Jim Young

James Harold Young (7 July 1925 – 18 June 2020) was a New Zealand sailor, boat designer and builder.

Early life and family Born in Wellington on 7 July 1925, Young was the son of Cyril Ernest Young and Daisy Winifred Young (née Babington) of Lower Hutt. He moved to Auckland when he was 10 years old, and began a boatbuilding apprenticeship in 1940, working on general boat maintenance and the construction of wooden naval vessels until 1945. He served in Japan as part of J-Force in 1946.

Boat design and building After returning from Japan, Young began designing and building yachts, first at a shed in Little Shoal Bay, Birkenhead, and then in Takapuna. In 1949, he won the Sanders Cup in a 14-foot X class yacht that he designed, built and skippered himself. Over the next seven decades, he designed and built numerous innovative boats, including keelboats and catamarans that were successful in racing both in New Zealand and internationally. He is best known for designing the Young88 and Rocket31 (both keelboats), and the Vindex range of wooden cruising boats.

Death Young died on 18 June 2020. A memorial service was held at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland.