Boat collection

Accomodation of International Onedesign 40 Quaremetreboat by Knud Reimers dated March 1974 – Source SSHM Stockholm

Sailplan of the 40 sqm cruising boat by Knud Reimers dated March 1974 – source SSHM Stockholm

Initially, Swede 55 was planned to be an International Onedesign 40 Skerrycruiser with nominal 40 Squaremetres, accoarding to drawings by Reimers dated March 1974. During summer 74, the project became a slightly longer Onedesign 55 Squaremetre Class, as Reimers’ plans dated October 74 tell. Accoarding to Reimers’ drawings dated January 1975 and remarks on it, the general design was modified early 75 and more or less finished in summer 1975.

Detailed drawings by Reimers regarding keel construction (dated September 1976), accomodation and the revised sailplan are dated March 1977. Boat # 2 being covered in swedish magazine På Kryss & Tll Rors in 11/1976 with the first series of 15 boats being sold and under construction, series manufacture of Swede 55 seems to have been underway in autum 1976.

Floor reinforcements with tank/engine beds and keel suspension as specified by Reimers January 1976 – source SSHM Stockholm

The prototype was built by Fisksätra Varv in Fisksätra, a village near Saltsjöbaden/Stockholm. Then the yard moved to the premises of a factory previously producing matches at Tändsticksvägen in Västervik at the east coast of Sweden. There the remaining 26 Swede 55s were built within a time span of three years. The last boats were delivered in spring 1980. I have seen about five Swede 55 and a number of her smaller sister, the S30 in Västervik then.

Swede 55 Rosina laid up on Staten Island/New York

Facing the worldwide recession due to the oil crisis the parent company Gylling withdrew from boatbuilding and the manufacture by Fisksätra Varv AB ceased in autumn 1979. Later seven boats (# 28 – 34) were constructed by ACVA Båt in Nyköping/Sweden and delivered as complete or semi-finished boats. Updated 25. November 2020

This attempt to associate boats to construction # and launching years may contain mistakes and there are obvious gaps. Some details are current, others old or based on hearsay. Sailnumbers tagged to well identified boats are marked bold. Should you as Swede 55-aficionado or insider know more, kindly contact me via Email. Your contribution would be appreciated.

Swede 55 # 2 “Arwen” in Stockholm Archipelago Summer 19 – Foto Lars Wickenberg

Further I heard of a Swede 55 with sailnumber N 2 (N for Norway), owned by a norwegian-english couple, sailing charter for a while in the Caribbean, seen some time in the Eighties or Nineties in Bonifacio, Corsica. Possibly boat # 23, 28 or 33.

The clip below shows “Cheyenne”, a pimped Swede 55 driven by 100 sqm sailarea hoisted at a carbon spar with swept back spreaders, balanced by a ballast ratio of 57 percent. No runners, clean deck, tiller steered. A pleasing 16 m daysailor with amenities for a weekend or the summer cruise.

Further to the boats built by Fisksätra Varv and ACVA Båt in Sweden and the wooden replica “Vortex”, there are four Swede 55 alterations afloat:

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Michael K. Bottles, Charles Churchill, Noah Dater, Norbert Deicke, John Harding, Börje Larsson, Mario Steiner, Ulf Torberger, Lars Wickenberg, Steven White and Juha-Pekka Vuorinen.