Frank C. Paine

[dinnie]

I'm looking for any information about my grandfather, the designer Frank C. Paine, who was most active in the Boston area in the 20s and 30s and produced such boats as the J-boat Yankee, the Bermuda Race record-holder Highland Light, and the fishing schooner Gertrude Thebaud, along with a number of Meter boats and Universal Rule yachts. I would love to uncover someone who sailed with him, but it would be great simply to discover the locations of his boats still extant.

My nephew is hoping to write about him, and we search out info for that reason.

[John Gearing]

Check the Woodenboat index at this site and you'll see that there have been a few articles about Frank Paine. That's a good starting point for finding references to those who knew him. Also, you might try writing to Mr. Llewellyn Howland in the Boston area (sorry, don't have his address handy but if you have the articles he wrote about W.Starling Burgess, who, incidentally, had a connection with Frank Paine, it's included at the end of the second article I believe and also appears from time to time in the classifieds as Mr. Howland sells rare books on nautical topics) as I believe that he may have quite a bit of knowledge on the Massachusetts yachting scene. You may also wish to contact someone like Phil Bolger (see his post under "Building/Repair") who is a designer and who has been in the same general area for quite some years. Also try Mystic Seaport as they have an extensive collection of plans from various designers. I don't know whether Frank Paine's are there or not, but it's worth asking for any information they may have. Other ideas: contact one of the old-line design firms like John Alden or C. Raymond Hunt and see if there is anyone there who might have had a personal interest in Frank Paine and who might have some information for you.

Just some thoughts.....off the cuff, as it were....

[markeike]

I'm looking for any information about my grandfather, the designer Frank C. Paine, who was most active in the Boston area in the 20s and 30s and produced such boats as the J-boat Yankee, the Bermuda Race record-holder Highland Light, and the fishing schooner Gertrude Thebaud, along with a number of Meter boats and Universal Rule yachts. I would love to uncover someone who sailed with him, but it would be great simply to discover the locations of his boats still extant.

My nephew is hoping to write about him, and we search out info for that reason.

Hi- This is a really OLD post so I'm not sure you are still there, but my grandfather, Magnus Lande, and many of his neighbors and relatives from Tysnes, Norway were the crew who sailed Yankee during the America's Cup race in the 1930s. Yankee was dismasted in foul weather and my grandfather took the "good luck" coin from beneath the mast, which I currently have in my possession. I also have a book entitled "Yankee in England" by Gerard B. Lambert (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1937) that covers the building of Yankee. There are many mentions and photos of Frank C. Paine in the book. You can find a used copy of this book online, but you will pay a pretty penny for it. Good luck.

[johngsandusky]

Great post, thanks.

[JimConlin]

The drawings of Frank C. Paine are in the MIT Museum.
http://web.mit.edu/museum/collection...ist.html#paine

[Jon R]

Yes, Very old post. Yet I am still working on the book. I have written an entry on Paine for the Encyclopedia of Yacht designers as well as a short piece on Q boats for our favorite publication. The latter was a bit too convoluted for many readers but it did get me going again.

Louie Howland has been most helpful. The problems I find is that Paine himself was not a writer and not a self promoter, so records of value are few and far between. I find that contemporary sources are often quite flawed. Many things have been accepted as fact by inertia, undoing that is a challenge.

That said, I thank you all for the help.

Jon

I have spent much time at MIT and currently have the copy of Yankee in England that Lambert inscribed to FCP.

[earling2]

One of his boats, a pretty six meter in great shape, lives in Vineyard Haven harbor--not sure who owns it now. It was owned by Gretchen Synder, a sailmaker, for a long time, then it was owned by the CEO of Showtime or HBO (can't remember), then practically given away to a joint ownership, a couple of doctors, one of whom is still on the Island, Michael Jacobs. I think he might be the sole owner now. I came about a gnat's hair from buying it myself about 10 years ago but the broker totally screwed it up .. . Boat was called "Saki" when Gretchen had it, now it's "Sakie" (which is slightly . . . umm, challenged). Gannon & Benjamin went totally through it to the tune of about 20K (so I was told) about 12 years ago. Nice boat. Dr. Jacobs is in the phone book . . . .

[Jon R]

Yes,
I know of Saki. I looked at her myself back in the 80s when she was known as Gull. After I looked at her I asked Virginia Paine (my Great grandmother) about her and she had good stories bout her. In many ways I regret not have bought her then, but in the end having someone else restore her seemed a better idea!

Jon

[rbgarr]

Earl Boebert, mentioned here, MAY have some knowledge about Paine: http://www.cupinfo.com/en/jclassrevisited.php

[CundysHarbor]

I met Virginia when Muriel Vaughn, LFH's housekeeper asked me to dropped a copy of LFH's last book at her house. If you have not seen it, try to find the lampshade Frank make. It had in silouette in scale of all the boats he had owned. The shade was a work of art, probably made from the yellow drawing paper that used to be standard fare. With the light coming through his never ending parade of yachts, it was a delightful sight.

[earling2]

Yes,
I know of Saki. I looked at her myself back in the 80s when she was known as Gull. After I looked at her I asked Virginia Paine (my Great grandmother) about her and she had good stories bout her. In many ways I regret not have bought her then, but in the end having someone else restore her seemed a better idea!

Jon

That's cool, I have some regret about not getting it but the 6' draft really isn't my thing; it was probably fate. I sailed her a few times (with not-great sails), fun, wet!

[Jon R]

Re Lampshade: My Aunt Virginia Aldridge (Thorndike) was last in possession of it. I asked her to find it for me, but no luck. I remember it well in Virginia Paine's Library. It had all the boats that FCP owned at one time or another, most, but not all, to his design. Notable exceptions being Alastor, an Alden R boat, Dispatch, an LFH launch, Barbara a NY 50 and Yankee which he designed but was not the owner of record. I just wish I could remember them all. He was no sentimentalist, and did not keep boats for very long.

Jon