Hearing the name “Paul Hakes” is surely like music in the eyes of many sailors around the world. The New Zealander is know for his amazing work on a staggering number of record breaking high performance boats, both all-out racers and experimental rockets, others luxury cruising vessels. I must admit, I didn´t knew him until I dove into the world of high-class carbon made catamarans, specifically, HH Catamarans. When I recognized a lush picture of him the other day on Social Media showing him leisurely cruising, I asked him if he could carve out some time to talk to me. He could.
What followed was a smooth, relaxed but absolutely interesting conversation about his past as a young boy, his first steps aboard a sailboat and his colorful career as a master boatbuilder and “maker” of yachts which are to this day unforgotten, standard setting and beloved. Here´s what we´ve talked about …
Paul Hakes on sailing, boats and catamarans
NO FRILLS SAILING | Lars Reisberg: “Paul, let´s start with an easy one – where are you right now? Underway sailing?”
Paul Hakes: “Yes … currently I am hopping between Langkawi Malaysia, where I keep my yacht at the Rebak Island Marina and Taiwan, which is home to my wife and her family. I just finished a month cruising in Thailand, which as always, was simply beautiful. And now back to my work in Taiwan: Next month I prepare the boat for a Social Regatta, and I will probably take the opportunity to sneak in a couple of island cruising too …”
NO FRILLS SAILING | Lars Reisberg: “I envy you, Paul. As Northern European guy I am mostly focused on “Scandinavian”-style monohull sailing, I admit that I didn´t know your name until I started selling catamarans a few years ago. Now that I am affiliated with an HH Catamarans-dealer even more of course. But just a quick search on the internet reveals that Paul Hakes has made quite an impact in the boating industry far beyond HH. What would you say has had your biggest influence on sailing as of now?”
Paul Hakes: (laughs) “Well, It has to be HH Catamarans! As co-founder with Hudson Wang I was charged with building and developing a new catamaran and a new brand. We had finished building seven Gunboats, and Gunboat had then moved back to the USA. Now it was my mission to create something that we knew how to do, and that would fill Hudson’s factory. Like all things it started small, but I wanted it to have impact. So, when the first client for HH66 #01 asked me if I could build his boat with glossy carbon fibre topsides, I told him “Yes!” I must say that I had been waiting for 15 years for someone to ask me to do that. It took some testing and planning, but I think she was the largest clear coated carbon finish yacht in the world at that time. And bang! There was the immediate impact. It also to showed that building in China was not going to be technically restrictive in building boats. So, I think HH Catamarans has to be my biggest influence on sailing, as it has been the solution for so many clients. There are now over 30 of these boats sailing, and I have had the joy to work personally with each of those owners, tailoring their desires and dreams into reality.”
NO FRILLS SAILING | Lars Reisberg: “Let´s go back a bit to get to know you some more. When did you start developing an interest for sailing and boats? As a kid already? What haven been your first steps aboard boats and how did these influence your later path?”
Paul Hakes: “My grandfather was in the merchant Navy during Second World War, and he owned what was affectionately called “The Creek”. It was a mudflat between South Benfleet and Canvey Island in England. Here the bilge keelers would moor up for the winter, and my grandad would do any necessary service work on them. He had an old wooden shed accessed by planks spanning over the multitude of channels and reed clumps that created the mud flats. In his shed he would fashion oars and timber, splice hemp ropes, and work on those terrible early diesel and outboard engines. Perhaps the smell of wood and hemp are my earliest memories. I soon became a dedicated Sea Scout, then a proud Sea Cadet, and sailed a little, when available at school. In my late teens me and my best mate bought ourselves a light displacement six meter trailer sailor, the Sigrid 6. Despite not really knowing what we were doing, we just loved it, the sailing, and the ownership.
NO FRILLS SAILING | Lars Reisberg: “Your name is closely connected with some very interesting boats you´ve commenced. Can you give your, let´s say, top 3 of the most influential, most exciting or maybe most beloved yachts you did over time of your career?”
Paul Hakes: “With over forty years of building high end performance yachts, I am privileged to have worked with and for some exceptional clients, and people. I think three standout boats made significant impact for differing reasons: PLAY STATION, ZANA, and the SL33. But more than boats, the perhaps the biggest impact for me has been seeing the growth of the people I have worked with, and the great friendships, that have been built along with the boats. Boats and people, it’s mutually inclusive. It’s one of the wonderful things about the marine industry! Now, let´s talk about the boats …”
Paul Hakes: “PLAY STATION was not built under my name but by Cookson Boats. Mick Cookson was an inspirational boss for me, I worked for him for almost 12 years, we built over 60 yachts. This company was most certainly the ‘Go To’ boat building company of the World if you wanted your boat to win. I was appointed Construction Manager for the PLAY STATION-project, and with designers Morrelli and Melvin we constructed the world’s first Maxi Cat. Initially 105 feet (later to get extended to 125 feet) she was perhaps the first yacht of this magnitude to be “successfully” built from carbon prepreg, alloy Flexcore and alloy Honeycomb core materials. Launched in 1988 it broke a multitude of passage and speed records, and set a new Around the World-time record. More importantly, it set the scene for the next 2.5 decades for the large racing multihulls to come. As much as I love the grace and splendor of monohulls, all of a sudden I had built this incredible machine, its efficiency and no compromise purpose really appealed to me!”
Paul Hakes: “Next is the super maxi ZANA. I had just returned from eight months in Bremen, Germany, where I was hired as Project Manager to build Germany’s first Americas Cup Challenge Yacht, the Illbruck Challenge. Michael Illbruck had just won the 2001 edition of the around the world Volvo Ocean Race, and his wallet was empty. So once the AC Yacht was structurally finished, we packed it up: There was to be no 2003 Americas Cup for Germany. I headed back to New Zealand and set up Hakes Marine, and our first build was ZANA. She was to be New Zealand’s first 98’ maxi to be NZ designed, NZ built, and NZ owned. Brett Bakewell White did a great design job, and she was one of those yachts that was elegant, beautiful and fast. We launched her in September 2003, and she competed in that years Sydney to Hobart, where she was pipped across the line in a no-wind finish by Skandia, a new canting keeler. The owner Stewart Thwaites was fiercely patriotic, passionate and wanted to help stamp home New Zealand´s maritime dominance at that time. His trust in me, gave Hakes Marine an opportunity to prove ourselves as builders worthy of great boats to come. Interestingly Team New Zealand purchased the German Americas Cup yacht, GER68 as a training boat and Hakes Marine was called upon to help with modifications. Karma perhaps?”
Paul Hakes: “Last not least, the SL33. Little did we know when we won the contract to build this ultra lightweight, ultra powerful, and ultimately very fast catamaran in 2010! Let alone just how significant it was to become. It was a Morrelli Melvin design, so it was great to work once more with Gino Morrelli again as we’ve always worked well together. What was significant was that Emirates Team New Zealand bought two of them, and Luna Rossa bought one. They were used as test platforms to develop foiling appendages and learn how to foil! What was that word? This ultimately led to the 2013 AC72 which was a fully foiling 72-feet monster. Nowadays it seems there are more watersports foiling than not. The first SL33s were simply 600 kilogram-boats, carbon prepreg construction, 10 meters long with a 16 or 18 meter-mast. Those came with conventional daggerboards designed for racing the European lakes. Then ETNZ and Luna Rossa tested over 30 foil configurations to come up with what was probably the first sustained foiling catamaran. Literally a sailing (and surfing) world game changer, so I think it’s fair to say this little boat had unwittingly influenced the sailing world in a very big way.”
NO FRILLS SAILING | Lars Reisberg: “Wow! That´s sailing history right there. Amazing … Back to recent years: You´ve already mentioned how you joined Hudson Wang in launching the HH Catamarans brand. I´ve been on these boats quite a few times and would agree that there are very few other brands or makers who can reach up to these products: How much of Paul Hakes is inside these boats?”
Paul Hakes: “To answer simply: A huge amount! I was involved with nearly every design decision, production process decision, nearly all equipment choices, key suppliers, who were the designers for different parts of the boat. Developing a boat of more than 10.000 bespoke parts in China, when your team does not know boats, or how they are used, means nearly every decision would typically end through me. With every decision someone has to ask the questions why, why and why. Ultimately, I try and think from the anticipated market perspective, (the client), but this view must often be restrained, or even rejected when feasibility, cost and practicality are all balanced up.”
NO FRILLS SAILING | Lars Reisberg: “… but then you left?”
Paul Hakes: “Well, first of all, I was only ever employed by Hudson to achieve certain objectives. In China with a new yard, these were challenging, but within my skillset, and I like to think I achieved and exceeded everything that was asked from me with pride and integrity. The brand is now established, the boats are extraordinary, and this has put Hudson into a special place in the market where he could thrive. Through the more than 12 years working together we would typically complement each other’s skill sets. I had no idea how to manage Chinese business, or cultures within the work place. And he had no idea how to manage building a boat or western culture. It was always a healthy and even sparring relationship at times. Naturally over time we both learnt the others skill sets, and then we would have differing opinions about what we learned. I think this is part of all relationships, business or personal. So, as I had achieved my mandate, rather than pushing the sparring to unhealthy levels, it was simply time to move on and look for my next great life adventure.”
NO FRILLS SAILING | Lars Reisberg: “So, what is your current occupation? Can we expect to see new boats launched with your mark on them? Which are these projects and what makes them interesting for you to join forces and work on these?”
Paul Hakes: “My current occupation? I am unemployed, but incredibly busy. Yes, you will be seeing a new range of performance catamarans with my mark, my pedigree throughout them. We are going to market in the very near future, so the “wait and see” will not be long now. And this is why I have been busy …”
NO FRILLS SAILING | Lars Reisberg: “So, as you are not going to reveil all too much about your new project, lastly, if you could choose freely and do whatever you want – unrestricted by third party briefings, budgetary concerns or any other boundaries – what would be the one “Dream-Hakes” to build? Would it be a mono or multihull? What would this boat be like?”
Paul Hakes: “I am glad you said build and not own, as these are entirely different. (smiles) The dream build has to be challenging in all aspects, if it’s easy, it’s boring. Design, structures, systems and luxury finishing will be all great challenges. So when we (the team) finish the successful sea trials, it really means something big, important and satisfying. This boat will be the World’s fastest sailing cruising yacht. To achieve this, I am thinking of a catamaran in carbon somewhere between 115 to 125 feet. It will have to be carbon to handle the mind-bending loads. Of course it will be incredibly luxurious, as boats this size are only that. The speeds will be significant too, but perhaps the most amazing thing would be “how to use all that space?” Because the real estate offered in a boat at this size is just massive! Do you think I have not been knowing it will happen one day, for sure it will, and it already looks cool!”
Paul, thanks so much for taking your time and letting us take a look at your amazing past and get a glimpse of what is yet to come! Have a great time cruising and hopefully we can meet in person some day … maybe when you are back in Bremen (where by chance the HH Catamaran dealer has his HQ) and you build Germany´s next AC yacht …
Pictures with kind permission of Paul Hakes & from Ultimboats
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