Henry R. "Hank" Lauritzen

Henry R. "Hank" Lauritzen (1920–2003), a pioneering American naval architect and boat designer whose innovative fiberglass yachts bridged the transition from wooden classics to mass-produced production boats in the post-WWII era, left an indelible mark on East Coast sailing through his emphasis on seaworthy, family-oriented designs that prioritized stability, simplicity, and value for recreational sailors. Born in New York and educated at the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture (B.S., 1942), Lauritzen served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, applying his hydrodynamics expertise to landing craft and small vessel engineering before transitioning to civilian yacht design in the late 1940s; he briefly partnered with Sparkman & Stephens in the 1950s, contributing to offshore racers, but struck out independently in the 1960s to focus on accessible cruisers amid the fiberglass boom. His portfolio of over 30 designs includes the resilient Gladiator 24 (1969, ~40 built: 24-foot LOA masthead sloop with 50% ballast ratio, in-mast furling, and 285 sq ft sail for balanced coastal performance); the versatile Sea Knight 32 (1970s, a center-cockpit ketch for blue water aspirations); and earlier wooden gems like the Lightning one-design (refined in the 1950s, over 15,000 built collectively), all characterized by full keels, high ballast ratios (45–50%), and modest displacements (4,000–10,000 lbs.) for forgiving handling in 15–25 knot winds, often with shoal-draft options for ICW and bay exploration. Collaborating with yards like the Gladiator Boat Company and later capitalizing on his own molds sold to offshore builders, Lauritzen championed roller-furling systems and enclosed heads as early standards, influencing the "pocket cruiser" genre; though economic downturns limited production runs, his boats—known for dry rides, trailerability, and low-maintenance hand-laid construction—earned loyal followings in Chesapeake and New England fleets. A member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and author of technical articles on yacht stability, Lauritzen retired to Florida in the 1980s, where he tinkered with scale models until his passing.