Before the advent of computers, many reckoned the best way to make sure a yacht was ‘right’ was to build it and try it. If anything needed changing, you just pulled it back up the slip and set to work. To do this, of course, it helped if the designer had a boatyard, as did Nicholson in the UK, Herreshoff in the US, Rasmussen in Germany and De Vries Lentsch in the Netherlands. The owners of these famous yards accumulated priceless experience by putting plans into practice and building the boats they designed. To this list of illustrious 20th-century designer/builders we should add another Dutchman – Ricus van de Stadt.
Born in 1910 and brought up in Zaandam, van de Stadt made an early mark in the sailing world. At the age of 12 he designed and built his own sailing canoe – 5.2m (17ft) long, 74cm (29in) beam and 5.6m2 (60sq ft)sail area – and cleaned up at his local club. So much so, in fact, that the club adopted it as a class. Van de Stadt sold the drawings at 25 cents a pop, thus beginning a long and illustrious career as a yacht designer.
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Classic Boat.
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Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Classic Boat.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Need For Speed
Saving lives at sea has always been bound to the speed of rescue, from the first rowing boats to the 60-knot, all-weather motorboats of today
ROW YOUR BOAT
There has been a steady rise in recreational rowing over the past few years, and the choice can be bewildering. What’s the right boat for you?
Traditional Tool
JOINER’S NAME STAMP
Classic misuse of a word
Real classic ownership involves rot, rust and reward
SCUD MISSILE
Herreshoff’s newly-restored Bar Harbor 31 Scud lit up the classic racing scene in the Med in 2020 with a double win at Cannes and Saint-Tropez
BOSUN'S BAG
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE TRADITIONAL BOATER
DOUG LEEN - Tugboat man
Vietnam vet, park ranger, dentist, small-craft conservator and tugboat skipper.... meet Ranger Doug!
CHANCE TO SAVE AN Albert Strange yawl
Chances at Albert Strange ownership don’t come up often, and Sheila II is the quintessential Strange – and one with a great history, too
AFFORDABLE CLASSIC Salcombe Yawls
A friend and I once decided that walking might make a change from sailing. So we set forth to walk from Branscombe to Bigbury, a 100-mile stretch of the south-west coastal path marked by knackering climbs and knee-wrenching descents.
Cardiff, Wales - Save The Elena Maria Barbara!
A rare, 18th-century schooner replica, restored to the tune of around £1 million, could be abandoned if a buyer is not found soon.
