A matter of weight
An overlooked and notoriously underestimated consideration is the weight of the boat. How heavy and undercanvassed is it? Will it sail in light winds?
Knockout criteria when buying a boat
Buying a boat is a risky step. Dreams, emotions, the desire to do something completely different are big, fuelled by a kind of midlife crisis and some money. Some even do it without a midlife crisis and little money. So let’s look at the knockout criteria when buying a boat. A boat is perceived as promise and a placeholder for …
Pros and cons of sail furling
Headsail furling has obvious advantages. For cruising, where convenience and safety is paramount, the cloth is removed from the cockpit when wind picks up, before mooring or in an emergency. Further, this winding technique, which is in use now for decades, conveniently adjusts the sail area. This is interesting for charterers, beginners, the occasional sailor, small crew or an older …
Upgrading a Swede 55
The advantage of modern crusing square metre boats or Skärgårdskryssare like S30, Jubilee S40 or Swede 55 is that they are made of durable and nearly maintenace free fibreglass. You simply enjoy your precious time aboard. Added to this is the well thought-out construction of the largest model. The deck and superstructure of Swede 55 were made by Fisksaetra Varv …
Swede 55 as Vindö
Every sailor admires the Vindö cruising boats from the Swedish west coast. Vindös are seventies compromises worth looking at, made of a rock solid and easy-care fibreglass hull with teak deck and handsome mahogany superstructure. A tempting mix of practicality with the traditional look and feel aboard.The Dream of Lasse Ristikankare In the 1980s, Finnish wooden boatbuilder Lasse Ristikankare transformed …
Square metre boats: A matter of sail area
Unlike other sailboats, the classic Skärgårdskryssare or square metre and their successors for cruising are designated by sail area instead of their length or a formula. For example, the 15 stands for the smallest 15 square metre class, the 22 for the 22s, and so on. If the designation number is underlined, as in the above photo of a 30, …
Where to put the anchor?
Swede 55 can be enjoyed as built in the 1970s. Believe it or not and even if some do-it-yourselfers find it difficult: you can simply sail this boat as it is – with one exception: Unfortunately, the yard did not consider an important issue at the time, anchoring. A secure anchor that you can easily deploy and back on board …
Square metre boat: A matter of length
Anything flat-hulled with long overhangs, made of wood, ideally with a glossy finish? This is how most sailors answer this question. In principle, that’s true, since the open design class launched in 1908 for racing in the Stockholm archipelago or Skärgård initially left a lot of freedom. Only the sail area was limited. If you wanted to win with a …
How to get the right Swede 55
Not long ago, an American contacted me regarding the purchase of a secondhand Swede 55. As a former 55 owner he was familiar with the boat. Enthralled by the 55, he found a particular boat on the eastern seaboard of the US and sought advice whether to inspect it at all or not. He booked advice to find an answer …
Which spar is it?
An S30 sailor wants a jockey pole for his cruising square metre boat for spinnaker sailing at closer angles. Together with matching eye plates to hang on the side of the mast this is no big deal. The boom and fittings are requested from the leading mast builder Seldén via the Hamburg agent Herman Gotthardt. Seldén probably supplied the rigging …
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