When Chandler Hovey formed a syndicate in 1930 to build a J Class to take part in the Cup Defense against Sir Thomas Lipton's last challenger, Shamrock V, he turned to the architects office of Paine, Belknap & Skene.

The boat they built, Yankee ( 1930 ), was the only big racing yacht designed by the firm. 

Frank Paine naturally put his racing yacht experience to advantage when he designed Yankee, who came essentially from the drawing-board of Norman L. Skene.

Yankee was a very fast boat in heavy water.