Vanguard Sailboats was founded in 1967 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA by Peter and Olaf Harken.
The hardware segment was maintained somewhat separately, as it was marketed to competing boat builders.
In 1986, the Harkens sold Vanguard to Stephen Clark, who moved the business to Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
The brothers focused their efforts on the performance sailing hardware business in Pewaukee, WI under the name Harken, Inc., while Vanguard continued in boat building.
Additionally, LaserPerformance is a sponsor of many adult and junior sailing regattas.