1973 Custom BILL LEE 40

Panache — 1973 Bill Lee Custom 40

Designer/Builder: William "Bill" Lee
Year launched: 1973
Length: 40 feet
Type: Custom offshore racing sloop
Design philosophy: Ultra-light displacement / high-performance sailing yacht
Original owner: Roderic "Rod" Park
Home port: San Francisco Bay area

Bill Lee's Panache was one of the first major custom boats from Lee's early Santa Cruz/Soquel boatbuilding operation. The Sailing Museum identifies Panache as a 40-footer and one of the important early boats through which Lee developed his famous philosophy of "light is fast – fast is fun."

A significant Transpac boat

This is where Panache gets particularly interesting.

Panache competed in the 1973 Transpacific Yacht Race, sailing from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Bill Lee himself sailed aboard her with Rod Park. A later account by the Cruising Club of America specifically recalls Lee sailing on Panache in 1973.

She subsequently proved herself as a serious offshore racer:

RaceResult1973 Transpac2nd in Class B1975 Transpac2nd in Class B1977 Transpac5th in her class1978 TranspacRaced again1980 Singlehanded TranspacRaced by Rod ParkWhat makes her historically important

Panache was essentially one of the foundation boats of the Bill Lee ULDB movement.

Lee was experimenting with a radically different concept for offshore racing: instead of building a conventional heavy 40-footer, he focused on reducing displacement and maximizing speed. The idea was to create a boat capable of accelerating onto a plane and surfing downwind in ocean conditions.

That philosophy eventually produced some of the most famous lightweight racing boats in America—including Chutzpah and, later, the legendary Merlin.

ROLLER FURLING

MAIN/ KEVLAR/DACRON (QUANTUM)

155% REACHER

ASYMMETRICAL SPINN (QUANTUM)

SYMMETRICAL SPINN (SMYTH)

2 SPINNAKER POLES

HARD VANG

COCKPIT TRAVLER

TILLER

2 ST PRIMARY WINCHES

2 ST SPINNAKER POLES

6 CABIN TOP ROPE CLUTCHES

2 CABIN TOP HALYARD WINCHES

2 MAST HALYARD WINCHES

NAVTEC HYDDRAULIC BACKSTAY ADJUSTER

REEFING SYSTEM

FORCE 2 BRUNER PROPANE STOVE/OVEN W/SHUTOFF

SS SINK

PRESSURE HOT/COLD WATER

 NOVACOOL DUEL 12/110 REFER/REFRIGERATOR

ADDITIONAL 12 VOLT  ICE BOX

COFFEE MAKER

GREAT STORAGE

NEW WAVE 110 VAC CONVECTION OVEN

LEWMAR ELECTRIC WINDLASS

DELTA 16  ANCHOR W/CHAIN  70' AND RODE 250'

12LB DANFORTH  ANCHOR 25' CHAIN/100' RODE

SS BOW AND STERN PULPITS

DOUBLE LIFELINES

2000 WATT HONDA GAS GENERATOR HOOKED INTO BOAT SYSTEM

TRACVISION

CABIN HEATER

BBQ

LIFESLING

AFT DECK LIGHT

2 BULKHEAD COMPASSES

MIAMI SHADE CANOPY W/3 POINT SHADE CURTAINS

CUSTOM TEAK AND HOLLEY COCKPIT TABLE

FRESH WATER WASH DOWN 

OUTSIDE BOSE SPEAKERS 

NEW INTERIOR UPHOLSTERY 

NEW MAIN SAIL COVER

ICOM VHF W/COCKPIT REMOTE

STEREO

FURUNO GPS PLOTTER

FURUNO 24 MILE COLOR RADAR

B & G AUTOPILOT

COM NAV WINDPOINT/SPEED/DATA CENTER

2 COLOR FLAT SCREEN MONITORS (MAIN SALON/AFT CABIN W/REMOTES

ALL NEW CG APPROVED WIRING AND PANELS

THERE IS A FORWARD DOUBLE BERTH PORT SIDE W/A SINGLE ON STARBOARD

AFT OF THAT IS A PORT HEAD AND TO STARBOARD A SINK

MIDSHIPS IS A CENTERLINE TABLE W/SETTEES PORT AND STARBOARD W/PILOT BERTH ON PORT

AFT BEHIND THE GALLEY AND NAV STATION IS A LARGE STARBORD DOUBLE UNDER THE COCKPIT WITH A SINGLE TO PORT

THE INTERIOR WAS CUSTOM BY BUXTON BOATWORKS 

The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.