[2] The company was founded by Ted Irwin (June 28, 1940 – February 5, 2015) in 1966 and went through a succession of bankruptcies and subsequent name changes, before finally closing in 1992.

[2][3][4] Ted Irwin was a competitive sailboat racer, but the company built many of their boats specifically for the cruising market.

[2][4][5][1][6] To control costs, Irwin bought his supplies in large lots and also owned his factory and the land it was located upon, as well as the production tooling.

His 1982 Razzle Dazzle was sold after winning the SORC that year, but the design was the basis for the Irwin 41 Citation, of which four boats were completed.

In 1974 he traded the molds for the 1970 model Irwin 32 in exchange for a small number of shares in the fledgling Endeavour Yacht Corporation to get founders John Brooks and Rob Valdes started in the boat building business.