She was commissioned by the Padanaram Yacht Company whose dream is to revive a true one-design class of large racing yachts. The last large one-designs were the New York 50s, built in 1913 by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company on a Nat Herreshoff design. The W -Class racing yacht is a carefully thought out hull and rig by the late Joel White, Naval Architect of Brooklin, Maine, blending the best of the past with modern technology to create a beautiful fast boat. Her hull is constructed of an inner layer of Douglas fir and four layers of cedar strips, all glued and vacuum-bag cured on laminated wood frames. Decks are teak over plywood with teak cabin sides, coamings and bulwarks.
Accommodations below are luxurious for racing standards.
The resulting very light, yet stiff hull is stronger than fiberglass, lighter and more rigid than aluminum, easier to maintain than steel and much less costly than carbon-fiber. Plus, it is built entirely with readily available and renewable non-endangered wood.