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As a glance into our clubs, marinas, and ports shows, today’s mass-produced plastic boats are easy to maintain. And due to the endlessly adhered-to more-principle, they are getting higher all around, wider at the rear, and fuller at the bow to offer even more comfort. Probably 5,000 of them are berthed just around Lübeck Bay.

The mahogany sloop Delight, with its curved spoon bow, it’s small-sized cabin above the decently curved foot rail, and its elegant counter, seems like a message from an almost forgotten world: the Dorade vents and headsails hoisted with hanks may look like museum items. They are fairly practical. Seen from a distance, Delight is a two-colored affair of chestnut brown wood and white. Bright, like the waterline, the curtains, the sun awning, and the boom cover.

What is a Kustkryssare?

Sweden is blessed with numerous lakes, the archipelago of the Skärgård, that paradise at the east and west coast of the country, countless bays and the open sea. This led to special sailboat types tailored to these waters. One example is the Skärgårdskryssare, often featured by Swedesail and known in English as Skerry cruiser. Beyond that, the Swedes developed fine sailboats for Coastal and Sea cruising, more suiting to open water, with a moderately higher freeboard. They call them Kustkryssare or Havskryssare. Delight is a rare example of a Kustkryssare in German waters.

The story of the Coastal cruiser Delight

The story of this Kustkryssare starts in Stockholm Skärgård, in summer 1953, when a certain Knut Carlsson Sparre (1917–2012) discovered a pretty 10.60 × 2.40 m boat, weighing 3.6 tonnes and powered by 35 m² upwind sail area in the archipelago. Its name was Ballerina, an elegant mostly flush decked 35-foot sloop with just a little superstructure between the mast and cockpit.

And – as it is customary among sailors – Sparre wanted a boat like this, only bigger and with a few differences here and there. So the then young Ballerina designer Olle Enderlein and the future owner planned a cruising boat for coastal sailing with a displacement of 5–6 tonnes and more freeboard.

Delight was built by a small yard on the island of Torsö near Mariestad on the eastern shore of Lake Vänern. In 1955, the barely sailed boat finished the Gotland Runt Regatta in second place. Knut Carlsson Sparre enjoyed his sailing success and forthcoming compliments. He proudly reported at the time: “I am often asked about the boat. Onlookers ask if it is mine and if they can borrow it.”

Although the boat’s name is proudly displayed on a brass badge on the sliding hatch, it was temporarily renamed Cormoran by a later owner. That’s how people are when they temporarily take care of boats. Fortunately, it was the only change and one that could be easily corrected.

Delight in Lübeck Bay

And then, sometime later, it finally arrived in Lübeck Bay – fortunately again under its original name which suited so much better suited it rather than that slightly common bird name. This boat, enchanting observers with its subtle Scandinavian finesse, can only carry the nameplate with those seven letters. For two and a half decades now, Uwe Becker from Lübeck has been living in a kind of symbiosis with the boat. I have known the two of them for about that long. Whenever I visited my Swede 55 in winter storage, whether in autumn and spring to work on it or just to say hello to the beloved planks, I met the friendly man with his open friendly face and warm smile.

I always met him in his work clothes, with sanding dust on his nose, a headlamp above and assumed he were a professional boat builder. At some point, a detour to the hall where he was working on Delight became mandatory for me. I soon nicknamed it “Sweden hall”, as it contained some nice Saabs.

Here, it didn’t matter that I had come to work on my boat and not to look around or waste time chatting. I enjoyed Delight’s spoon bow, the curved transition from the hull to the keel and the way the counter is lifted from the keel hung rudder to the small, traditionally inclined transom. Such a V-framed deep hull moves through the short Baltic Sea waves with predictable and pleasantly smooth movements. The bow reminds me on the advice of the famous naval architect Olin Stephens. He once explained that the stem of a seagoing boat must be raised steep out of the water. Then the boat would go smoother through rough water in harsh upwind conditions.

The remarkable finish of Delight

In case the freeboard of wooden boats cannot be kept in a flawless finish, the varnished hull has eventually to be painted. Unfortunately, this is the common solution. As a result, almost no wooden boats from this era are left with their original clear-coated planks. All exposed surfaces must be sanded annually, and the layer of varnish worn away by UV radiation and fender abrasion must be refreshed. Even water droplets play a role, as they act like lenses. Dents must be sealed instantly. Painting intervals cannot be extended because then the entire hull would have to be sanded down to the bare wood, and a new set of coating paint would have to be applied from the bottom to the very end. With each sanding, some bare wood is removed. At 23 mm plank thickness, this cannot be done often. Therefore, the damaged and dark areas of any classic boat are treated with filler, sanded and covered with a coloured paint. It is a matter of practicability.

70 years after her launch on Lake Vänern, Delight’s varnish shines brightly. Over the years, Becker taught himself how to roughen the surface carefully and apply the varnish in such a manner, that the particular seamless gloss is achieved. The planks end in the recesses of the stem and stern posts. For decades, the mahogany has endured a considerable range of humidity levels, from summer sailing to dry storage on land. It’s also astonishing that the immaculately joined planks have withstood temperature differences of up to 50 degrees Celsius, from the dark, sunlit wood in August to the sub-zero temperatures of winter, looking almost like new. You’d expect this kind of neatly preserved condition from furniture at home or musical instruments. Delight has obviously been lucky all these years.

A look below deck

Delight offers 1.84 m headroom in the cabin superstructure, 1.20 m in the passageway under the mast and 1.30 m in the fore cabin. The fore cabin is well ventilated with a separate hatch. The double berth in the fore cabin is 2 m long, 1.67 m wide at the head end and 60 cm wide at the foot end in the bow. The saloon benches are 1.85 m long, 60 cm wide and have lee sails for sleeping while underway, as was common on seagoing boats.

During breaks, the engineer and long-time marine technician either has a hand-rolled cigarette in his mouth or is busy preparing the next one. After a while, I realized that Becker lives in a kind of symbiosis with this piece of coastal sailing furniture, ensuring that the experience is delightful for both parties involved. The English language provides a certain variance for the meaning of Delight.

I’ve never heard him complain about all the hours he devotes to servicing Delight, as many owners do, even of modern, nearly maintenance free Gelcoat covered boats. It must be due to the joy of having Delight, steadily maintaining and occasionally even sailing her — and to Becker himself.

Quoting the advertisement by a Swiss watchmaker, “you never actually own a Patek Phillipe. You merely look after it for the next generation”. This saying seems to fit rather to a boat than a wristwatch, as you can forget the watch in a drawer for some time. Due to Becker’s advancing age, this transfer is due now. It should be someone who understands this 1955 Kustkryssare, preserving it as it is, and continues to sail it in a species-appropriate manner: a little while for himself and for the next generation.

Three key questions considered in a straightforward manner: First, what problems are likely to lurk in the timbers? Second, what has been done to ensure its forward-looking preservation? Third, how many hours are needed to keep Delight in its current condition?

1. No composite construction

The common topic with vintage wooden boats, and the reason for extensive renovations of the permanently damp bilge with keel suspension, is its mixed construction, consisting of corroding steel frames and rotting wood surrounding the metal. For Delight, this is not an issue, as she is entirely built of mahogany planks over oak frames.

2. Which work was done during the past decades?

Which leads to the second question: what has been done in the past decades to ensure its forward-looking preservation? A brief overview of key jobs. Needless to say, common wearing parts such as winches, sails, lifeline cables, the running/standing rigging and turnbuckles were regularly checked and if necessary replaced.

• The Deck consists of 18 mm thick marine plywood with 15 mm Oregon pine planks laid on top, running into the mahogany centerline (called the fish). When Becker took over the boat, the crucial question was whether the plywood was already damp. So, in 2001, the existing deck planks were removed from the plywood as a precautionary measure, and all old holes were closed. The plywood was in perfect condition. New Oregon pine deck planks were installed. The planks, curved and following the deck edge, are screwed to the plywood base and bonded with Sikaflex. Finally, everything was sealed with seven coats of Epifanes. After repeatedly repairing cracks in the grout at the joints between the deck planks recently, Becker renovated the deck as follows at the beginning of 2025: The paint and all fittings were removed. He evenly milled out approximately 35 m between the planks and re-sealed them. This was followed by a new paint job with six coats of PP Extra and two final coats of Epifanes Polyurethane for UV protection. Since this work, the deck not only looks good, but aside from regular recoats, it probably won’t require much work in the coming years. Work on the hull: In 2009, a new oak sternpost was installed, along with a new stainless-steel rudder tube, and replacement of the lower rudder bearing. In 2014, the complete underwater hull was inspected after removal o the antifouling, and a rotten section of the oak stem was replaced in collaboration with a professional boat builder based in Lübeck. During this time, bungs were installed, some plank seams were opened, and resealed in the original style with cotton thread and linseed oil putty. The mast is original. As a precaution, it obtained new oak spreaders with the original profile in 2022. In 2015, the aircraft was overhauled with a new engine mount, cylinder head overhaul, alternator, regulator, fuel pump, and fuel filter.
• The hull: In 2009, a new oak stern post was installed, along with a new stainless-steel rudder tube, and the lower rudder bearing was replaced. In 2014, the complete underwater hull was inspected after removal of the antifouling. A rotten section of the oak stem was replaced in collaboration with a professional boat builder. During this time, bungs were installed, some plank seams were opened and resealed in the original style with cotton thread and linseed oil putty.
• The mast is original. As a precaution, it obtained new oak spreaders in 2022 with the original profile.
• The engine was checked in 2015: new engine mount, cylinder head revised, alternator, regulator, fuel pump, and fuel filter.

3. How much work goes into the boat each year?

The final question is how much work will likely be required each year to keep Delight in its current condition. “Considering the work carried out to date to have the boat in its current shape, the annual expenditure is manageable,” Becker summarises. This work consists of:

• Annual machine sanding of the freeboard with 320-grit. This is followed by a coat of International Schooner single-component clear varnish, enriched with a little mahogany stain. Varnishing time beginning April/May at 15° Celsius.
• Sanding and varnishing the deck, cabin and coaming every 2–3 years. The deck is coated with 7 layers of Epifanes PP Extra Clear Varnish. After the deck was refurbished and varnished in spring 25 as described, resanding and varnishing is likely to be repeated out in spring 27 or 28. The cabin superstructure and coaming are due earlier.
• Wet sanding of the mast, main boom and spinnaker pole every few years with 400 grit and Owatrol D1, followed by Epifanes PP Clear Varnish Extra.

This list does not contain the regular boat maintenance, engine servicing, winterising and de-winterising, and antifouling painting. Delight has always been stored inside a hall over the years.

Boat data

• Design: Olle Enderlein 1954
• Yard/Year of construction: Svahns Batbyggeri, Torsö island/Mariestad 1955
• Deck: 15 mm Oregon Pine planks framed by 15 mm Mahogany (sides and centre line) on 18 mm Gabun Plywood
• Hull construction: oak frames and stems, Planks 23 mm Khaya Mahogany
• Superstructure: Honduras Mahogany
• Rigg: Original Spruce spar. Boom and Spinnaker pole Oregon Pine
• Length: 11,48 m
• Waterline: 8 m
• Beam: 2,57 m
• Draft: 1,70 m
• Up wind Sail area: 44,24 m²
• Mainsail: 25,3 m²
• Jib: 21,7 m²
• Genoas: 35,6 – 37 m²
• Heavy-duty jib: 13,8 m²
• Storm jib: 4,5 m²
• Spinnaker: 86 m²
• planned displacement: 5,4 t
• actual displacement real: 5,8 t
• Ballast (Lead): 2,5 t
• Engine: Ruggerini MM 150, 15 HP, freshwater cooled

Current sails

Delight comes with the following set of new/fairly new and little used sails:

• Mainsail: 29,5 m² Hydranet
• Genoa I: 38,5 m² Mylar Radial
• Genoa II: 28,5 m² DC 55 Radial
• Jib: 16,2 m² Hydra Net Cross Cut
• Spinnaker: 105 m² Triradial

Price reduced to €55.000 with German/EU-VAT being paid. She can be visited by appointment in Bad Schwartau near Lübeck until mid-October in the water, then in winter storage in the shed. Send your via E-Mail inquiry here.

Photo on top by Uwe Becker: Delight ready to go at her current berth, Teerhofinsel, near Lübeck. Updated October 26, 25. → Subscribe to the newsletter, and you won’t miss future articles.

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