THE “ONE-TEN”
In 1936 Raymond Hunt along with engineers Bror Tamm and Gordon Munro decided to build a 36’0″ prototype at the Lawley Yard in Neponset, Masachusetts. Although there were doubts about her potential sailing abilities, she quickly proved doubters wrong. But, at the time, no one seemed to want one, the prototype was too peculiar, and slab-sided for her size.
After much thought and consideration the Raymond Hunt brain trust decided to scale down the 36′ prototype twelve feet. The new yacht was called the International 110, and with it a new era in yachting was ushered in.
After the 1938 Hurricane “A Wind To Shake The World” yacht construction prices were skyrocketing. Through Hunt’s association with George Lawley & Sons in the mid to late 30s, Raymond began experimenting with a new boat building material Harborite Plywood. The miracle overlayed fir plywood, offered “Armor Plate” protection with two tough, abrasion resistant surfaces of plastic resin impregnated fibres that are permanently welded together, creating a seamless easy, and cost effective way to build a boat. The 110 was built with four 12 foot sheets of Harborite laid over laminated oak frames and would use a simple rig with a rated sail area of 110 square feet, hence the name.
The International 110 was introduced at the 1939 Marblehead Race Week Regatta. Ray Hunt raced the boat around the coarse beating everyone boat for boat except the International One Design. With a price of $480.50 with sails the demand for this vessel began in earnest.
Ray Hunt would forever change the sailing world, hundreds of his new 110 design were being delivered as fast as they could build them. Unheard of for the time period, where other ship yards at best were producing 6-8 yachts a year, there were over 400 hulls built in a two year time period. Today as true testament to Hunt’s abilities, the 110 is still in production, and recently the class celebrated its 75th anniversary in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the place where things all began in those depression years prior to World War II.
Other innovations that were created through the nimbleness and speed of the 110 was the creation of a trapeze system. A simple wire and harnessing system that allowed crew weight to extend outboard. The one ten was iconic in the harbors there were used in, ultimately claiming namesake to today’s ultralight sport boat concept.
Through the initial aesthetic development of the 110, it was believed that painting the hull in such a way that would accentuate the roundness of the edges was absolutely necessary, if the shape of the hull is to look well. The new painting schedule was encouraged, but was often overlooked, in favor of more budget friendly all in one color paint scheme.
The Internation 110 is still in production, the current builder is Westease Yacht Service, Inc., 66th St & 135th Ave N, Saugatuck, MI 49453, Phone: (616) 394-0076. There are active racing fleets across the US in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, California and Hawaii.
International 110 Specifications:
LOA: 24’0” / 7.3m
LWL: 18’0″ / 5.5m
Beam: 4’0” / 1.2m
Draft: 3’0” / 0.91m
Displacement: 910 lbs
Ballast: 300 lbs
Designed: C. Raymond Hunt
Hull material: “Harborite” Plywood Construction
Original Contract Cost: $480.50
Sail Plan: Main, Jib, Spin
Spinnaker: Conventional
Upwind sail area: 157 sq ft
Spinnaker sail area: 100 sq ft
Mast Height: 23’0″
Crew: 2
In production: Yes
Class Website: International 110 Class
Approximate number built: 750+
Photo Credit:
James W. Laws Photography – Location: Inverness CA
Blake Jackson – MarbleheadStudios.com Marblehead, Massachusetts
