spidsgatter sailboat

MSJ Hansen (Spidsgatter) PAX

Sail Number: S 45

Type: 45 Square Metre Spidsgatter

ex, Firecrest

LOA: 28’0″ / 8.53m – LWL: 22’0″ / 6.70m – Beam: 9’6″ / 2.89m – Draft: 5’10” / 1.77m – Designer: MSJ Hansen – Hull Number: – Original Owner: Petry Bertelsen – Current Owner: Kaci Cronkhite – Year Built: 1936 – Built By: Karl Thomsen, Kalundborg, Denmark – Hull Material: Wood – Gross Displacement: 7 tons – Ballast: 1,700 lbs lead – Sail Area: 484.37 sq ft / 45 sq m

Historical:

PAX is the only 45 sq metre Spidsgatter sailing in North America.

Pax (Latin for Peace) is a spidsgatter (Danish for “double ender”) built in Kalundborg, Denmark in 1936. The spidsgatter was a racing class begun in the mid-1920s as sail clubs across Denmark sought to expand opportunities for families to sail together. The boats were fast (very high rig), ocean-worthy (modeled after North Sea fish boat designs), had lots of volume below (beamy) and were relatively inexpensive to build.

Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):

Owner/Guardian: (1936) Petry Bertelsen Owner/Guardian: Kaci Cronkhite

References:

Spidsgatter PAX Captain/Owner: Kaci Cronkhite Spidsgatter PAX: Facebook

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Spidsgatter

http://www.sy-aage.de/aage-old/history/spidsgattere_history.htm

Spidsgatters (Danish for class of double-enders)

The following account is inspired by the Danish book Hvide Sejl.

Class overview; 55 m2; 45m2; 38 m2; 30 m2

The spidsgatter has experienced a unique succes. Its hull and shape is, by and large akin to that of the Øresunds-Kragejolle - refined but not always implying greater beauty. It is undercut in its stem, has a iron or lead external keel, and is almost alway carvel built with a bermuda rig. Its proponents praise it for its sea-going ability and ample space below deck [...] and it has become the most popular boat in the country.

Already in 1914, the first of the Spidsgatters, as we know them today, emerged. It was Kulling, a 30 m2 boat with a strong undercut stempost. The rig was very high, with a narrow gaf and boom. It was designed by Berg , who later designed the 40 m2 Pan and the 65 m2 Ørn.

The number of Spidsgatters grew at a steady rate and other constructors contributed. In 1918 Utzon designed a 55 m2 Spidsgatter (four new builds were done based on the Utzon design of which the Shamrock was the most succesful one). There was a great interest for the Spidsgatters - specially outside of the capital, Copenhagen. But racing these boats was difficult due to them being different in design, construction, and scantlings. Utzon had for a long time argued for a class Spidsgatter and finally in the late 1920s, the local sailing union (in Jylland) held a competition for a 30 m2 and a 45 m2 (more types emerged later). Utzon won a first prize for the 45 m2 and Berg for the 30 m2. Utzon and Berg - together with Hansen - were to become the three great Danish Spidsgatter designer. Which of them was the best can even today trigger discussion among connoisseurs (but only among those, mind you).

A rules set was made for the new-born classes but attempts to include Sweden and Norway did not succeed (they went for double-enders of more narrow beams and cannoe sterns) and so the Spidsgatter became a national Danish class. Interestingly, the scantlings for the classes were explicitly concerned with keeping prices down. For instance, it was stipulated that only Scandinavian wood was allowed, and hollow spars were not allowed. This, combined with the Spidsgatters ample space below decks and its relatively fine sailing capabilities, ensured its success. It was cheap to build and any able ship yard, which in these days were scattered all around the country busy with building fishing boats, would be able to build one since the techniques were similar to those employed on the fishing vessels. The Spidsgatter was the first boat to reach those persons who wanted to cruise and race but did not have the money to engage in the prohibitively costly affair it was to "run" a meter boat.

The question of the Spidsgatters sailing abilities has been widely discussed. For many years, the Spidsgatter was regarded as "less" of a boat than for instance the cutters with their large overhangs. Arguably, the Spidsgatter's plumb stern did not convey the same impression of elegance as that of the English heritage cutter. But whether or not one likes the stern of the Spidsgatter is a matter of taste. Proponents points to the stern's superior ability to fend off running seas whereas others dislike its (alledged) drag. The Spidsgatter's bow is distinctly more voluminious than the cutter's. For the former this means a relatively more bumpy, but dry, ride, whereas for the latter, it tends to cut through the waves.

Today, Spidsgatters are a common sight in Danish waters. Ironically, they tend to be centered around the Copenhagen area that for so long persisted the development towards cheap boats for the common man. Also, relatively many Spidsgatters were exported to the US and Canada. A new range of double-ended class-boats have evolved from the Spidsgatters - notably the so called Spækhugger and its bigger sisterships, the Grinde and the Kaskelot.

A comment on a few class Spidsgatters

Undine is probably one of the best kept wooden boats of the world - and certainly the best kept 55 sqm Spidsgatter. The story goes that the previous owner, each winter, drilled a large number of small holes in strategically important places and, via cotton wicks, let the wood soak as much fungis killing substances, linseed oil etc as it possibly could. The mast runs 18 m high in the air. It is today in very fine shape and has recently been fitted with a new deck by its owner (a wooden boat builder) who convinced the older owner to sell it to him

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Jørn Utzon's Maritime Origins

• Oris Magazine

written by Thomas Arvid Jaeger

Jørn Utzon is internationally the most recognized Danish architect. As is the case with all great architects, his work is characterized by different points of view and sources of inspiration, whose aspects are difficult to describe: they are very modern, and yet very traditional; very local, and yet very international. They can be traced back to his father Aage Utzon, and his attachment to the sea and to sailing during his upbringing in Aalborg. Jørn Utzon grew up by the Limfjord, and lived in New Zealand, Sydney Bay, Australia, Hawaii and Majorca. He would always settle near the coast, and preferably in a place overlooking the water. Everybody loves a sea view, but Jørn Utzon’s connection with the sea ran deeper, as he grew up in a family with a strong tradition of sailing. His father was a naval architect, and an avid boat designer.

Jørn Utzon’s description of his father Aage Utzon published in the Book of Spidsgatter [1] , reveals a deep and heartfelt connection between father and son. His father was an extraordinarily dynamic person, completely devoted to his profession. He was a central figure in establishing the Spidsgatter Class as a racing class, and this boat influenced an entire era of Danish water sports. The boats were exported to all of the Nordic countries, to Europe and to the usa. Simultaneously, he held leading positions in the Aalborg shipyards, and later in Elsinore shipyards, and was a leader with a clear and simple attitude.

Aage Utzon influenced his surroundings at home as well. In order to understand Jørn Utzon’s unique approach to architecture, it is necessary to see it in the context of his father’s beliefs, his boat design, and his unique approach to design and aesthetics. Against this background, one can easily grasp how the man’s attitude to nature and boat design became a fertile ground for his son’s architecture. In a personal interview Jørn Utzon described his father’s skills by saying that He was a specialist. He concentrated his efforts on very few things – and developed them intensely [2] .

Aage Utzon was a trained shipbuilder in 1905. Afterwards he studied naval engineering in Newcastle. For a number of years Aage Utzon worked as a manager of the Repair Department at the Aalborg Yard, focusing on many aspects and various purposes of ship construction. Ship design and shipbuilding is very user oriented. A ship is a tool for earning money. Functionality and rational solutions in ship optimization with regard to seaworthiness and use, and, simultaneously, withstanding of daily wear and tear, are paramount. When building ships, everything needs to be made to withstand extreme stresses coming from wind and weather–with minimum material consumption. Shipbuilding is not only a practical matter. It is a passion for many, rooted in the fascination with the beauty of the hull, and with the unique relationship between form, design, speed and seaworthiness. It was like that for Aage. Therefore, he began to draw sailing boats in his spare time. 

Boat design and optimizing form

Jorn Utzon grew up in a creative environment when yachting and regattas were discovered as a leisure activity and a sport. This propelled the need for touring and racing yachts. With his maritime engagement Aage Utzon had discovered the importance of sailing as a healthy and challenging playground for both, the youth and the adults. He was very active in the Aalborg Yacht Club, for which he sponsored a new clubhouse developed from a scrapped steamers steering house.

His enthusiasm for hunting sports, hiking and boating led to his involvement in the Sea Scout Association in Aalborg. His two boys, naturally, joined the Sea Scout´s, Jørn at the age of 8. The boys complained, however, that the Sea Scouts had some wretched boats.

Naturally, Aage took up this challenge, and the Aalborg dinghy was designed in 1929 in the spirit of the traditional Danish fishing boat, the Sjaegte, as they were called in the Limfjord area. The Sjaegte is a simple dinghy, which has been used for centuries for inshore fishing, transport and pilot operations in Denmark. Those were clinker built, sharp-stern Spidsgatters, with a simple rigging, and a rectangular staysail without the boom, easy to handle, and safe. This boat was used for developing the Aalborg Sea Scouts dinghy. He found a sponsor, and gave the drawings for free use, and eventually about 600–700 dinghies were built. Thus he contributed to the youth program which was in line with his own values and attitudes.

Aage Utzon was a man acutely aware of tradition, and the Spidsgatter was the focal point of his large production – he was an uncompromising perfectionist, as well, and he personally supervised all his constructions. He would not risk the boat to differ from his designs.

Jørn Utzon accompanied his father on his visits to the local boat builders, who had received orders to build his boats. At the time boat building was a craft of producing custom-made racing class boats. Aage always delivered very detailed drawings. He used full-scale drawings for the ribs and fittings – just as Jørn later – to determine the aesthetics and the constructive issues.

Planked ribs designed and made with precision determine the shape of the boat. The ribs are set up in an accurate system, at equal distance, but the cross-section is gradually transformed from fore to aft. The shape changes step by step by the transformation of the same element – much like a plant, or a skeleton. Although the hull of the wooden Spidsgatter appears with a smooth and double curved body on the exterior side, the frame structure is visible on the inside. The coherence between form and design are unique, and subject to a strict order and inexorable logic. Jørn described his father’s design process as follows: He was never hesitant when he worked, he knew what he wanted. ... He said that the construction of boats was an art in which you can use your intuition [3] . It was about as simple as it gets, which also explains why his boats from this period are the most elegant, because everything is connected with its main form. When you construct boats for competition, things are pushed to their limits [4] . A similar attitude is revealed in Jørn’s well known statement: I like to be on The Edge of the possible.

The ideal of beauty of the hull is in many ways stricter than that of a building, since it is a product of a complete and optimal fusion, where nothing can be added or removed without consequences. A ship represents both, a perfect beauty of the body, and the optimal machine – like galloping horses, birds or sports cars. Therefore, the joy of ship design is often passionate. One senses that the passion for the ideal of the curved organic beauty has always been present in Utzon’s architecture. Jørn Utzon’s keen interest to develop an additive architecture based on the rational and precise repetition of single elements assembled into an organic whole, reflects the dualism between the additive system of the well-defined ribs and the organic hull of a boat.

Nature observation and optimization

Aage had an unusually well-developed ability to observe and optimize. Perhaps it was the hunter’s life which developed his skills of a close observer. Jørn Utzon later remembered how his father had often laid on his stomach on the deck of his boats, when they were out at sea, with his head out over the side of the ship to observe the flow of the water currents along the sides of the hull. According to Jørn, the local harbor master with whom he sailed, commented on this strange behavior with the remark: Now Aage is up vomiting again. Aage Utzon focused particularly on optimization by studying the flow of the sea current around the hull, which was crucial for speed and sailing characteristics. The next boat could always be a little better. It was a part of Jørn’s upbringing to observe, to experiment, and to improve [5] .

At sea you are always subject to nature. It sharpens your attention and increases the ability to read the sky and the sea – out on the sea it is all you need to think about. This goes fine with Aage Utzon’s upbringing and life philosophy, and as regards Jorn Utzon, his interest in clouds and the skylight became a lifelong passion that we can observe in almost all of his buildings. Throughout his many years as a boat designer Aage developed his own method, which was largely based on a creative observation of nature. For instance, the distinctive feature of Spidsgatter, i.e. its broad round bow, was, for one thing, based on the observation of swimming ducks. Jørn inherited the ability to seek solutions to complex design issues by using his imagination and making experiments. While working with acoustics in the Sydney Opera House, he dripped water into an Aalto-vase to simulate the reflection of sound waves in a concave and convex form. This simple experience was transformed into the magnificent concept for the interior acoustic design.

Tradition and new design

Aage Utzon´s point of reference was the Danish Spidsgatter tradition, and he was most keen to develop a special Danish yacht. In 1932, in a Danish sailing magazine he wrote the following: Spidsgatter is the oldest type of boat there is here, it dates back to the Vikings [6] . It is understandable that Aage Utzon’s eyes would have fallen on the Spidsgatter: the boat was both, safe and capacious, and of fine seaworthiness – as testified by its long use as a pilot and fishing boat. His philosophy of ship design was clear: a boat must be simple and functional, without superfluous ornamentation – but with beautiful lines and design, and craftsmanship visible in every detail. This design philosophy is visible in all of his son’s works, and in combination with his unusual sense for the rational system and poetic form, we come to understand why Jørn Utzon’s architecture differs from most contemporary architecture. Utzon’s buildings are simple and poetic, because he always wanted a visible-bearing structure which can be experienced in the spaces within. It explains the architecture and describes the space, and its dimensions. His private house in Majorca, for example, is a further development of the traditional local building techniques, with walls of local stone, and the arched brick shell ceiling supported by concrete bearers.

Shapes and materials have always been explored to create a synthesis of architecture and construction. He is one of the few architects, who have been innovative in relation to special design of the supporting structures of buildings. His ideas, revealing a complex link between form and structure of double curved design, between a section and a gently curved surface, were developed with reference to the scale of the boat even before his years at the Academy in Copenhagen. He was just as experienced with the French curve rulers as he was with a triangle and the main ruler, and his father’s rulers were kept at the studio in a special box. Therefore, it was natural for Jørn Utzon to use a soft organic curve, because, contrary to most architects, he did not see this shape as problematic or geometrically challenging.

Jørn Utzon’s last work was developed together with his son Kim. The Utzon Center in Aalborg was inaugurated before his death, and he was keen about the building, and its educational purpose. When he could no longer travel from Elsinore, he would receive descriptions of the interior over the phone, and would ask for further details about the space. He also selected the boat which was to be exhibited. It would be his father’s last and fastest – the Spidsgatter: a Naval 30m2 – also called Sisu [7] . Jørn Utzon would have preferred the boat to be built from scratch, which would allow students to follow the process. It was not economically feasible. Instead, a well-preserved specimen was exhibited.

The Spidsgatter can be seen with sails set inside the 18m-high building with a curved roof. The boat paints a picture of a close spiritual father-and-son relationship, and is an important contribution to the understanding of Jørn Utzon’s maritime roots.

[1] Bent Aare, ed. Bogen om spidsgatteren, Kopenhagen, 1983

[2] Telephone talk with Jørn Utzon 2007

[3] Bogen om spidsgatteren p. 102

[4] Bogen om spidsgatteren p. 106

[5] Ganske: The architecture of Jørn Utzon has always been deeply rooted in the local tradition

[6] Dansk sejlerblad no. 10 March 1932

[7] The supporting beams below the deck of the Sydney Opera House were also named Sisu, meaning strength in Finnish

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Tags spidsgatter

View all all photos tagged spidsgatter.

Th Danish spidsgatter Pax was built in 1936, and is the subject of an excellent book about her history: "Finding Pax" by her current owner Kaci Cronkhite.

Built in 1936 in Kalundborg, Denmark, PAX is a 28 ft spidsgatter with a 51 ft mast . She is a double-ender that her owner desribes as “vuluptous and all about curves”. That includes a gorgeous rudder that follows the canoe-like stern. The spidsgatter was a racing class begun in the mid-1920s as sail clubs across Denmark sought to expand opportunities for families to sail together. The boats were fast, ocean-worthy (modeled after North Sea fish boat designs), had lots of volume below (beamy) and were relatively inexpensive to build .The sail number S45 denotes her original racing rating for the class carrying 45 square meters of sail. For more details: kacicronkhite.com/spidsgatter-pax-port-townsend/ Kaci Cronkhite's book, Finding PAX, is very well written. I found it a moving tale of the many folks the loved and cared for this beautiful saiboat.

See also: oksea.squarespace.com/wooden-boat-women-pax

And: classicsailboats.org/portfolio-view/msj-hansen-spidsgatte...

CITO, a Danish-built spidsgatter, on Port Townsend Bay. Thanks to Old Salt for the identification!

Model Spidsgatter, designed by Aage Utzon, father of Jorn Utzon the designer of the Sydney Opera House. It appears the model was made by Jorn. Tmax100 4x5 film in an 1890s camera with an 1860s lens. Part of CLOSER exhibition at the Packing Shed at Hart's Mill, Port Adelaide for SALA. Print is 15cm x 186cm.

A beautiful 38-square metre Danish Spidsgatter sailing off Port Townsend, Washington on 26 July 2014. Da Capo is 26-feet in length, with a carvel-planked wooden hull, was built about 75 years ago, and looks immaculate.

Eio is a 1936 Spidsgatter built by AAGE Utzon. Seen at the 2019 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.

kitchen table, bigger model

Typical Scandinavian round bilge hull yacht with canoe stern.

Six years later Bruun designed the Grinde with the same lines, but bigger (8,20 m).

In 1971 the big brother Kaskelot came into production, also with the same lines.

Specifications:

Designer: Peter Bruun, Kvistgard, Denmark

Buiding period: 1968 - now

Builder: Flipper Scow, Denmark

Hull material: polyester (GRP = polymer fibreglass = FG)

Hull form: Fin with rudder on skeg

Total build: ca.500

LOA: 7,44 m

LWL: 6,31 m

Beam: 2,33 m

Sail area (max): 29,5 m2

Draft (max): 1,45 m

Displacement: 2280 kg

Ballast: 1400 kg

on the shelf, boats on black

The Danish spidsgatter Pax was built in 1936, and is the subject of an excellent book about the boat's history: "Finding Pax" by her current owner Kaci Cronkhite.

Cito is a 1935 Danish 38 M2 built in 1936 by Jorgen Wass. Seen at the 2019 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.

A contingent of Danish vessels, including 3 spidsgatters and a halibut schooner nestled in one corner of Point Hudson marina for the 2008 Wooden Boat Festival. The two boats in forground are Pia and Eio, both documented "class boats". Pax is still seeking her paperwork. Photo by Jan Davis.

when they're done, they'll have a new boat - all except the deckhouse.

The Sharp-sterned vessel "Spidsgatter", designed by naval engineer and boat designer Aage Utzon - father of the world famous architect Jørn Utzon, the designer of The Sydney Opera House.

The Spidsgatter is exhibited in The Utzon Center in Aalborg - Denmark

3 exposures - merged to HDR in Ps.

aci Cronkhite's Spidsgatter, Pax (right), was designed by M. S. J. Hansen and built in Kalundborg, Denmark in 1936; Esther Whitmore & David Green's Spidsgatter, Eio (middle), was designed by Aage Utzon and built in 1936; Ahoi Mench's Spidsgatter, Pia was designed by Aage Utzon and built in 1938.

Denne fine bådtype er designet af Jørn utzons far, Aage Utzon, som var skibsingeniør på Alborg værft og som samtidigt i sin fritid, sammen med Georg Berg, designede denne fine spidsgatter der tog mane pokaler. Bla Skaw race, som er en ret rå kapsejlads i skagerak.

Kaci Cronkhite's Spidsgatter, Pax, was designed bt M. S. J. Hansen and built in Kalundborg, Denmark in 1936; Esther Whitmore & David Green's Spidsgatter, Eio, was designed by Aage Utzon and built in 1936; Ahoi Mench's Spidsgatter, Pia was designed by Aage Utzon and built in 1938.

Bertram Levy found a lines drawing of a boat designed by Aage Nielsen in a book, stretched it a bit, increased the sail area, worked out his own construction plane and built this high performance spidsgatter.

Cito is a Danish 38 M2 Class Spidsgatter designed by M. S. J. Hansen, built in Copenhagen Denmark in 1936 by Jorgen Wass

Kaci Cronkhite's 1936 Danish spidsgatter, Pax

kacicronkhite.com/spidsgatter-pax-port-townsend/

Shipwright Jason Bledsoe, blue-checked shirt and face mask, facing camera, is working with the owner.

blog.woodenboat.org/blog_homeport/2008/02/pax-moves-from....

SW handicap cijfer: 109

Ack! I don't like that hard spot! (Luckily these are the before pictures)

We raised the sails at the dock on a calm day to see what we had. Turns out they're in good shape.

Jason Bledsoe brushing up on his calking with Robert D'Arcy. Spidsgatter.

Come watch the shipwrights and volunteers restore the most beautiful wooden boats in the Northwest. Explore the Northwest Maritime Center, and speak to the shipwrights themselves! Traditional wooden boats like this, plus the building, repairing, and sailing of them has been going on in our area for 160 years, and around the world for many centuries. The Wooden Boat Foundation is one of the only places on the west coast where the public can come in and watch work like this being done every day.

CITO is a 26-foot 38-meter class spidsgatter, built in Denmark and restored by owners Sean and Inger Rankins.

ptsail.org/

I've been quiet for awhile because the shop has been BUSY. A few

weeks ago the shop was busy with Scamp Camp #3. Last week Pygmy Boats

spent a week teaching folks how to build their own kayaks. This week

we see Sean Rankins and his class from the Northwest School of Wooden

Boat Building finishing the rigging on the 47' mast for Cito, Sean and

Inger Rankins 26' Spidsgatter.

Oh ya in the background of the photo chomping at the bit to get in the

shop is Risa one of our Thunderbirds. She will come into the shop for

a little off season repair and fresh paint. Next week is a

Northeaster Dory class from Chesapeake Light Craft.

All my best,

A couple of shots from the shop yesterday. Eileen R, the little

double ender rowboat pictured is getting her first coat of paint at

long last. She has been in the shop for a few years, many frames have

been replaced, all the interior has been built new, several planks

were wrecked off and made new or new wood was scarfed on to replace

the failing section. I am happy to say she will see the water again

soon after a long stay in the shop. Thanks to all the volunteers who

have made this possible.

The bigger double ender pictured is the Spidsgatter "Bout" getting

ready to move into the shop for a few weeks. The crew will be

freshening up the paint and varnish while surveying her condition and

making a plan of attack for the next offseason of work. This is a

short stint in the shop for Bout who calls Bainbridge Island home.

A little snapshot of the shop today. We are in the process of

building some blocks for a client and for prospective clients.

Pictured are a mix of blocks in the rough out of Black Locust and Teak.

The lovely Cito, a Spidsgatter owned by a local couple is wrapping up.

Several coats of varnish have been built up on all the bright work

and she now boasts here first coat of topsides enamel.

Our 84 year old Danish Spidsgatter, coming out of the water for painting and repairs.

Nobody asked me to be a judge, but here is my winner: "Helma," 1938 Danish Spidsgatter, Port Townshend Wooden Boat Show, Washington.

Pax was built in Denmark in 1936. She is designed by MSJ Hansen with alluring Spidsgatter curves. In 2007, Port Townsend nicknamed her "best buns in the boatyard". woodenboat.org/plan-your-visit/

The 1936 Danish spidsgatter Pax .

To celebrate my birthday in October, we decided to go out for one final sailing trip. It was just lovely....if you like this kind of thing!

Jaap van der Weijden Ship Restauration and Maintenance

Wooden classic sailing boats, sale and refit of scandinavian classic wooden sailing yachts.

DON’T YOU FIND THE BEAUTY AND HARMONY OF CLASSIC SAILING BOATS CAPTIVATING?

All year round I offer a number of gracefully lined, classical ships on my wharf. You are probably familiar with those Scandinavian designs and extraordinary sailing capacities.

All ships are thoroughly refitted and in great condition. Just the sailing, not the worries!

STRAIGHT TO THE WATER

If you buy a ship from me, it’s all ready and set up for sailing. All ships have undergone extensive refit and reparations. The wood has been impregnated, treated and finished off with the correct varnishes.

This makes you save time and maintenance and refit costs. In other words: you can immediately start to enjoy the wind, the water and your sailing beauty!

Most refitting projects are ships of the following classes:

• Skerry cruiser: Neptune, Mälar 22, Mälar 25
• Coastal cruiser: Enderlein 28, Winga kryssare
• Spidsgatter: Koster 25, Laurin Koster
• Daysailer: International 5.5 class, River class
• Polyclassics: H-boat, Karavel

CRAFTMANSHIP

As a sailor and classic boats fanatic I have gained extensive knowledge on the history, craftmanship, maintenance and market value of small to middlesized classic wooden sailing yachts.

This has inspired me to start offering refitted ships, mostly Scandinavian designs such as the Skerry Cruiser, Coastal Cruiser and H-Boat.

Because sailing enthusiasts live all over the world, I publish all the ships that are currently for sale on this website. As of today, I count happy buyers from Germany, France, Spain, Russia and Australia amongst my clients.

Whether you are from Europe or beyond, you may contact me by e-mail, phone or skype. You are always welcome to pay a visit to the wharf, located in Kudelstaart (which is about 20 kilometres south of Amsterdam).

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Sold – 26′ 1938 spidsgatter email listing to a friend.

Particulars

Off center harbor's remarks.

Spidsgatters are among our favorite small cruising boats and PIA looks like a beauty.

Description from Boat's Main Listing

The well known and loved 38 square meter (26’ x 8’4”) Klasse Spidsgatter PIA is looking for a new steward. I have owned and maintained PIA, a Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival regular for 26 years. At 72 and slowing down considerably I hope to find someone to carry on. Finding the right person, an aesthetic individual with skills and a passion for wooden boats who will continue to maintain and love PIA is very important to me.

PIA was built in Denmark in 1938 and commissioned within weeks of the end of WWII. A Danish immigrant, Jorgen Baard Baess, imported six 38 square meter Klasse Spidsgatters into Victoria, BC in or around 1960. PIA’s date of registry is listed as 49/60 which is reversed from our method so, 9/4/1960. Of those, EIO, DaCAPO, CITO and PIA now call Washington home. SKOAL is being restored in the Bent Jespersen boatyard in Sydney and AIDA sadly was cut up for unpaid moorage several years ago. Mr. Baess selected PIA as his personal yacht and renamed her LOTTE. I returned her name to her original PIA. PIA is an endearment meaning “Little One.” She was raced in the annual Swiftsure race in the sixties and perhaps a little later. I found PIA in near-derelict condition in 1991 in Cortez Bay, BC, and spent the following two years restoring her. The canvas was peeling badly on both decks and cabin top. The topping lift had broken and the boom crushed the companionway hatch and combined with the ruined canvas decks rainwater had free access to the interior. Someone in her past had replaced the original mahogany interior with an inferior unfinished plywood job. The hull was in good shape. The pinus sylvestris (Scotch Pine) used in her planking, decking and mast is a unique, rot resident and durable wood and is no doubt instrumental in the long lives of all of the Klasse Spidsgatters. I tore out the interior, pulled the engine (rusted to the point of the original color being unrecognizable), removed the quarter panels and companionway and cockpit, also cheaply done in plywood, stripped the entire interior and exterior down to bare wood and began the new work. This included a new hatch and coaming forward, new narrower companionway, sliding hatch and drop boards, quarter panels, skylight, parts of the cabin top including new canvas and eyebrows and other trim. Epoxy and Xynole polyester cloth (similar to Dynel) was used to replace the canvas on her decks. This has held up perfectly. I removed the old rails and installed new ones, new self-bailing cockpit, new engine mounts (the old ones actually moved underfoot), new cabin sole, new interior complete with galley including a two-burner propane stove and small Cole wood stove and draining sink. I replaced all thru-hulls below the waterline with genuine bronze seacocks. The mast and boom needed complete stripping and refinishing. I replaced superficial parts, hoses etc. and sanded, scraped and repainted the engine. I installed a new primary Racor fuel filter. I had the shaft and propellor trued and a new coupling fitted. I also added heavy bronze ring-shank nails in the planking in way of the sawn frames and all along the garboard and up the stems. I installed a new hand-operated aluminum Whale Guzzler bilge pump. I installed a 35-gallon bladder water tank and re-used the existing 16-gallon stainless steel fuel tank. The sink is fitted with a simple foot pump. I also built a new rudder, gudgeons and pintles and tiller at this time.

I replaced the original sails in 2001. They included a mainsail and genoa jib which I have used and remain in good shape. Two years ago I replaced the jib with a self furling Pro Furl and secondhand jib, slightly smaller than the original. I kept the jib and forestay in case anyone wanted to return to a traditional hanked-on jib.

On September 3rd, 2010 my son and I were caught in a sudden and terrific gale between Smith and Lopez Island and ended up abandoning PIA and being pulled out of a raging sea at night by a crack Coast Guard helicopter crew. PIA was wrecked on the spit between Smith and Minor Islands, being driven over the top of the dry spit and holed and sunk on the SE side. The seas that night were enormous. Thanks to Captain Slade and his team PIA was recovered and brought into Port Townsend. Between 2010 and 2012, while working full time elsewhere, I averaged 30 hours a week on PIA for the next 19 months. I repaired the hole in the planking including several broken frames, a hanging knee and interior bulkheads, and replaced the top 25 feet of the mast; built a new boom; refastened the hull, pulling as many of the galvanized iron boat nails as I could and replacing them with #14 bronze screws; replaced the keel bolts and rebuilt the Yanmar engine top to bottom including numerous coats of Yanmar engine enamel. The handrails and part of the cabin top and rudder were damaged, the starboard cockpit combing, a continuation of the cabin sides was blown entirely away and the tiller had disappeared, so I repaired and replaced those as well as making a new tiller. PIA is built with single-sawn, grown frames on each station, grown floor timbers (natural crotches), with two steam-bent frames copper riveted between each of the grown sawn frames. The original copper rivets and steam-bent oak frames are in good shape. I replaced the aluminum bilge pump with a plastic one which I think is better.

In 2016 I pulled the mast, added 15 coats of varnish and new standing rigging, along with turnbuckles, and installed a new Pro Furl self furling jib system. This year, in May of 2019, besides the work of the annual haul out (painting rails, topsides, bottom and decks), I replaced the shaft log pipe with a new nickel bronze pipe, replaced the stuffing box packing and replaced the babbitt stern bearing with a modern cutlass bearing as well as polishing the shaft, truing the propellor and having a new coupling fitted. The shaft work was done by the excellent Tacoma Propeller Company. Inger Rankin made a new awning. PIA has a two-year-old boom cover which extends to the rails and over the forward hatch. She is in sailaway condition and boatshow ready.

In addition I have all of PIA’s original documentation with translations as well as several original photographs signed by the designer, Aage Utzon.

Except for the summer of 2011, in addition to weekend cruises locally I have made annual cruises north to the San Juan and Gulf Islands every year since 1994 and all of those were wonderful experiences packed with lifetime memories. Having been originally designed for class racing and weekend family cruising PIA is comfortable and fast, a real thoroughbred. I designed her interior for cruising and she sleeps two people quite comfortably in the forward berth. Her main salon includes comfortable settees one of which converts to a 6’ x 34” berth, a dining table, a chart and navigation table and a simple and functional galley. During my working years my vacation cruises averaged 3 weeks. Since retiring we have been on five cruises over a month-long and two of them 41 days.

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Renowned Danish designer was educated as a naval engineer in Newcastle and worked for a few years at the B&W Shipyard before he was offered the position of works engineer at Aalborg Shipyard. After the arrival in Aalborg, Aage Utzon began constructing sharp-sterned vessels of wood in his spare time. This type of boat was very fast and seaworthy, so it soon became popular and made Aage Utzon a renowned boat designer. Encouraged by his sons, he constructed a so-called “Aalborg Jolle” (Aalborg Boat) in 1929 that gained such popularity that it was chosen in 1940 as the official training boat for sea scouts in Denmark. His son Jørn was an world renowned architect (designer of buildings), best known for his design of the Sydney Opera House.

3 Sailboats designed by Aage Utzon

Great Dane 28

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