View Post

Swede 55 Introduction

Reading Time: 3 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch Since the early 20th century, the Square Metre Boat is admired for its beauty, speed, and joy to sail. Inspired by the elegance of the Skärgårdskryssare, it was time for a good-looking and well sailing one-design suiting better to the requirements of a family in the early seventies. So Swede 55 was conceived in 1974-75 by …

View Post

Swede 52 Cheyenne

Reading Time: 6 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch The Square Metre Boat cruising variant Swede 55 is delighting sailors all around the globe. Although series production ended in 1979, with Gamle Swede as hull number 27 launched by Fisksätra Varv, 18 more boats followed. One of them, technically and in terms of sailing the most interesting, is Cheyenne. Göran Lindgren got his dream boat …

View Post

Reshaping The Rudder

Reading Time: 6 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch Why the rudder should have a different shape of the keel fin. Which shape was chosen in advanced boat building in the 1970s? What is recommended today? What 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 …

View Post

Rudder Reinforcement

Reading Time: 5 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch Whatever 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 …

View Post

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 …

View Post

Swede 55 Vortex

Reading Time: 5 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch In the 1970s, admirers of the beautiful Johan Anker keelboat Dragon, the classy 30 Square Metre Boat, the Swiss Lacustre or the Folkboat had a problem. A wooden boat needs a lot of attention, time, and skilled craftsmanship. And it is expensive to build new. That’s why they have been built in plastic ever since. At …

View Post

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 …

View Post

The story of Fisksätra Varv

Reading Time: 8 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch Finally located in a former match factory in Västervik on the Swedish east coast from 1968 to 1979 and in Gränna near Lake Vättern, Fisksätra built motorboats and vessels for customs, the navy and nautical survey. Then, from the sixties onwards, sailboats, cosy double-enders and popular cabin cruisers. In the seventies, the S30 and Swede 55 …

View Post

Duck Perspective

Reading Time: 2 minutes→ Artikel auf Deutsch Are 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 …

View Post

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, …