Trevor Spero's Stella, and his Jowett Jupiter (above) (Spero)
Hull form: GRP version (above)
But whilst Tyler's produced the hulls, Pye's conversion plan called for the cockpit and coachroof to be of traditional timber construction. Uphams finished many Tyler hulls but a number were also finished by other builders or by enthusiastic owners. The ˜composite' Twister was an appealing mix of the modern and the traditional and these boats are now amongst the most attractive to owners today as the thick layup of the Tyler hull did not suffer from osmosis.
Composite vs. GRP (above) (Class Assoc)
Although attractive it was clear that there was a market for a full GRP version. The debut of the first all GRP version in 1969 showed a marked price drop compared with the composite boats and for a while both versions were available. However it was not long before the composite was dropped in favour of the cheaper all GRP version. Whilst the majority of Twisters were built in the 60s and 70s Tyler's continued to produce hull mouldings through into the late 80s when the business ceased trading. More than 200 Twisters had been built by that t
Twisters nowadays are more likely to be cruising yachts though they have made some global passages. In addition to the 14,000 miles sailed by ˜Pouncer', Miles Horden sailed his Twister ˜Gordian' from Auckland, New Zealand to explore the Pacific Northland coast and wrote an account of his voyage called ˜
Voyaging the Pacific'. Twisters also still make capable double-hander racers with yachts like Criona and Brigand Chief competing in the RSYC series.
Crionna racing double handed (above)
Whilst originally an east coast yacht. Twisters are now found all round the British Isles. LSC archivist Ian Stewart owns a 1967 composite Twister finished at Uphams.The original Twister of Mersea is now owned by
RSYC member Alan Beswick. It can be found moored in the Beaulieu River opposite Gins Farm and is regularly cruised on the south coast in RSYC rallies and raced in the classic yachts series.
Twister of Mersea in 2007 (above)
According to the Class Association:
All Holman's designs were good looking and the Twister is arguably the prettiest. By today's standards she is a heavy yacht with a large wetted area and a relatively small sail area. One you might expect only to go well in a blow. Surprisingly the Twister still outperforms many much lighter ˜modern' designs in light airs too and always with impeccable manners and a ˜finger-light' helm.
Whiplash - A North Sea 24 (above) - Paul Anstey
If the Twister is the Stella's big sister then she also has two even bigger sisters herself. Inspired by the success of the Twister in GRP, Holman redrew his ˜North Sea 24' design in 1964 for GRP production. This became the Rustler 31 (sometimes referred to as the Twister 31) and the first ones were built by Anstey Yachts in Poole in 1965.
Building Rustlers (above) - Paul Anstey
Russell Anstey had been sailing the North Sea 24 ˜Whiplash' during the previous season. Whiplash had been a successful RORC racer and was used as the prototype for the 31. Still full keeled and with a transom hung rudder she really did look like a big Twister. Reviewing her in Yachting Monthly, December l965 Bill Mison had this to say:
From the same design stable as Class III winners 'Whiplash', 'Golden Samphire' and 'Casino', this masthead Bermudian sloop has the lines and performance of a Kim Holman thoroughbred and will rate about 20.0 in RORC Class III. Of one-piece moulded glass fibre hull with encased and glassed-in 2.5 ton lead keel, and one-piece deck and superstructure, she is exquisitely finished with an all teak weather trim and internal furniture. Moulding and completion are to Lloyds 100A1 specifications and supervision.
Maltings cut-away brochure (above)
Superb offshore capability and racing pedigree coupled with comfort below was beginning to be the Holman & Pye trademark. Over 50 Rustler 31s were built by both Anstey and later by Maltings Boats.
'Rustler of Arne' was co-owned by Russell Anstey and Kim Holman and together they sailed her to from the Canaries to Barbados from where she went to Grenada to chartered. Anne Ham
Rustler Yachts deck and Interior diagram (above) (Rustler Yachts)
Once again featuring a long keel and transom hung rudder, the design was by then looking quite dated. However, demand was still there for an ocean-going vessel that could be managed short handed and deal with whatever the weather gods would deliver. Over 120 boats have been built and the yacht is renowned for its performance and sea-going qualities. Many owners have crossed the Atlantic, several have completed circumnavigations. The Princess Royal owns a Rustler 36 berthed at
Ardfern Marina.
A Princess and her Rustler (above)
Holman died in 2006. In a brief obituary in Oyster News, Richard Matthews, Oyster chairman said this:
A brilliant designer, Kim was an inspiration, with so many beautiful yachts coming to life from his drawing board. Production yachts like the Stella, Twister and Rustler were interspersed with one-off racing yachts like Fanfare and Whirlwind, all the very best of their day.
Always maintaining a sense of style, things were never dull around Kim who was the first guy to do 130mph in his E-Type across the causeway onto Mersea Island.
Holman's legacy is a fine a series of yacht designs that live on and put him amongst the greats of twentieth century yacht design.
Chris Smith, LSC web editor
DimensionsGRP TwistersWooden TwistersLOA28' 327' 8LWL21' 621' 0Beam8' 18' 1Draft5' 05' 3Displacement9968lbs9856lbsBallast4628lbs4032lbs
Holman & Pye series yachts
para presupuestos reducidos o solitarios
