| Coming from a boat racing and building background, Rob’s extensive experience on the water and as one of the leading educators in the marine boat building industry in New Zealand has lead to the development of a variety of designs all of which punch well above their weight.
 The 650 represented Rob’s desire to put sportboating within easy reach of more sailors; being fast with all unnecessary weight eliminated, yet being easy for the homebuilder to create themselves. The 7 and 750 are both balls to the wall sportboats with huge performance yet within the NZSBA rules; the Shaw 7 Custard Truck was able to beat the larger sized J80s and SB3s on line in Hong Kong typically by 15-25 minutes per hour.
Most recently, Rob Shaw’s canting keelers have made a huge impact on sailing in New Zealand, with Deep Throttle, Karma Police and Rehab showing strong pace; in particular the 9m canters are basically now the dominant boats in the sub 50 foot size range; both in shorthanded and full crew racing.
Rob Shaw is able to provide custom designs which are based on real world building and performance constraints, and is involved on a daily basis with www.shaw650.com When buying a Shaw 650, the price includes a design fee which is not just a license fee but an ongoing investment in the future of the class; Rob Shaw also maintains and supports the class for future development and the one design rules for the 650.
For more information on his designs and philosophy go to www.shawyachtdesign.com
| 
Stunning performance 