A native of Long Island, New York, Bill Tripp began as designer in the office of Phillip Rhodes.
After service during World War II, he joined Sparkman & Stevens. In 1952 he started his own practice. In 1957, Tripp’s 'Touche', a 48-foot flush-deck sloop, built by Abeking and Rasmussen in Germany, compiled a good race record and gave its young designer a boost in stature. His boats were then built of wood, but the allure of fiberglass soon drew his attention. Tripp conducted his own experiments with the new material and ultimately became a pioneer designer of the era.
Among his many successful designs for production yachts are the Block Island 40, and the Hinckley Bermuda 40.