Early career From 1942 to 1946, during
World War II, Proctor was a
Flying Officer in the
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. The most widely known of all Ian Proctor designs has to be the
Topper of which more than 46,000 have been produced to date. This was the first sailing dinghy to be produced from injection moulded plastic; a system which cost a million pounds to set up and was the largest single mold at the time. The first boats however were built from glassfibre (GRP). There is a large topper racing circuit in the UK and also like the Wayfarer has an enthusiastic racing following.
Yacht designer Although better known for his dinghy designs and aluminium masts, Ian Proctor was also responsible for the design of several small cruisers. His first cruiser was the
Seagull for Bell Woodworking, followed shortly afterwards by the Seamew. Later on there was the Nimrod, Eclipse, Pirate, and the Prelude.
Mast designer In 1953 Ian Proctor's 'Cirrus' had an all-metal mast. Proctor quickly realised the potential of metal masts and in 1953 he designed the first all-metal tapered and extruded mast for sailing dinghies. Then in 1955 he established 'Ian Proctor Metal Masts Limited' as a commercial venture. Proctor Masts soon became the leading metal mast producers for all types of sailing craft. Indeed, by 1960, 13 different countries were using Proctor masts in the Olympics and the 1987
America's Cup featured 12 boats using Proctor masts. Proctor Masts eventually became part of the Seldén group, and now trade as Seldén masts.
Writing Proctor wrote extensively about sailing. As well as his earlier stint as joint editor of
Yachtsman Magazine, he was, from 1950 to 1964, the yachting correspondent of the
Daily Telegraph. His books included: •
Racing Dinghy Handling, 1948 •
Racing Dinghy Maintenance, 1949 •
Sailing: Wind and Current, 1950 •
Boats for Sailing, 1968 •
Sailing Strategy, 1977 ==Ian Proctor Designs==