Ted Hood

The history of the brand

Frederick Emmart Hood, or Ted Hood, grew up in Marblehead. He made his first yacht at the age of seven. After serving in the Navy in World War II, Ted started fixing sails to pay for his training. Together with his father, a chemist by education, he experimented with dacron and suggested his own method of processing this fibre. By the early 1970s, Hood Sailmakers had become world famous, and from 1958 to 1977 all «America»'s Cup teams were arming Ted Hood's sails.

Since 1958 he has been successfully competing on his design yachts. In 1962 his «Nefertiti» almost won the right to defend the «America»'s Cup. Hood did get this opportunity in 1974 in a match against the Australian Southern Cross, which he crushed 4-0. In 1977, Ted Terner won the coveted Cup on Hood's modified Courageous.

In the early '80s, Hood sold his sailing business and moved to Rhode Island to build yachts under the Little Harbor brand and later motorized Black Watch. In 1999 he sold the yard and founded Ted Hood Yachts, a design and consulting company.

Philosophy

Innovator and researcher, Ted Hood has always strived for perfection. He was a pioneer of sports and long distance sailing, both under sail and on motor yachts.

Specialty .

Ted Hood's aluminium and fiberglass yachts were designed for long range cruising. Although the market changes in the 1990s forced him to completely switch to building motor yachts, Hood never left the sails.

Cooperation with shipyards

Thousands of boats were built based on Ted Hood's designs. The superyachts of the 1990s were designed together with Andrew Winch. Hood's projects were built in Taiwan, Japan and Turkey, on Royal Huisman, Alloy Yachts, Trident, US Yachts. Hood collaborated with Bristol Yachts, Hinckley & Co, and others.

Landmark Projects

Dodge Morgan made a record single round the world on the American Promise sloop Ted Hood in 1985. The Around Alone movie was made about it.

Little Harbor's mini-maxis are still in service and superyachts such as the Surma (40m, 1997), Anakena (40m, 1996) and Whisper (35m, 2003) sloops have set the course for the years ahead. With the Maestro's departure, his Class «12» designs became collectible.

Team

The era of Ted Hood died in 2013. Bruce Livingston, who managed Ted Hood's yacht production in the USA, Taiwan and Singapore, started consulting at Danga Bay Marine. Ted Hood, Jr. is Acting Managing Director of Wellington Yachts.