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New Rudder Bearings

Reading Time: 6 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch Everything that moves on a boat eventually wears and needs to be taken care of. The story of old and persistently replaced rudder bearing bushings until a suitable solution was found. One of the issues that bothered me for some time aboard Gamle Swede was the rudder, specifically the guide of the rudder shaft in the …

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Weight Matters

Reading Time: 6 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch An overlooked and notoriously underestimated topic is the weight of the boat. How heavy and thus under-rigged is it? Will it sail in light winds at all? And how much extra load, provisions, and luggage can it handle? Five examples. Cement mixer or sailboat? Today, cruising boats are considered as floating weekend flats. Whatever we appreciate …

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Buyer advice: Knockout Criteria

Reading Time: 4 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch Buying a boat is a risky step. Dreams, emotions, the desire to do something really 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 …

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Pros and Cons of Headsail Furling

Reading Time: 5 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch Headsail furling has obvious advantages. For cruising, where comfort is paramount, the cloth is removed from the cockpit when wind picks up, before mooring, or in case of an emergency. Further, this winding technique, which is in use now for decades, conveniently adjusts the sail area. This is interesting for charterers, all new to the sport, …

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Refined Swede 55

Reading Time: 2 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch The advantage of modern Cruising Square Metre boats or Cruising Skärgårdskryssare like the S30, Jubilee S40, or Swede 55 is that they come in durable and nearly maintenance-free fiberglass. So you 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 …

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Swede 55 As Vindö

Reading Time: 2 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch 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 a teak deck and a handsome mahogany superstructure. A tempting mix of practicality with the traditional look and feel aboard. The Dream of Lasse Ristikankare. In the …

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Square Metre Boats: Sail Area

Reading Time: 4 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch Different to other sailboats, the true Skärgårdskryssare or Square Metre Boat 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 m2 class, the 22 for the 22s, and so on. If the designation number is underlined, as in the …

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Anchor Storage

Reading Time: 5 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch Swede 55 can be enjoyed as built in the 1970s. Believe it or not and even if the do-it-yourselfer finds 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 …

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Choosing a Swede 55

Reading Time: 3 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch A while ago, an American contacted me regarding the purchase of a secondhand Swede 55. As a previous Swede 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 on whether to inspect at all or not. He booked …

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S30: Which Spar Is It?

Reading Time: 3 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch 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. Boom and fittings are inquired from the leading mast builder Seldén via the Hamburg agent Herman Gotthardt. Seldén probably …