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 requires extra strength. Have a closer look at Swede 55 construction.
Swede 55 as elaborate four-shell construction
Swede 55 consists of four shells: first the hull, second the inner hull shell, third the deck with cabin superstructure and cockpit, and finally the inner shell covering the underside of the deck and inside walls of the cabin superstructure. So Swede 55 comes with a nicely finished and easy to clean interior. The disadvantage of this robust production boat is that it turned out heavier than originally planned by naval architect Knud Reimers.
Hull: Solid laminate, with woven glass fibre, known as roving fabrics, in areas subject to stress, such as the keel suspension. Wall thicknesses in the keel area are approximately 20 mm (4/5 inch) to 8 mm (3/10 inch) in the aft overhang.
Hull bottom with floor timers, keel suspension and rudder, tank- & enginebeds. Knud Reimers, January 1976 – CC BY-SA 4.0, Sjöhistoriska museet
Robust Swede 55 hull
The hull is reinforced with three laminated beams, known as stringers, running from bow to stern, being approximately 14 metres (46 ft) long.
The stringers have a trapezoidal profile. They are approximately 4 cm (1.6 in) high, approximately 16 cm (6.3 in) wide along the hull and approximately 8 cm (3.2 in) wide inside the boat. Below that is a so-called ventilation stringer with drainage, being part of the inner shell, laminated to the bottom. The following drawing detail shows the position of the stringers at frame 15 on the left and at the mast bulkhead on the right.
The hull is reinforced with numerous partitions, known as bulkheads, made from marine plywood. There are nine structural bulkheads and others for the interior.
Inner shell: The hull is reinforced with inner shells over a length of approximately 13 m (ca. 43 ft) from the anchor locker to the after peak. In the bow with the anchor locker floor and base for the forward bulkhead. Behind it, the 165-litre (44 US-gal) fresh water tank, the berth and the footwell in the fore cabin. Sanitary room with drainage for the shower, with base for the mast bulkhead and mast support. Substructure of the saloon benches, again with footwell, base of the galley and navigation corner. Second inner shell in the aft cabin (berths), housing for the 74-litre (19.4 Us gal) diesel tank, footwell and behind the floor of the aft peak, also stiffening the aft overhang with integrated ventilation.
Deck and cabin superstructure: One shell including coaming, cockpit and aft cabin superstructure. The deck is reinforced with 19 mm (0.75 inch) balsa wood, sitting cross-grain between the laminate. The winch consoles attached to the coaming, the consoles nest the companionway for the halyard clamps and the laminate near mast foot are reinforced with laminated 8 mm (0.31 inch) aluminium sheets. This makes it difficult to remove fittings after decades due to electrolysis, as the stainless-steel screws are seated in cut threads. It is challenging to remove those screws.
Inner shell below deck and superstructure: 4 mm glass fibre, shielded with white Gelcoat. Bonded to the mentioned balsa core at horizontal plane and PVC foam in vertical sections, in some areas directly attached to the out laminate, like the cabin sidewalls.
Details of keel and rudder construction
Keel and lead suspension: 3.43 t (7,562 lbs) lead fin keel, bolted below the bilge. Eight metric 24 mm (0.94 inch) bolts, cast into the lead side by side with 36 mm nuts. One single keel bolt at the front and rear. Ten in total. As a precautionary measure, Gamle Swede obtained larger stainless-steel plates below the nuts.
Rudder: separate pre-balanced freestanding rudder. Total length with shaft 233.5 cm (92 inches). Original weight 70 kg (154 lbs), rudder shaft made of 70 mm (2.76 inches) stainless steel, rudder shaft guided in bushings made of self-lubricating plastic called POM/Delrin. More about the Swede 55 Rudder in following articles:
Fittings such as the deck organisers near the mast, all winches, halyard and sheet cleats, as well as the aluminium foot rail were installed by Fisksätra with imperial screws.
This article is based on the Swede 55 specification No. 327/79 by Fisksätra Varv, the original drawings shown by Knud Reimers and own measurements taken from the last Fisksätra manufacture, Gamle Swede, built in 1979.
Photo on top by Swedesail: Swede 55 Gamle Swede in strong wind off Fehmarn. Published October 4, 2025; updated October 7, 25. → Subscribe Newsletter and you won’t miss future articles.
