Mark Ellis Yacht Designer A Man at the Right Place and Time

Mark Ellis

Yacht Designer

LOTUS (Nonsuch 30) The stern view of this innovative hull demonstrates a “harmony of shape that I’ve tried to achieve in my designs, in keeping with shapes I know will perform well.”—Mark Ellis.

A Man at the Right Place and Time

by Mindy Gunther, Essex Station

Google “Mark Ellis, yacht designer” and you get three pages of hits, far more if you include boats of his design for sale. Articles written about him. Lists of powerboats and sailboats designed by him. He even has a Wikipedia page!

I have known Mark since he joined the Essex Station about 10 years ago. He and his wife, Barbara, have been active in the station, with close to perfect attendance records. Mark was chair of the Archives Committee and a member of the Technical Committee and is a member of the station Membership and Centennial committees.

While Mark is a quiet man, he has a bit of an ego, but in a nice way as he is a genuinely nice guy. It is clear he likes the world to know about his designs and of the thousands of boats built from them. In the many conversations Mark and I had for this article, he always mentioned his “intuitive sense of shape and traditional esthetics,” as well as some chutzpah, which helped him design so many good-looking innovative boats.

Mark is clearly a smart man. He has an intensity about him. He looks right at you when he talks to you, as if you were

Nonsuch 33 reefed.

Whoever had title to the molds had to pay Mark a fee to use the design. This is an example of his business acumen at work. As long as his boats where being built, Mark continued to have an income stream. Genius

among yacht designers!”

the only one in the room. His big smile and radiant eyes suggest he knows more than you, but he is still interested in what you have to say.

He sees himself as being in the right place at the right time as yacht design transitioned from wood to fiberglass and drafting tables to computers, although he continued to work on his creations at the drafting table. He feels privileged that his mentors where extremely forthcoming with their knowledge and ideas.

Mark grew up in northern New York, where his family had a retail business and dairy farm. His family owned an island in the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence River, and he spent

Nonsuch rally in Toronto.

Volunteer 46 perspective lines.

summers sailing. The family and neighbors had lots of small craft available for him to explore, and he learned that there was nothing better than “messing about in boats.”

As a young man, he spent hours teaching himself to draw boats. Mark says there was only one book available from which to learn, “Skene’s Elements of Yacht Design.” Since naval architecture schools focused on large ship design, he decided to get a degree in business administration from Boston University. A business education gave Mark a huge advantage as a yacht designer. He could run a business, understand marketing, and design boats.

After one year of college, Mark went to work in New York, first at Derecktor’s Yard in Mamaroneck and then Minneford’s Yacht Yard in City Island, doing whatever menial task he was given, assisting in lofting, planking, making rigging, and even sweeping the floors. Doing so, he was exposed to every aspect of boat building. What a great way to learn!

While attending BU from 1965 to 1968, he worked part time and summers as a draftsman and general office worker for C. Raymond Hunt Associates in New Bedford, Massachusetts. This was a great time to start as construction moved to fiberglass, cold-molded construction, and modern propulsion systems. Hunt’s office had developed and was working primarily with deep-V powerboats which were revolutionary in design and had only been around for about eight years.

After completing his degree, Mark went to work for Philip L. Rhodes in New York City. Because Mr. Rhodes’ son Bodie and Jim McCurdy had just left the firm to start their own, Mark had the opportunity to work directly with Rhodes. The firm was well known for its designs of both power and sail boats of all sizes. Mark represented the firm during the construction of three large ketches being built in Germany. Again at the right place and right time, Mark not only traveled to Germany several times but met many people in the industry who were of great help over the years.

Legacy 40, powering through waves. Legacy 34 perspective lines.

Looking to move out of the city, Mark was hired by Ted Hood in Marblehead, Massachusetts. There he worked as a draftsman/designer on sailboat rigs and accommodations. He was particularly involved with Robin, a 53-foot Ted Hood boat built by Maas in Holland. He often raced Robin with the Hoods on Sunday races in Marblehead. At some point, Ted sold the boat to Thor Ramsing, and several years later my father bought her and renamed her H.M.S. Day. Our family raced her for years both locally and to Bermuda and Halifax.

In 1970, Mark moved on to C&C in Canada. Here Mark’s career got caught up with the changes happening not only in fiberglass boat design but the consolidation of various firms in the area. He worked largely on the design of custom ocean racers and was lucky enough to do a lot of ocean races aboard those boats. During this time, Mark became friends with Jim Eastland and Erich Bruckmann, both of whom became longtime friends and associates.

After five years at C&C, Mark had the courage and confidence to start his own design business in Oakville,

Niagara 35, the first Ellis production yacht.

Ontario. He was just 30 years old. The first boat that he designed was the Aurora 40, followed by the Niagara 35, of which 260 were built. The revolutionary Nonsuch 30 came next. The Nonsuch combined the traditional catboat hull with a modern underbody and un-stayed mast, which Mark says was quite a risk, especially since the boat was built without testing. While the Nonsuch 30 sailed extremely well, it took time for the sailing market to accept the concept. Ultimately, between the 30, 26, 36, 22 and 33 series (in chronological order), over 1,000 were built and are still actively cruising and racing today.

Mark decided early on in his career to own his designs and have the builder pay a fee based on a percentage of the factory price. Whoever had title to the molds had to pay Mark a fee to use the design. This is an example of his business acumen at work. As long as his boats where being built, Mark continued to have an income stream. Genius among yacht designers!

Mark is also known for his powerboat designs, which is unusual among yacht designers. These designs include the Legacy, Limestone, and Bluestar lines. In 1994, he had begun designing powerboats with a deep-V forward with large-chine flat-surface aft, which allowed the boats to get on a plane at a much lower speed. Mark says he does not think anyone had done that before.

Also in 1994, Mark started designing motorsailers, with the goal of improving both the sailing and power characteristics. According to Mark, previous motorsailers were displacement powerboats fitted with masts for stability. Mark’s efforts produced the NorthEast 400, a good sailboat with all the comforts of a powerboat that cruised easily at 8 knots. Thirty-four were built in Costa Rica. Afterwards, a larger version, the Bruckmann 50, was built at Bruckmann’s yard in Ontario.

Mark says his goal in designing boats was to create “classic good looks, pleasing lines, practical features, and excellent performance.” He was able to successfully blend the good looks of the older wooden boats with modern design, something missing in so many boats seemingly designed from the inside out today. He says his chutzpah and sense of self allowed him to be creative and take risks, he hopes without being pushy.

While he is no longer designing, Mark is proud that some of his boats are still in production, especially the Abaco 40 and 47’s and the Limestone line. Not one to sit on a rocker on his front porch, Mark remains active in the CCA and his current hometown of Essex, Connecticut.✧

Limestone 24; Mark’s first powerboat design.

Photo by Nerney.

Photo by Nerney.

Mark Ellis, Designer. Mark’s NorthEast 400 Lotus.

MARK ELLIS DESIGN - SAILBOATS 1970s Aurora 40, Niagara 35, Nonsuch 30

1980s Nonsuch 26, Nonsuch 36, Aloha 32, Nonsuch 22, Naiad 18, Niagara 42, Nereus 40, Aragosoa 40 – Steel Cutter, Nonsuch 33, Otter - Custom 32’ Catboat

1990s Rangeley - Custom 44’ IMS Sloop, Northeast 400, Volunteer - Custom 47’ Daysailer

2000s Alizé III - Custom 47’ Sloop, Bruckmann 50, Bonaventure - Custom 56’ sloop, Anomaly - Custom 45’ Cat Ketch

MARK ELLIS DESIGN - POWERBOATS 1980s Limestone 24, Medeiros 20 (Limestone20), Bruckmann 28, Tadenac 22 (Limestone22), Osprey 22

1990s Pilot 37 published – first “chine flat” design, Pilot 39, Limestone 17, Legacy 40, Legacy 34, BlueStar 29.9, Holby Pilot 19

2000s BlueStar 36.6, Ventana - Custom 56’, Legacy 42, Holby Pilot 24, Limestone 26, Legacy 32, Abaco 40, Abaco 47

About The Author

Mindy Gunther lived on a 47-foot schooner until she was 2 years old and got her first boat at age 6. She has raced four Bermuda Races, her first at age 13. She sailed back from Bermuda on the J-boat Shamrock V, after the vessel had sailed transatlantic with a full rig. This was a first for a J-Boat. Along with her husband, past commodore Bob Drew, Mindy has sailed transatlantic, cruised Norway, Ireland, Scotland, Labrador, Newfoundland, Malta, Greece, up the U.S. coast from the Bahamas and down the coast as far south as Grenada. Bob and Mindy spent many summers cruising in Maine as well. She recently purchased a Bowler 26.

She is past rear commodore of the Essex Station, current membership chair, and a member of the Centennial Committee. She was co-editor of the Cruising Club News (now Voyages) and did the design and layout of the first nine issues of the Gam.

She was awarded the Carl H. Vilas Award and the John Parkinson Memorial Trophy and was the first woman to receive the Richard S. Nye Award.