Shipman 50 was the first in-house project for the new boatbuilding division of the company. 

Their goal was more than ambitious: Shipman aimed to bring the performance of a high-tech carbon/epoxy racing yacht into the cruising world and make it accepted by the markets through a new boatbuilding and design process. The J&J office was supported by a dream-team: Giovanni Belgrano, the head of SP-Systems (known today as Gurit) and inventor of the SPRINT materials and process (as well as one of the yachting world’s leading structural engineers); Bill Green of Green Marine for production technology; Doug Peterson for naval architecture support; and Danish boating legend Joergen Bonde, for conceptual help. 

We discovered that by using the 3D design, milled plugs and molds, and dimensionally stable epoxy/carbon composites, the build process of a yacht could be made efficient, cost-effective, and result in a very light and strong boat. The first model of the carbon yacht range was a 50-footer, with about a half the displacement of a typical production cruising sailing yacht of its size. The DNA of the new line was defined as a high-performance, short/single-handed and deckhouse yacht.

Built with help of the Green Marine six-person team (including Bill’s son Pom and daughter Saskia), the Shipman 50 was launched in 2003. She sailed very fast, was very easily handled by two sailors, and offered a new level of comfort and convenience. Shipman 50 Carbon was heavily acclaimed by the press with over 200 pages of editorials and trial reports. The sales numbers went well over the production capacity. 

Shipman 50 won the European Yacht of the Year 2003 title over all categories, and the basis of the most successful cruising carbon sailing yacht range was created.