Age, Biography and Wiki

Ben Lexcen (Benjamin Lexcen) was born on 19 March, 1936 in Boggabri, New South Wales, Australia, is an Australian marine architect and Olympic sailor (1936–1988). Discover Ben Lexcen's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 52 years old?

Popular As Benjamin Lexcen
Occupation N/A
Age 52 years old
Zodiac Sign Pisces
Born 19 March, 1936
Birthday 19 March
Birthplace Boggabri, New South Wales, Australia
Date of death 1 May, 1988
Died Place Manly, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality Australia

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 19 March. He is a member of famous sailor with the age 52 years old group.

Ben Lexcen Height, Weight & Measurements

At 52 years old, Ben Lexcen height is 1.83 m .

Physical Status
Height 1.83 m
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Not Available
Sibling Not Available
Children Not Available

Ben Lexcen Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Ben Lexcen worth at the age of 52 years old? Ben Lexcen’s income source is mostly from being a successful sailor. He is from Australia. We have estimated Ben Lexcen's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income sailor

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Timeline

1936

Benjamin Lexcen AM (born Robert Clyde Miller, 19 March 1936 – 1 May 1988) was an Australian yachtsman and marine architect.

Born in the small town of Boggabri, New South Wales on 19 March 1936.

After his parents, labourer Edward William Miller and Ethel Doreen, née Green abandoned him as a child he stayed briefly at Boys' Town, Engadine, before going to his grandfather at Newcastle.

He left school at age 14 to pursue a locomotive mechanic's apprenticeship but soon found his attention turning to sailboats.

At 16, he designed his first sailboat The Comet with his friend William Bennett in Hamilton, NSW, and began to make a name for himself in local competition.

Miller did his sailmaking apprenticeship with Norman Wright in Queensland.

Miller's designs were highly innovative.

1960

His entry, "Taipan" in the 1960 18Footer World Championship started the modern era of the class and Miller won the World Championship in 1961 with the successor, "Venom".

With friend Craig Whitworth, he founded a boatbuilding, sail-making and ship-chandlery firm (Miller and Whitworth) and designed boats part-time as well.

One of his lasting early successes was the design that became the International Contender.

1967

It was selected in 1967, in multi boat trials, as a potential Olympic successor to the Finn dinghy.

1968

The Contender was awarded International status in 1968 and now has fleets in more than twelve countries throughout the world.

1970

His keelboat designs of the early 1970s featured clean, easily driven hulls and relatively small sail area.

He had great success with a series of these designs starting with the innovative "Ginkgo".

1972

Miller competed in the Soling at the 1972 Munich Olympics representing Australia in sailing with Denis O'Neil and Ken Berkeley as fellow crew members.

Miller was commissioned by Alan Bond to build Apollo, an ocean racer.

1974

This partnership continued when Bond first challenged for the America's Cup in 1974 with the Miller-designed 12-metre class yacht Southern Cross, named for the southern hemisphere constellation.

Their challenge for the Cup was unsuccessful but Miller was kept on as the designer for future yachts, all of them designed to the 12-metre class rules as used for America's Cup competition at the time.

During the first years of his partnership with Bond, Miller withdrew his partnership from his sail-making company but the company retained its name of Miller and Whitworth.

Soon after the 1974 Cup challenge, Miller changed his name to avoid confusion with his former company.

Keen to prevent the possibility of there being any confusion surrounding his name and business interests in the future, he asked a friend who worked for Reader's Digest to find out the least-used surname within their membership.

The result was Lexcen.

"Ben" was the name of his dog.

1977

Bond challenged for the 1977 America's Cup using the Lexcen and Johan Valentijn designed 12M Australia against media mogul Ted Turner and again with a Lexcen modified Australia in 1980 against Dennis Conner, losing both times.

1980

After the 1980 challenge Lexcen realised that to win against the defenders, with their 100+ years of America's Cup experience, they would need a superior boat.

His next design featured a host of advanced design features, not the least of which was a revolutionary winged keel, intended to lower the drag and to make the boat more stable and maneuverable in the water.

The keel design reduced tip vortex, a turbulence resulting in conventional keels from the pressure differential between the windward (low pressure) and leeward (high pressure) sides.

Australia II's design was to prove highly controversial, protested because some part of the design was done before and during the testing of the keel in a Dutch tank testing facility.

Australia II was a revolutionary design approach with her winged keel and hull design featuring the shortest waterline length ever measured on a 12-metre.

To yachtsmen accustomed to seeing racing yachts out of the water, Australia II is striking.

Its conventional long slim topsides flare down to a short waterline hinting at the dramatic, minimal, slippery underwater hull shape which was fast to turn as well as easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Ben often remarked that Australia II is a whole boat, not just a keel.

The New York Yacht Club, holders of the Cup, formally protested both that Australia II was not a legal 12 metre boat, and that the design itself was not of Australian origin.

The ruling arrived at on the boat confirmed that Australia II complied with both the 12-metre class and the America's Cup rules.

1983

He is famous for the winged keel design applied to Australia II which, in 1983, became the first non-American yacht to win the prestigious America's Cup in 132 years.

The 1983 America's Cup saw Lexcen's Australia II, with John Bertrand at the helm, take on the NYYC skipper Dennis Conner and the defender yacht, Liberty.

The Australians were sure they had a fast boat.

Australia II had dominated the challenger eliminations just as Liberty had dominated the closer defender trials, honing her tuning and performance.

2009

The questions on her design origin were not formally answered at the time, but the controversy re-emerged in 2009 (see Later claims of Dutch Design for details).

Claims that Peter van Oossanen was the designer of the Australia II keel rather than Ben have been strongly rejected by John Bertrand and by John Longley, an important member of the Australia II team using documentary evidence.