Over the past half century or so, Sam Devlin has designed and built a lot of boats.
Devlin—a longtime Passagemaker contributor, Trawlerfest lecturer and former Trawler Talk guest—turned 70 this year and wanted to try something different. “I’m not sure if I know how to slow down” the workaholic told Van Hemmen, “but Puffin can only do 6 knots, so we’re going to find out.”
Van Hemmen deftly described the boat as follows: “Puffin is a big 47-footer. She weighs in at a hefty 88,000 pounds, and she has a 15-foot, 5-inch beam, a 6-foot draft and ample topsides … Puffin was designed by William Garden, Devlin’s all-time favorite designer. She’s also a double-ender and has a Gardner engine, two other things Devlin loves.”
