[1][2][3] The design was built by Cape George Marine Works of Port Townsend, Washington and Sam L. Morse Co. of Costa Mesa, California, both in the United States.
Larry Pardey asked Hess to design a similar, but smaller boat, with a Marconi rig and the prototype was named Seraffyn.
It has a cutter rig, a spooned plumb stem, a near-vertical transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed long keel.
[6] In a review, Richard Sherwood described the boat, "this cutter is designed and built for cruising ... Beam is wide and displacement heavy.
"[3] In a review Peter Reuter wrote, "Her seaworthiness in heavy weather is legendary and the bowsprit allows the use of cruising spinnakers and large genoas which gives her remarkable light air performance for such a traditional boat ... Of course there are several downsides to all this.
True to design her seaworthiness in a blow is remarkable and, like most heavy displacement boats, she retains a slow easy motion in trade wind type sailing.
In lighter conditions, the bowsprit can be used to fly a cruising spinnaker or a large genoa which gives this tradition boat a surprising performance in light airs.