my work

Design 2278 Su Shan

As I have mentioned before, we dont have good images of every design in our archives. The above image at least gives on a sense of proportion. Su Shan was constructed of aluminum by the Royal Huisman Shipyard of Holland and launched in 1977.

Here are the "designers comments" from the time of her launch: This handsome craft is designed for a couple to cruise around the world with their teenage children. Because her owners want to cruise in shoal waters, she is a centerboarder. She is strongly built, and is roomy both below and on her flush decks.

The sides of her poop deck are rolled in like those of the last steel clipper ships. Being built of welded aluminum with closely spaced frames, she is both light and very strong.

She will not carry a spinnaker. For downwind sailing she will instead set twin jobs held out by two poles stowed on her mast. Her mainsail has a grommet and hose attachment located so as to catch rainwater.

Heres a shot of that downwind sailing arrangement.


These comments are from her owner at the time of launch: Many years of study and thought by us of the design criteria for long distance, economical, as well as high performance cruising went into the specification and layout of this vessel.

Sparkman & Stephens combined the latest design and construction techniques as well as the latest hydrodynamics. We feel that the designers efforts added to our original planning, so that we ended up with a bat exactly as we intended.

Here is an image of her deck. Note the rubber non-skid instead of teak.


And finally notice how nicely the clipper bow lends itself to the anchor handling getting the anchor well out in front of the bow without the need for any special anchor bracket.


Here are the plans.