with Jim Antrim

Published January, 2002

By all accounts, Jim Antrim is one of the more thoughtful and diligent designers in the business. A long time Bay Area favorite, Jim's Antrim 27 is what has put him on the map nationally. Like many of the "independent" designers, Jim is busy with a number of projects, not the least of which are in the multihull arena. If there is one area that separates Jim from some others it is here. His 40' tri "Aotea" launched in 1990, helped establish Jim as a serious threat in this seemingly strange (at least to monohull sailors) world.

We caught Jim taking a breath of air and grabbed him for our Ten Questions.

Sailing Anarchy:
Jim, who the hell are you and why should we care?

Jim Antrim:
When I was a kid and decided I wanted to draw boats for a living, one thing that appealed to me was that the end product was fun. So perhaps you shouldn't care. A sailboat is just a big toy, after all, and who cares about their toys? Well, most people, it turns out. I take the concept of "fun" quite seriously. I make a serious and professional effort towards making sure you will have a great deal of fun with any toy that I have created.

Who I am is a more difficult question. Perhaps we should focus instead on what I've done. One might say that when the going gets weird, the weird call Jim. I've done an amazing assortment of diverse designs: racing trimarans, cruising cats, sport boats, Open Class monohulls, various powerboats, electric boats: I think ideas cross-pollinate from different types. Variety keeps life interesting; and I'm proud that my combination of technical engineering background and creative spirit has allowed me to do so many unusual projects. Perhaps my most unusual designs were the 62' electric powered racer and a folding inflatable catamaran convertible to a tent camper.

SA:
I think it's safe to say that most of us know you from your Antrim 27, and one time we got to sail one in San Diego. Do you consider the boat to be a success?

JA:
Definitely. The owners all love their boats; and that is the bottom line. The speed is an eye-opening experience for most sailors. It's the fountain of youth. People go out for test sails and can't believe they are doing 14 knots under spinnaker and the helm is a two finger touch. But it's a sport boat that can be used for weekend cruising.

Obviously I'd like to have sold 200 rather than 25 so far. I'd love to get some fleets established back East. Ultimate Sailboats has hung on through some tough economic battles but they have worked through the problems, gotten better organized, have the new 24 coming out soon, and sales on all their boats are picking up.

SA:
If you were to design and market (and price) the 27 today, what differences would you incorporate?

JA:
We've already incorporated all the differences. We had some problems with the aluminum rigs, mostly through people carrying more crew weight and flying the spinnaker in more wind than I anticipated. But we've switched to a carbon rig which is really solid. Also a few boats have had problems with the carbon gudgeons. They are the only carbon gudgeons in the industry to my knowledge. They are both very light and very cool looking; but are also expensive and difficult to build consistently. So we are switching to stainless. Metal to carbon in the rig. Carbon to metal in the gudgeon. So I believe the problems are gone and there is nothing left but the fun. It's a hard boat to beat on a fun per dollar basis.

SA:
What projects are you currently involved with?

JA:
The designs I have launching in the next few months include a 72' commuter cat in Tahiti. It is a unique motor sailor with surface propulsion and a rigid wing as a power assist. Our 40' trimaran high performance racer/cruiser is nearing completion in Quebec. This is an all new design developed from my successful Aotea. The first new Ultimate 24 sport boat will be sailing soon and joining the Ultimate 20 and Antrim 27 in the Ultimate Sailboats product line. Also a 20' electric launch with Japanese styling I designed for Larry Ellison should be finished soon.

Designs currently in progress are a new sailing school dinghy for Cal Sailing Club to replace their Lido fleet, a very cool 28' trimaran, a 50' catamaran charter boat, and a luxurious 55' catamaran performance cruiser.

SA:
We maintain that at least a portion of the racing arena is still looking for a fast, simple and cheap 30' class to go handicap, 1D racing and daysailing with - something similar to the Bob Ames designed Cheetah 30. When I say cheap I mean $50,000 all up. Why can't this be done?

JA:
I don't like the word "can't". Challenges keep life interesting; and if someone came to me with that design brief I would attack the problem. Sometimes when you bang your head against a wall long enough, you knock out a hole (through the wall, hopefully). But there are difficulties, both economic and perceptual. The perceptual part is "fast"; which is a lot faster than boats were 10 or 20 years ago. Much of the speed advantage of today's boats is only possible with careful construction techniques and use of advanced materials, both of which require a more skillful labor force. Furthermore, we live in a world where the crappiest car on the market costs around $10 grand. But even a crappy car has a huge market compared to a super successful sailboat. There's a Catch 22; where you have to sell thousands of boats to make a production line efficient enough to get the cost down; but you can't sell thousands of boats unless you get the cost down first. So to make your concept work in the sailboat world you have to make it low cost with low production.

SA:
In your opinion, what are the future prospects of handicap racing, both from a grand prix and club racing perspective?

JA:
Boy, I'll have to consult my Super 8 ball on that one. OK, here comes the answer..…. There will always be a place for handicap racing because the world is full of different people who like different kinds of boats. One design is great racing; but Willy Wingnut will still want something he can't find in a one design boat. Grand prix is steadily moving toward level rating like ILC classes, box rules like the America's Cup and Volvo 60s, and open box rules like the Open 50s and 60s. I think the rules will change but that trend will continue.

PHRF obviously dominates the club racing scene and I don't foresee a replacement for that. A simple formula rule would be a wonderful thing for casual racing; but for it to work the racing has to remain very casual. All it takes is one guy to up the ante. I spent the first 8 years of my career (in the offices of Dick Carter, Britt Chance, and Gary Mull) designing boats to trick the IOR rule. That was fun and I'm good at it; but I really prefer designing to the rules of physics rather than the rules of men.

I like Willy Wingnut; by the way.

SA:
The Farr 40 Class, to those of us on the outside, looks famously successful. Yet (like all good big boat racing) it is brutally tough and brutally expensive. It seems that the costs will eventually drive most out of the class. At one time in F-1 racing, there was talk of imposing spending limits, but of course the big teams with the big sponsor dollars, shot it down. What do you think about spending limits in classes like the Farr 40?

JA:
These are the same owners who would have bought IOR or IMS boats in previous years. People who can afford to are drawn to that level of racing because they enjoy the logistics- putting the team together, picking the best sails, getting the last hundredth percent of performance out of he boat. More power to them. When you can afford to compete at that level, the competition is fierce; and winning in fierce competition is rewarding for many people. Spending limits are impossible to enforce and really don't fit the emotional goals of that group. In classes where the budget is human scale, rules that limit frequency of sail replacement, for example, are a good idea.

SA:
You've designed a number of fast multihulls. Those crazy Euros of course are doing incredible things with them, but here in the US, not quite so. Do you envision a day when they are as accepted as monohulls?

JA:
I'm not sure they will ever be as popular as monohulls; but multihulls are definitely a growing market segment. Bridge deck catamarans make a fantastic cruising boat. On the racing scene, it is a sin that trimarans aren't more common. A few years back we were trying to put together a one design fleet called the "Pacific 40". This was a spin off of Aotea. Why are people throwing money at Farr 40s when you could sail a 40 foot tri for half the budget, handle it with half the crew, and be sailing at literally two or three times the speed? These boats are flat out exhilarating. Aotea was easy to single-hand, and we hit upwind speeds as high as 18 knots and close to 30 off the wind. Can you imagine how much fun a one-design fleet would be in San Francisco Bay?

SA:
We assume that the world of yacht design, unless your name is Farr, is very competitive. Why would one consider you to design their boat?

JA:
He's done some cool boats, and obviously you've got to respect and admire his success; but most Farr boats are pretty much the same. He's a master of refinement; but I would have died of boredom from turning the same crank over and over. People come to me because they are looking for innovation and personal attention. I work hard to make sure they will get the most enjoyment out of their boat.

SA:
If I came to you with the idea that I wanted a fast 40' PHRF (choke) boat, what would be your approach?

JA:
Boy, I've had a fast 40 footer on the back burner in my head for awhile. But the first step in any design is to learn what the customer really wants. Are you interested in buoy racing in the Chesapeake or do you want to do downwind races off the coast of California? Do you like racing with a big crew; or is two’s company and three a crowd? What is your budget? Do you have draft restrictions or other special requirements? Is the boat for racing only or will you use it for family cruising?

I favor simple rigs with a few sails that can cover a broad wind range. That means you can sail with fewer people, or at least fewer skilled people. I believe that helps draw newcomers into the sport, or might allow you to bring along a friend or family member who might not want to be an active sailor but will enjoy the experience of being out on the water.

I like bulb keels; because they give a light boat enough stability to carry a big rig. The end result is lively and fun. Lively and fun keeps people attentive and that ultimately makes them better sailors.

I'd love to do a boat with a water ballast option, where you use the tanks when you are short-handed. Water ballast is a lousy choice for around the buoys; but it is great for long offshore legs.

SA:
Thanks Jim. How do people get in touch with you?

JA:
Thank you. My web page at www.AntrimDesign.com is the easiest way to start looking at my work. Here is my contact information:

Antrim Associates, Naval Architects
4018 Archery Way
El Sobrante, California 94803 USA

phone 510-223-9680
fax 510-262-0303

www.antrimdesign.com
Jim@AntrimDesign.com