Reading Time: 5 minutes→ Article in German Swede 55 was built as a fibreglass production boat by Fisksätra Varv in Västervik, at the east coast of Sweden. As being customary in the 1970s, Swede 55 turned out remarkably robust with a solid laminated hull, carefully sized wall thicknesses and well-thought-out reinforcements. Due to anticipated speed and twisting in rough seas, the slender hull …
Reading Time: 8 minutes→ Article in German This website focused on beautiful yachts has been around for a while. Occasionally, I am asked what kind of boat I am sailing. Now I am taking the liberty to introduce Gamle Swede: Daysailer, cruiser, occasional racer, floating retreat and boat office. Some day, she may be for sale – in case an experienced and care …
Reading Time: 2 minutes→ Article in German All data of Swede 55 obtained from brochures and own measurements aboard Gamle Swede: hull dimensions, weight, rig dimensions, nominal sail area and actual sail sizes. Cabin heights, tank capacities, engine and transmission, various international ratings/racing certificates. This information has been compiled from Gamle Swede and other Swede 55 over the past decades. This is just …
Reading Time: 6 minutesWhich profile is ideal for the rudder blade, different to the Swede 55 keel fin? What was common in advanced boat building in the 1970s? What is used today? Which shape helps to avoid the stalling effect? How you determine the ideal profile for your boat. Following the first article on suitable bushings for the rudder bearing and the second …
Reading Time: 5 minutesWhatever moves on a boat wears out and eventually needs to be repaired. Even the rudder blade. After stopping the noise at my Swede 55 with suitable bushings as described here, I noticed that it was still rattling. The question was why. So I dismantled it in the fall and loaded it onto the luggage rack of my car to …
Reading Time: 6 minutes→ German article 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 boat. …
Reading Time: 6 minutesAn 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 at a cosy home …
Reading Time: 2 minutesAre you still bobbing around or sailing already? Easygoing Square Metre Boats answer this question in their way. These beautiful light air windmills make something out of nearly nothing. About thirty boats, from classic 15 square metre boats to a modern cruising 55 are sailing the Slim & Tender Race (Schlank & Rank Regatta) off Fehmarn on the German coast …
Reading Time: 5 minutes→ German article 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, the …
Reading Time: 3 minutesIt towers 18 metres into the blue and is ten percent bigger than the previous one by Swiss sailmaker VM Sails, which came with a short foot luff in the nineties. Five battens, two of them continuous at the top, stabilise the cloth. In the fall before, sailmaker Arnd Deutsch and I had discussed a special cloth and other details. …
