Whiting 29 Yachts
The Whiting 29 — a classic New Zealand yacht designed by Paul Whiting
Welcome to whiting29.org, the online home of the Whiting 29 yacht. This website is dedicated to preserving and sharing information about the Whiting 29, its designer Paul Whiting, and the yachts that have been built from his design. It is intended for Whiting 29 owners, former owners, prospective owners, sailors, historians and anyone interested in New Zealand yacht design.
The Whiting 29 is a 29-foot yacht designed by renowned New Zealand yacht designer Paul Whiting. The first production boat, Band Wagon, was launched in October 1978. The design quickly established a reputation as a fast, capable and versatile yacht, equally at home racing around the buoys, cruising New Zealand waters or undertaking longer passages.
Today, Whiting 29 yachts continue to be actively sailed and raced around New Zealand and overseas.
About the Whiting 29
The Whiting 29 was designed as a performance yacht that combined good sailing characteristics with practical cruising accommodation.
The design was notable for its relatively light displacement, efficient hull and powerful sail plan. Whiting 29s were built in both fractional-rig and masthead-rig configurations, with individual boats subsequently modified by their owners to suit racing and cruising requirements.
Although commonly described as a 29-foot yacht, the Whiting 29 has a length overall of approximately 29 feet 3 inches (8.92 metres).
Typical published dimensions include:
| Specification | Whiting 29 |
|---|---|
| Designer | Paul Whiting |
| Length overall | 8.92 m (29 ft 3 in) |
| Beam | 3.12 m (10 ft 3 in) |
| Draft | Varies with configuration |
| Rig | Fractional or masthead |
| Type | Monohull sailing yacht |
There are differences between published specifications, partly because the Whiting 29 was produced in different configurations and individual yachts have been modified during their lives.
For more detailed information, see Whiting 29 Specifications.
The history of the Whiting 29
The Whiting 29 forms an important part of the history of New Zealand yacht design.
Paul Whiting was one of New Zealand’s most influential yacht designers. His designs were known for their innovative thinking, speed and ability to perform well in the challenging conditions encountered around the New Zealand coast.
The Whiting 29 developed from this design philosophy and became one of his better-known production yacht designs.
The boats were built over a number of years, and surviving examples can now be found in many parts of New Zealand. Some have remained substantially original, while others have been extensively modernised or modified for racing or cruising.
The history of the Whiting 29 is therefore not just the story of a yacht design—it is also the story of the individual boats and the sailors who have owned and sailed them.
Read the history of the Whiting 29
The Whiting 29 Boat Register
One of the main purposes of this website is to document as many Whiting 29 yachts as possible.
The Whiting 29 Boat Register currently records more than 50 yachts and includes information such as:
- Hull number
- Boat name
- Sail number
- Launch or build date
- Current location
- Previous names
- Owners and ownership history
- Photographs
- Racing history
- Other historical information
The register is an ongoing project. Information about many of the boats has been supplied by their owners and sailors, while other information has been gathered from historical records, sailing publications and other sources.
If you own or have previously owned a Whiting 29, we would particularly like to hear from you. Photographs, historical information and corrections to the register are always welcome.
View the Whiting 29 Boat Register
Paul Whiting — yacht designer
The Whiting 29 was designed by Paul Whiting, one of New Zealand’s most respected yacht designers.
Among his best-known designs are Reactor, Magic Bus, Smackwater Jack, Newspaper Taxi and the Whiting 29.
Whiting designed a wide range of successful yachts during his career, from lightweight racing boats to cruising yachts. His designs reflected an emphasis on performance, innovation and practical sailing characteristics.
Whiting 29 yachts today
Many boats have also received modern upgrades, including new sails, rigging, engines, navigation electronics and interior improvements.
The continued use of these yachts is a testament to the quality of Paul Whiting’s original design.
Although many Whiting 29s are now several decades old, the design remains popular with sailors.
Their combination of performance, seaworthiness and manageable size makes them suitable for a wide range of sailing.
Whiting 29s can still be found:
- Racing in yacht club fleets
- Cruising around New Zealand
- Exploring the Hauraki Gulf, Bay of Islands and Coromandel
- Cruising the Marlborough Sounds, Wellington Harbour and Banks Peninsula
- Competing in offshore and coastal races
- Being restored and maintained by new generations of owners
- Wellington based Halo publishes their logbook at www.halologbook.com
- British Heart of Ipswitch III sailed from New Zealand around the Horn to the England in 1987
Own a Whiting 29?
If you own a Whiting 29, we’d love to hear from you.
We’re particularly interested in receiving:
- Photographs of your yacht for our Gallery
- The boat’s history
- Launch or build information
- Previous names
- Sail number
- Hull number
- Previous owners
- Current location
- Racing history
- Interesting stories about the boat
Contact us with information about your Whiting 29
This information helps preserve the history of the Whiting 29 for future generations of sailors.
Whiting 29 owners and sailing enthusiasts also hang out at the Whiting 29 Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/whiting29. If you own a Whiting 29, or are looking at purchasing a Whiting 29, please click “Join Group” on the Facebook Group page to gain access to the group.
A resource for Whiting 29 sailors
Whiting29.org is intended to be a living historical record of the Whiting 29.
The information on this website has been gathered from owners, sailors, historical records and published sources. Where possible, information is cross-checked against independent sources, but there are inevitably gaps in the history of individual boats.
If you spot an error, have additional information, or have photographs that could be added to the register, please get in touch.
The more information that Whiting 29 owners contribute, the more complete the historical record becomes.
Fair winds and happy sailing!
Whiting 29 Yachts 