William Shaw (yacht designer)
Quick Facts
Biography
Bill Shaw (died August 20, 2006) was an American-born yacht designer known for his long tenure at Pearson Yachts as their Chief Naval Architect.
Biography
Shaw graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy of Kings Point, NY in 1947. He went on to serve in the US Navy during the Korean War. He later joined the renowned firm of Sparkman & Stephens Naval Architects and Marine Engineers in October 1952 as a designer. In 1961, he became a manager of Products of Asia, and was the chief designer of the America’s Cup defender Columbia.
Bill Shaw joined Pearson Yachts in 1964 as Chief Architect. During his 27 years at Pearson, he and his team designed over 40 different sail and power boats.
During his tenure at Pearson Yachts he received numerous awards, and Pearson became a world-renowned leader in the boat building industry for quality fiberglass cruising and racing sailboats.