The search results confirm that the Le Comte 52 is also known as the Ocean Racer 52. The designer is William H. Tripp Jr.. Production started in 1965 (some sources say 1968). I will use 1965 as the start date given multiple sources. William H. Tripp Jr. was known for popular wooden and later fiberglass sailboat designs, including the Block Island 40 and Hinckley Bermuda 40. He began his design career in the office of Phillip Rhodes and later joined Sparkman & Stephens. The Le Comte 52 (Ocean Racer 52) is described as a luxury yacht with spacious accommodations and excellent seakeeping, with a generous sail plan delivering excellent light-air performance. This contradicts my initial SA/D ratio calculation slightly, so I will ensure to balance these points.
I have enough information to start drafting the article. I will ensure to integrate the calculated ratios with the qualitative descriptions found. I did not find extensive owner reviews or specific common problems for the "LeComte 52" or "Ocean Racer 52" from the search snippets, so the owner's perspective section might be omitted or briefly touch on general LeComte owner sentiment if applicable.
Let's refine the plan:
- Introduction: Define its purpose as a performance cruiser/ocean racer, mention its reputation for quality, designer William H. Tripp Jr., and builder LeComte Yachts.
- History and Design: Discuss production from 1965. Incorporate Tripp's design philosophy (focus on performance and seakeeping) and LeComte's build quality (solid-glass hulls, Airex-cored decks, varnished interiors). Mention the "Ocean Racer 52" alias.
- Sailing Performance and Handling: Interpret the calculated ratios (SA/D 14.94, B/D 0.397, D/L 385.23). Contrast the D/L with the "excellent light-air performance" claim from search result. Emphasize stability and power.
- Accommodations and Layout: Rely heavily on the description from about spacious accommodations and search for any general interior descriptions that can be inferred from "luxury yacht" and LeComte's reputation for superb joinery. No specific layout diagrams or detailed descriptions were found, so I'll keep this general.
- Owner's Perspectives: Insufficient direct information on common problems or detailed owner feedback for this specific model. I will omit this section, as per instructions.
One source explicitly states that the Le Comte 52 has "excellent light-air performance," despite my calculated SA/D of 14.94, which is typically considered moderate. I will address this by noting the generous sail plan contributing to light-air ability while balancing it with its heavy displacement, suggesting it's a powerful boat overall.
Final check on the plan:
- Introduction: Designer (William H. Tripp Jr.), Builder (LeComte Yachts), essence (luxury yacht, ocean racer, performance cruiser, excellent seakeeping).
- History and Design: Production start year (1965), alias (Ocean Racer 52), designer's reputation, LeComte's build quality (solid-glass hulls, Airex-cored decks, superb joinery, varnished finishes).
- Sailing Performance: LOA 51.83 ft, LWL 35.0 ft, Displacement 37000 lbs, Ballast 14700 lbs, Sail Area 1088.5 sqft. Ratios: SA/D ~14.9, B/D ~0.40, D/L ~385. Use these to describe stability, displacement category, and sailing characteristics. Combine with the "excellent seakeeping" and "generous sail plan delivers excellent light-air performance" from search.
- Accommodations: Focus on "spacious accommodations" and LeComte's reputation for luxurious varnished finishes and quality materials. No detailed layout found.
- Owner's Perspectives: Omit due to lack of specific grounded information.