Ex Joan II, Viveka was designed by Frank C. Paine of Paine, Belknap & Skene and built by Fred Lawley in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1929 and 1930. She was designed for J.P. Morgan who wanted a fast cruiser, putting special emphasis on speed. For this reason Frank Paine designed her to rate at the top class G, a 38 rating, and at the same time under the universal rules in the 12-meter class. Viveka can thus be considered one of the very few schooners that rated in the 12-meter class.
Viveka has sailed 1.5 times around the world with Merl Petersen at the helm. She was purchased from Merl by an owner who wants everything to be done to perfection so she was brought to Rutherford’s boat shop for a complete restoration.
The boat was double planked of cedar and mahogany on oak frames. She was designed with a deck length of 72’9”, Water line of 48’, a beam of 14’ and a draft of 9’1”