Wooden Boat AtlasDesigners, builders & classes · v3.0

Atlas / Designers

1857 – 1944 · Fairlie, Ayrshire, Scotland

William Fife III

Naval architect and builder — Fairlie, Ayrshire

The third of three generations at Fairlie, and the one whose name became shorthand for the most beautiful racing yachts ever built. Roughly six hundred designs; about a third survive.

Dynasty
William Fife I (1785–1865), William Fife II (1821–1902), William Fife III (1857–1944)
Honours
OBE 1919; America's Cup Hall of Fame 2004
  • 1899 / 1903Shamrock I / Shamrock III — America's Cup challengers for Lipton
  • 1903 / 1920Moonbeam III / IV
  • 1936Eilean — ketch

Wooden Boat Atlas v3.0 · built 30 July 2026 · a project of the Golden Gate Wooden Boat Foundation · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · open data · corrections