Westport 112

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The Rusts favored Seattle designer Jack Sarin, who had perfected his trade under the tutelage of the legendary Ed Monk Sr., working alongside Ed Monk Jr. The two younger men, today both in their 70s and with formidable reputations of their own, eventually set up separate design studios, Monk Jr. focusing on smaller yachts and commercial craft while Sarin tended to focus on larger vessels. Thus was the genesis of Golden Delicious, a 98-foot motoryacht designed by Sarin and built by Westport, which took the industry by storm in 1988. It was a particularly pretty boat with an excellent hull and, if not the largest, was certainly among the biggest fiberglass yachts built at that time. It formed the basis for the current Westport 98.

Over the years, the Rusts expanded their line of yachts to include the Westport 112, also based on a Sarin-designed hull. They would eventually sell the company, part at first and then all, to Orin Edson, an entrepreneur who had built an empire in production boatbuilding with the U.S. Marine Corp., located in northern Washington.

Edson brought in fresh ideas and fresh faces, hiring Daryl Wakefield as general manager and augmenting the design talents of Sarin with those of Bill Garden and Greg Marshall. Wakefield, in turn, hired Olson (who had worked with Sarin) and Fox (who had worked with Wakefield at Admiral Yachts) to implement the new order.

The most important of the changes were Edson-inspired procedures and controls, which enabled Westport to build custom yachts in an environment that is largely production-oriented. Such an approach ensures consistent quality while keeping costs in check, both of which significantly benefit the builder and buyer alike. Thus, Westport’s line of offerings is broad and diverse, but only specific lengths are available. Arrangement choices can be tweaked a bit, but the basic platform is fixed — bulkheads and stairways, for instance, cannot be moved. Propulsion packages change only to incorporate new technology. The Westport 112 has transitioned from Detroit 8V92s to Detroit 12V92s to MTU 396s to today’s pair of MTU 16V2000 engines, now driving custom propellers at lower shaft speeds for better efficiency and less vibration, whether at the yacht’s top speed of 25 knots or her cruise of 22 knots.