News
Construction begins in NC as Jimmy Buffett visits the mock-up of his new boat
The yard has created a 'mock-up' of the new Surfari 44 as constructin begins in North Carolina. See more photos here.
Jimmy Buffett Decides On New Sailboat
Jimmy Buffett's search for perfect "Surfari" sailboat is over as Friendship Yacht Company creates a 44 footer that caters to water sports enthusiasts.
Jimmy Buffett's Search for perfect SURFARI sailboat is over
Jimmy Buffett’s famous lifestyle, delightfully infused with copious amounts of "island escapism," pairs perfectly with the personality of the Surfari 44 that Friendship Yacht Company is presenting in a scaled-back version of its Surfari 58 announced last November. Buffett will take delivery next November on Hull #1 of the new Surfari 44 designed by naval architect Edward “Ted” Fontaine and built by Pacific Seacraft in North Carolina, and he anticipates that the new design’s more compact length and personally approved adaptations – including those for short-handed handling – will “simplify” his life on the water as he uses the yacht for a home away from home.
Friendship 36
She is in the water! Launched last month in Rockport, Maine, the new Friendship 36 has proven herself a worthy little sister to the renowned Friendship 40.
Ship & Boat International
Let there be light
US leisure vessel designer Ted Fontaine tells Ship & Boat International how his antipathy towards dark, below-deck living spaces inspired the design of the new, single-level Surfari 53 coastal cruiser
Yachting World
Friendship Surfari 53 - Marrying sail and power
With a mix of sailing yacht and motor boat characteristics and an emphasis on outdoor living, this new design from Ted Fontaine aims to create a 'new genre of yachting'
The Friendship 36 hull gets flipped
Another milestone at Rockport Marine as the Friendship 36 hull is succesfully flipped over - revealing a great view of the wood planking and interior structure. The first view of the hull proves this is going to be another beauty from the Friendship Yacht Company.
Surfari 53 in Yachting Magazine
The new Surfari 53 from Fontaine Design is part motor yacht and part sailboat... click here to read full article from YACHTING Magazine.
Pretty as a Picture & So Lovely - Friendship 36
I visited Rockport Marine the other day. They had just begun work on this new Friendship 36, designed by Ted Fontaine and his crew at the Fontaine Design Group.
Friendship 36 under Construction at Rockport Marine
Friendship 36, a 36' shoal draft centerboard cruising sloop is under Construction at Rockport Marine.
Newest in the successful line of Friendship yachts, the Friendship 36 is designed to specifications by a current Friendship 40 owner. The client asked for a yacht with the same level of quality, fit and finish of his current Friendship 40 (that draws a mere 3’11”) the now 36 will have a draft of 32” so that he may berth it in the shallows of Moriches Bay on Long Island.
Friendship 40: The yacht we all want
Friendship 40: The yacht we all want
Well conceived, easy to handle 40-footer -turns heads everywhere
When Ted Fontaine conceived the Friendship 40 he wanted it to be easy to use, of the highest quality, and “stop-in-your-tracks gorgeous.” All three are achieved by the builder, Austral Yachts in Whangarei, New Zealand. Incorporating elements from his larger yacht designs he created a cockpit that was larger and more comfortable for entertaining and lounging than was traditionally found on a 40-foot boat—a mark of a daysailer.
Easy Driver: A pleasure to sail, the Friendship 53 captures the spirit of yachting.
Lovely to look at, delightful to know – that’s the Friendship 53, all right. Designed by Ted Fontaine, she’s big and powerful, stiff under sail, faster than her waterline length leads you to believe, and sea kindly.
Friendship 75
The classic Down East sloop inspires a new breed of impeccably crafted Friendship sailboats designed for a discerning and independent clientele.
The Longest Friendship
Ted Fontaine has drawn his longest Friendship yet. Rebecca Hayter joined the American designer aboard the 75-foot Isabel to see his creative abilities come to life during a stunning sail to the Poor Knights.
Songtao: A new Friendship sloop with uncompromised elegance
It’s been about four years since the Fontaine Design Group first introduced a 40-foot modern version of the classic Friendship Sloop. Since then they have been turning heads at every boat show and every harbor they visit, catching the eye and quickening the pulse of even the most casual dockside observer. Since the first Friendship 40, Manaaki, was launched, 13 more have followed in its wake. The boat’s unprecedented success has clearly set the standard for luxury daysailers. What it has also done is spark the interest of those who would not compromise on the look and unsurpassed quality of build that the 40-footer offered, but who had intentions of voyaging farther with more amenities aboard.
Boat International, USA
“Sticking to what I know best” is how designer Ted Fontaine describes the Friendship 53, his newest entry in the production sailboat field. Alessandro Vitelli joins her for a sail in Narrangansett Bay.
Friendship 53, Classic Cruiser
Friendship 53, Classic Cruiser
By Robert H. Perry - from Sailing Magazine
I would hesitate to try and define Euro styling in words but I think you get the picture when you study the Wauguiez and the Etap. I’m probably a jingoistic knuckle-head, and I’m comfortable with that, but I think Ted Fontaine’s designs exemplify good old classic American yacht styling. While the Etap’s styling relies upon jarring your expectations with shapes and contours you did not expect, Ted’s designs are all about harmony in line. Jarring visual incongruities do not exist on a Fontaine design.
It’s been about four years since the Fontaine Design Group first introduced a 40-foot modern version of the classic Friendship Sloop. Since then they have been turning heads at every boat show and every harbor they visit, catching the eye and quickening the pulse of even the most casual dockside observer. Since the first Friendship 40, Manaaki, was launched, 13 more have followed in its wake. The boat’s unprecedented success has clearly set the standard for luxury daysailers. What it has also done is spark the interest of those who would not compromise on the look and unsurpassed quality of build that the 40-footer offered, but who had intentions of voyaging farther with more amenities aboard.
A Special Friendship: There is something special about the line achieved by American designer Ted Fontaine in his Friendship Range.
Maybe it’s because the Fontaine Design Group lies just 60 ft. from the water’s edge overlooking the east passage of the Narragansett Bay, but somehow designer Ted Fontaine has caught the look of this new yacht beautifully.
The Yacht Report: Issue 78
Judging only by the list of his award-winning yacht designs – which include Pamina, Anakena, Surama, Paraiso and many more – one might expect Ted Fontaine to be a distinguished, silver-haired gentleman ready to rest on his laurels and accolades. To the contrary, despite his close to 30 years at the top of the yacht design game, Fontaine is an eternally smiling, tanned, shorts-sporting and youthful fellow who looks much more like a casual sailing yacht captain than a captain of industry who just so happens to love what he does for a living.
Back to Basics: When you want to escape crew and companions, these four dreamy daysailers offer a path to the simple life.
Yachts are mere reflections of sailors’ dreams; mirrors held up to the aspirations of people determined to indulge their passion. And passion is not necessarily a rational impulse; it leads us sometimes to explore beyond the confines of the purely practical. So if you consider the remarkable technical development of cruising and racing sailing craft in recent years, it is nothing short of astounding that smaller craft – in the popular 35- to 45 – foot range – now offer features that were once exclusive to much larger yachts. For cruising sailors as well as serious racers, this is indeed a boon, and a temptation as well.
Falling in Love...
When American designer Ted Fontaine designed the Friendship 40, he “imagined a sailboat so beautifully refined and of such high quality that anyone who saw her would fall in love”.
Big Ideas, Small Package: Combining The Handling Of A Day Boat With The Aesthetics Of A Classic.
Your assumption would be correct. Designed by Ted Fontaine of the Fontaine Design Group, the Friendship 40 combines the ease of operation you’d expect from a relatively small day boat with the aesthetics, luxury and comfort of a mega-size yacht. His customers, Fontaine reckons, will include owners of large luxurious yachts trading down to or supplementing their yacht quiver with this convenient solo sailer, all without abandoning the high quality to which they’ve become accustomed.
Seglen wie in frühen Tagen
Friendship 40: Ein exklusiver Daysailor weckt die Lust auf den kleinen Schlag zwischendurch
Manaaki Friendship 40: Forty Feet Of Friendship In A Modern Classic
Fontaine Design Group of Portsmouth, RI has just launched a 40-foot version of the classic Friendship sloop. Austral Yachts in Whangarei, New Zealand, built the new luxury yacht, and so far, sea trials have proven the small superyacht to be quick on its heels and stunning in craftsmanship and attention to detail. A forty-foot voyager is quite a departure for a designer like Fontaine, whose stable of successful bluewater boats includes the elegant Amelia3 and a number of larger vessels like Whisper and the 109-foot Aventura, yachts truly deserving of the superyacht moniker.
www.friendshipyachtcompany.com
Copyright © 2020 Friendship Yacht Company
