In his 1982 book, “Best boats to build or Buy”, Ferenc Maté offers elaborate descriptions of more than 26 sailboats that he describes as beautifully designed or best built. The 9th entry titled “If I were King of Bjazarstan” presents the Naja.

Here are a few lines found in the book:

“…the celebrated French naval architect Sylvester Langevin, who designed the magically fast trimaran Elf Aquitaine (which, among other things, holds the transatlantic sail speed record) and the Whistocks Boat Yard of Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, have collaborated and come up with a beautiful thing called Naja.”

“Naja’ aggressive good looks are highlighted by her teak decks. With her fine entry and shrouds well inboard she should be an excellent windward sailer and with her light displacement of only 6,200 pounds on a 27 foot waterline she ought to fly downwind”

One interesting comment from Mate is this one: “I am, however, unsure about one thing, and that is whether the dread of wood boat owners regarding toredo worms is applicable here.” I believe we can all rest assured this is a non issue. These boats have been around now for more than 28 years and some ( Fleetwood is a fine example ) have sailed around the world without having any problem whatsoever.

This book is available in bookstores and at Amazon.com

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For those of you who read French, there was an article written on the Naja by the “Loisirs nautiques” magazine in 1979. The authors were very enthusiastic about the boat and praised the shipyard for the quality of the materials and the overall performance of the boat. At the end of the article, there is an interview with Georges Whisstock, general manager of the shipyard.