About

Bethwaite Design — A Legacy of Innovation in High-Performance Sailing

Bethwaite Design is a family-founded marine design company with a storied heritage in competitive sailing. At the heart of our company is a unique legacy—where deep sailing knowledge, Olympic-level innovation, and a passion for speed converge.

Our story begins with the legendary Frank Bethwaite, an aeronautical engineer, sailor, and visionary whose pioneering work redefined high-performance dinghy design. His groundbreaking approach led to the creation of boats that were not only fast and efficient, but intuitive and accessible to sailors around the world.

In the early 2000s, Frank passed the helm to his son, Julian Bethwaite, a world champion sailor and highly respected designer in his own right. Under Julian’s leadership, Bethwaite Design has continued to push boundaries—refining existing models and developing new boats that have shaped the global sailing landscape.

Together, Frank and Julian have been instrumental in the development of:

• Two Olympic sailing classes
  
• One Paralympic sailing class
  
• One of the world’s largest and most beloved youth sailing classes

Our designs—including the iconic 29er and 49er—have become staples in international racing fleets, Olympic training programs, and youth development around the globe. These boats are not just products; they are platforms for the next generation of champions.

Today, Bethwaite Design continues its mission of excellence in performance boat design, supporting sailors from their first tack to the world’s biggest regattas. We remain dedicated to evolving our boats, designing custom solutions, and fostering innovation for the future of the sport.

Our History

A Legacy of Flight, Innovation, and High-Performance Sailing

Bethwaite Design traces its roots back to World War II, when Frank and Nel Bethwaite served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in the Pacific. After the war, Frank continued his aviation career, flying commercially and for government operations. His mastery of aerodynamics soon found a new outlet—designing model gliders, where he quickly earned recognition and multiple competition wins.

In the 1950s, the Bethwaite family relocated to Sydney’s North Shore, near Northbridge, a move that would quietly ignite a revolution in dinghy sailing. As Frank and Nel raised their family, they also helped establish the Northbridge Sailing Club, which today sits on Bethwaite Lane, a testament to their influence on the community.

Needing a boat suitable for both adult racing and teaching their children to sail, Frank applied his aerodynamic expertise to maritime design, creating the Northbridge Senior and Northbridge Junior dinghies. With that, a new chapter began. In 1968, Frank and Nel founded Starboard Products, a company dedicated to producing their boats and supplying parts to the Sydney sailing community. Frank and the children built and designed; Nel ran the operations and the books.

From Backyard to World Stage

Frank’s first internationally acclaimed design, the Tasar (1975), became—and remains—one of the most beloved performance sailing classes worldwide. Its strong, passionate following continues to organize regattas on nearly every continent.

Following the Tasar, Frank collaborated on the Laser 2, a next-generation version of the famed Laser dinghy, further cementing his status as a designer of global significance.

The Next Generation

All four of Frank and Nel’s children were deeply involved in Starboard Products and active sailors at Northbridge. Each went on to claim national and international sailing titles, with two representing Australia at the Olympic Games. But it was their youngest, Julian Bethwaite, who would carry the design legacy forward.

While his siblings focused on traditional classes, Julian gravitated to the raw, unregulated world of 18ft skiffs—where sailing success depended as much on engineering as it did on athleticism. Designing and racing his own skiffs, Julian won three World Championships and three Grand Prix titles, with victories spanning from 1986 to 1993.

That experience led Julian to design the B14 (1987), followed by his magnum opus—the 49er, a groundbreaking high-performance skiff selected for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. That same year, Julian also introduced the 29er, a smaller, youth-focused skiff that now serves as the global development pathway to Olympic sailing.

Into the Modern Era

After the Sydney Olympics, the 49er became a mainstay of every Olympic regatta to follow. In the early 2000s, Frank and Nel passed leadership of the company to Julian, who rebranded it as Bethwaite Design. Yet even into their later years, Frank and Nel continued to contribute to design and innovation, including the 59er (2002) and early explorations into foiling technologies.

The 2000s saw a new wave of innovation:

• The 79er (2002), a trailerable sportsboat, evolved into the SKUD 18, developed in collaboration with Martin Biloch and Chris Mitchell. The SKUD became a Paralympic class at the Beijing 2008 Games.
  
• The 29erXX, a performance class tailored for female Olympic sailors, and the 29erXS, a downsized rig for junior sailors, extended the 29er family.
  
• Though the 29erXX didn’t reach Olympic status, the 49erFX, developed by John Clinton, did—and debuted at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where it has featured ever since.
  

A Family Tradition Continues

Most recently, Julian partnered with his son Alex Bethwaite to revisit his earlier 79er concept. Together, they created the 89er, affectionately known as Don't Panic. This sleek new design went on to win multiple Australian state championships and a national title—proving once again that sailing and innovation run deep in the Bethwaite bloodline.

Looking Ahead

As we move forward, Bethwaite Design remains committed to evolving the existing classes in our fleet—integrating cutting-edge materials and technologies to keep them at the forefront of high-performance sailing. At the same time, we're continuing to explore new designs in both the dinghy and keelboat arenas, remaining true to our heritage of pushing boundaries and elevating the sport for all.