Beautiful 30 square meter, BIJOU II, at Shilshole (lots of pictures)

[bott]

Hey all,

Well, again there is another very awesome boat parked right down the dock from me getting ready for a haul out. I snapped some pictures and thought I'd share'em with ya'll.

I'm sure there are those on this forum that know much more about her than I do, so please share some BG info!

Enjoy,

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2705/4104840554_b2c1bfbb23.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2636/4104841032_0b322c1a8f.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/4104076745_bd1be46394.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2555/4104841434_f1bc45f3c7.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2508/4104841680_a57e4988dc.jpg

[bott]

Some more...

Look at the prebend! :eek:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2543/4104077309_39372362ac.jpg

I love the nibbin into the marginboard here...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2753/4104842018_05452e3690.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/4104842144_b927d34a4c.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2706/4104842286_7b5275f39e.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2546/4104077847_27028857a3.jpg

[bamamick]

These are to me the most beautiful boats ever designed. I am absolutely and completely in love with this boat. I dream about them like a kid dreams about a sporty car (what? did you think I was going to say like some hot babe? I am not that crazy :)).

I have had a lot of dream boats over the years, but for the last few years the 30 square has been the shizzle!

Mickey Lake

[Nicholas Carey]

BIJOU II is an awfully beautiful boat. She's relatively new, too. A Knud Reimers design, built by Beck & Söhne in Germany in 1971.

I like the cherry stain on the mahogany. Sweet!

[TimH]

I like the cherry stain on the mahogany. Sweet!

Ist it cherry stain or Petit red mahogany filler stain?

[44xt]

Beautiful boat, really nice.

Anybody else but me think that bronze hardware would look better than chrome/stainless? And maybe solid color running rigging?

Minor point, just a great looking boat, are plans readily available?

Interesting sliding hatch detail.

[Rich VanValkenburg]

You sure that's Bijou? Looks a lot like George Fisher's Hansina. He's from Portland, Or. Note the details are the same.

After zooming in on the registration, I'm sure it's Hansina, formerly Nagala of Port Huron.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n287/falcon5a/Hansina075.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n287/falcon5a/Hansina081.jpg

[Rich VanValkenburg]

Not trying to steal your post Bott, but I've got a few photos that he sent to me this year showing the restoration and details of the decking going on. Everything that you see on deck was completed this year. He thought he might have been ready for 2008 but the wait was worth it. The photos are pretty big but I'll ask him if I can post them.

I don't know if he has the plans but being a 30 square lover, he just might. To duplicate that boat with today's costs, you're looking at $250k or better.

[bott]

No problem at all, please post any/all you got! I just noticed that the reg #s on the hull were OR and not WA after I posted the thread... so, yeah, you are spot on.

Its all about pretty boats, right?

[CGrant]

You sure that's Bijou? Looks a lot like George Fisher's Hansina. He's from Portland, Or. Note the details are the same.

After zooming in on the registration, I'm sure it's Hansina, formerly Nagala of Port Huron.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n287/falcon5a/Hansina075.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n287/falcon5a/Hansina081.jpg

Hey Rich,

Why is George loose footing the main in the first shot? The boom seems to be dropped into the cockpit totally empty.

Is Sonja in for winter?

[CharlieCobra]

He's not, note the shiny chrome cap on the boom? What ya see leading to the cockpit is the mainsheet.

[Rich VanValkenburg]

I think that was his first time out with the restored boat. Any sail trim 'oddities' are to be forgiven! :D

Yes, Sonja is in the big garage for the winter.

If that big chrome boom cap is the same as what Sonja has, there might be a roller-furling main reef system on there. I've only used mine once and it wasn't pleasant.

[frank pedersen]

I noticed the foot of the main has a little scoop-like appearance to it. Is that something new in loose-footed main designs? Or is an older style that modern sails do not have? I once read that Uffa Fox looked into loose-footed mains back in the 1930s, but he could not see any performance advantage.

[johnw]

I noticed the foot of the main has a little scoop-like appearance to it. Is that something new in loose-footed main designs? Or is an older style that modern sails do not have? I once read that Uffa Fox looked into loose-footed mains back in the 1930s, but he could not see any performance advantage.
That's how a main looks if it's not intended to be loose-footed, but you are using it loose-footed. At least, that's how mine looks since I decided loose-footed would be easier to rig.

[johnw]

No problem at all, please post any/all you got! I just noticed that the reg #s on the hull were OR and not WA after I posted the thread... so, yeah, you are spot on.

Its all about pretty boats, right?
I made the same mistake when someone first posted pix of Hansina. Who knew we would be so lucky as to have two bright-finished 30 square metes in the area? Bijou is still around, isn't she?

[bamamick]

O.K., that makes sense now. I kept reading the 30 square guys saying that 'Bijou' needed some work and I couldn't see anything that looked like it needed work on that boat.

As far as I know from the forums 'Bijou' is around and the guys know her owner, but she is not sailing as of yet. They are hoping that she will join Kim Bottles' 'Ceol Mor' and George's 'Hansina' next year to make a fleet.

There are something like ten 30's in North America right now sailing. A rare but beautiful breed.

Mickey Lake

[Rich VanValkenburg]

I let George know that he's got some fans here and I'm waiting for him to respond. In the meantime, here's a shot that he sent to me showing the decking going on around the mast partner. Compare that to bott's photos.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n287/falcon5a/2009_Apl15_MastPartner.jpg

[ron ll]

Where did she go? I went by the Seaview yard this morning hoping to see her hauled, but no sign of her.

[George Fisher]

I'm new here, but at Rich VanValkenberg's suggestion I see it may be a good time to introduce myself. The photos below are of my boat Hansina. They are certainly up to date as my wife (Hansine, with an "e") and I sailed her from her Bainbridge Island mooring, owned by Kim Bottles, this past Saturday to the Shilshole Marina. Yesterday she was lifted onto my trailer for the 170 mile tow back to the Legendary Yachts yard outside of Portland for a winter of detail work. The photos show the need for design and building of lockers in the cockpit. She also needs interior furniture, and attention to a host of details that became clearly defined during this shake-down season of just three months. I aim to get her back to Bainbridge by March or April 2010.

I would like to fill in the blanks evident in the comments on this Forum, but before doing so I want to thank all those folks' postings. I am flattered but of course very pleased with how kind the comments have been. I must admit, however, that I honestly did not anticipate how well Hansina's restoration would turn out. She pleases me everytime I see her, disbelieving that her designer, Harry Becker, sat down at his drafting board one day and drew her up to look like she does. It is amazing to me.

Some details. The two Scandanavian flags result from my being 1/4 Swedish and my wife being half Danish. When I decided to rename the boat I wanted to name it after my wife, but the "ine" at the end always confuses people. By making it "ina" most people get it right the first time. That the Danish flag is on top is pure marital politics.

I have been collecting 30 square meter stuff for over forty years since growing up sailing my Dad's 30 on Long Island Sound. Part of the collection included Hansina, then Nagala, which I actually sailed on as a guest of the then owner, Fred B. Reynolds, in 1966. He had bought her from Buckminister Fuller. Either Fuller or a Californian, I don't know which, imported the boat after the War. Between Reynolds' ownership and the present, the boat had several owners while living in Port Huron.

Hansina was built during the winter of 1937-38 at Becker's Rodesund Batvarv in Kungsors, Sweden. Per the design rule she was completely oak framed with two steel frames at the mast partner. She measures 43' 11" and is 4' 7" deep. She weighs around 7,000 pounds, almost a ton heavier than my Dad's boat was.

I absolutely love sailing this boat. I actually think she sails better than my memories of my Dad's boat. She is much stiffer into the wind and the higher freeboad does not lead to the tendency of my Dad's boat to submarine every now and again. I hope to try my hand at some racing next season. I plan on installing a double-slotted roller reefer.

I am assembling a portfolio from the hundreds of photos taken of Hansina during her 4 years of restoration. I will be posting it on my 30 square meter website <www.squareskerryyachts.net>

[johnw]

Welcome aboard! Thank you for devoting so much loving effort to restoring such a treasure.

[George Fisher]

Thanks for the welcome. You give me the opportunity to add more to my post earlier this morning as I have since had the opportunity to read the rest of the thread.

First, no stains or fillers were used in the restoration. It's real mahogany and when it was sanded to 220 it got the Bristol Finish varnish treatment.

This boat was delivered with chromed fittings. Raw bronze was not on her purchase order.

A previous owner had eliminated the original mast slot. I had it restored to original. A problem was encountered on my first sail because the new slot was routered wider than the bolt rope North Sails installed. The result is obvious in the photo: with any kind of load, the foot pulled through the slot. on the next sail I lashed the outhaul to the boom and it worked OK for its purpose of a few months. A new sail has been ordered.

I selected the colors I did for the running rigging because my chandlery did not have solid colored stock with the load factor I wanted on the boat.

The forward hatch is new and is aimed at partnering with the original cabin hatch.
The stern lazzerette is my design built by AndyPaul of Legendary Yachts. It allows light passengers (read grandchildren) to ride in a space out of the way of the cockpit but with a full view of what is going on. It was a big hit with passengers.

I do have a copy of Hansina's original drawings. Contact me on the website (address is in my first posting).

Regards.

[Rich VanValkenburg]

I have the same design on Sonja's boom, where the foot bolt rope slid through instead of using a track. It makes for an attractive setup but not strong enough in our case. The track was added later on the opposite side because the Spruce gave way at the clew end. I thought about it after we destroyed the clew last year and now lash the clew to the boom just in case. I'll try to get a photo.

[Dr.Spoke]

Beautiful boat!
Different coloured running-rigging is not always bad....
I remember guest-crewing on a 30sqm, Inger-Britt. This boat had all running-rigging passing through the deck, along the cabin floor, and sitting in jammers and cam-cleats in the companionway. My position at the winches also required attention to all the running-rigging, the helmsman taking charge of the runners, and the fore-deckhand dealing only with the spinnaker, pole, and lookout with the spinnaker up.
So we're late getting going into the race area, I'm trying to get to grips with the winches, and sheeting points ( of course we had a new genoa and this is my first time on the boat). Then a quick dry-run of bearing off and raising the spinnaker.....
"more up-haul!"
I dive to the companionway shouting "which one?" ( nothing was labelled)
"The BLUE one"
"They're all F***ING Blue!"
All the running-rig was of about the same dimension, and all was in the same shade of blue.... Very steep learning curve trying to remember which of the lines did what out the total 8 or 10 blue tails coming out of the dark cabin... tough days racing!:D

[bamamick]

Honestly, it does help. I was lucky this year to have had the same team sail every race, but in the past it's been a matter of training new people on the fly, and it is very convenient to say 'pull that green line on the far right in an inch or two' and have them do it.

Mickey Lake

[George Fisher]

Any body have a suggestion for which furler (below deck) I should get?

[Chris.]

Bartels, most of the Scandinavian 22s and 30s seem to use them.
They have specific models for both 22s and 30 sqs
http://www.bartels.eu/rollfock/30sk.pdf

[Dr.Spoke]

I don't own one, but I'll ask at the club at the weekend... We've got a few skerry cruisers... Mostly bigger than yours!:p But all the owners are active in the "scene"

[George Fisher]

Thanks for the tips. I'll check it out.

[CGrant]

Dear George,

Just a lovely, lovely boat and your care and tenderness in having her restored is evident. Thank you for all the info you have posted above.

[Dr.Spoke]

The Bartels seems to be the model of choice if you're replacing... What did she have when she was built?

[George Fisher]

I agree the Bartels unit looks awfully good. I asked for a price quote but was told they do not have an American distributor. Bartels wants me channel money to a European contact who will ship to me. Won't give me a price though. Sounds complicated. I remember from seeing Hansina in 1966 that she had a double forestay arrangment that was in pieces, sort of, when I got her in 2005. I sailed this fall with a single forestay with not much other equipment knowing I would be moving to a furler. No use drilling holes that would have to be filled.

[Dr.Spoke]

PM me when you get a price, and I'll see what I can do here... Should'nt be impossible to sort it for you.

[P.L.Lenihan]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2753/4104842018_05452e3690.jpg


I'd like to know what appears to be a track running along the coach roof centerline is all about. Does the hatch actually slide along this, instead of a set of companionway rails(of which I seen none)? If so, how is it prevented from teetering from side to side?


Cheers!

Peter

[George Fisher]

Yes, you figured correctly. The track is a bronze "U" that mates with a car I milled from a block of UV resistant plastic I got at Tap Plastics. The hatch opens and closes with a light hand and is quiet. When I got the boat the hatch was laying on a berth in the cabin and was pretty beat up. It took me awhile to figure out how to re-install it when its restoration was finished, the trick being to set the car in the track, slide the hatch forward and then install the tracks that are mounted on the sides of the companionway frame on the roof of the cabin. That maybe the perfectly obvious way to do it, but it took me a long time to get there. Also, even as I was figuring out how to install it I was afraid that the forward edge, when the hatch was open, would be an open invitation for errant sheets or halyards to snag on. Didn't happen this season for sure, but you'd be amazed at how many people wanted to sit on it. Finally, to Bott, the poster of the photos at Shilshole: thank you very much for the pictures. I've captured them from this site and passed them to many friends.

[bott]

No problem at all, I am glad you appreciate them. If you want, I can link you the larger resolution pictures from my flickr site.