Twister Yachts – a history
Twister Yachts were originally designed by Kim Holman, a yacht designer based in Cornwall in 1963. Holman worked as a naval architect for many years before starting his own design firm, Holman & Pye. It was during this time that he designed the Twister line of yachts, which quickly became popular among sailors for their performance and comfort.
A few years before the first Twister was launched, Kim had been asked to design a small sailing yacht that would meet the requirements of the current rating rules.
He came up with a design called “Stella” that was inspired by a clinker built Folkboat. The new design was so successful in races that the design soon began turning heads. Within a couple of years more yacht owners came forward and asked him for a similar boat, but with different specifications – more length, internal space and be seaworthy.
The other key requirement was that the yacht design should still come within the same rating as the Stella.
Kim Holman accepted the challenge and came up with a new design called “Twister” – a name that some suggest was based on the fact that Holman had managed to twist the rules for measurement of racing yachts (which are used to define the handicap when racing).
The Twister design was very close to the measurements for the Stella; however, it significantly outperformed it and in its first year the original Twister (The Twister of Mersea) won almost all her races on the East Coast racing circuit.
The Twister of Mersea is a well-known yacht among sailors, and its racing history includes several notable victories, including winning the Round Britain and Ireland Race in 1974.
Twister 28 Yachts
The Twister 28 is a Classic, long keel Kim Holman designed cruising boat.
Constructed either in all wood or later models in GRP.
The original Twister Yachts were built out of wood by several boat yards, but because of their success a GRP version was soon put into production. More than 200 Twister Yachts were built until production was stopped in the early 1980’s. Today most of the Twisters are used for cruising and provide ample accommodation for two people, four people at a push.
The Twister is still thought about as a “modern classic” and 50 years on from the original design they can be seen at many classic yacht rallies around the world.
The Twister Class Association is still very active and their website can be found here.
Drag Reducing Propellers for Twister Yachts
Darglow have supplied drag reducing props for many of the models in the Twister yacht range. We keep an expanding database of technical information on many of our installations along with feedback from our customers.
Check our full list of Twister Yachts we have supplied propellers to here.
Rope Cutters for Twister Yachts
We have supplied rope cutters for various boats in the Twister Yacht range. We keep a database of technical information on many of our installations along with feedback from our customers.
Check our full list of Twister Yachts we have supplied rope cutters for here.
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