"When you spend six years planning and building a boat like this, you put your heart and soul into the result," admits Helge Wolpers. The result of his handiwork is impressive and surprising. First of all, given the long construction time, it is quite small at six metres long. The brick-built gem looks delicate, if not fragile. A pronounced positive projection of the deck is visually emphasised by the edges of the clinker brick structure. The small angular superstructure with the sloping sides is painted in a natural colour, as is the half-open stern with the attached rudder. In addition, closely positioned shrouds and a self-tacking rail. All in all, an almost retro-classical, but also sporty and in any case independent appearance with a tendency towards the cuddly.
The 60-year-old boat builder from Lüneburg in Lower Saxony designed it himself and called it "dopamine". This is a neurotransmitter of the central nervous system that has a predominantly stimulating effect and is also known as the "neurotransmitter of happiness" according to the Medical University of Vienna. Fits.
New small cruiser from the boat builder
It was actually clear very early on where Helge Wolpers was heading. After an apprenticeship at the Kröger shipyard in Finkenwerder and the Wegener Jachtwerft shipyard in Wedel, the boat builder took a diversion and completed a second apprenticeship as a wood merchant. But this was only in order to fulfil his parents' wish for a successor in the woodworking business. In the end, his enthusiasm for sailing and boatbuilding won out.
Even in his youth, Wolpers travelled on the Elbe almost every day with his pirate and youth sailing boats. Wolpers restored his first pirate himself, and at the age of 17 he then built a shell himself. "Sailing was always my passion," he recalls. "Even during my training and later, I was out sailing every weekend on regattas or longer trips."
No wonder, then, that at some point he harboured the desire to design and build something of his own. "I wanted to create something that would fulfil all my requirements and at the same time be so attractive that I could also market it."
The small cruiser was created in the computer
In 2016, he drew up the first plans together with wood technology engineer Michael Körling. Every component, no matter how small, was drawn on the computer right from the start and is therefore available today for further planning, modifications or even customisation. One of Wolpers' basic ideas was to create a prototype for a small cruiser, which he can offer in his Lüneburg boat factory both as a kit with CNC-milled parts and as a hull shell for prefabrication, as well as a boat produced entirely by him.
Construction began in 2017 and everything was supposed to be finished by 2020/2021. However, coronavirus and a relocation of the workshop changed the schedule, and it took until autumn 2022 before he was able to announce completion.
Beautiful details and visible wood
The result is impressive. Firstly, the clear lines stand out. The bow of the small cruiser drops steeply and straight into the water, the cabin superstructure blends harmoniously into the deck and the cockpit is very spacious. The workplace for the skipper and crew is no less than three metres long. The boat radiates power and elegance in equal measure in its small format. In this respect, Helge Wolpers' wishes have already been realised.
I wanted to create something that fulfils all my requirements and at the same time is so attractive that I can also market it"
However, a glance at the plans also shows the meticulousness with which every gram of weight was fought for without neglecting stability, perhaps even increasing it. Even the rough view of the fuselage is reminiscent of the design of an aeroplane wing. "I wanted to develop a boat that was as weight-optimised as possible and actually borrowed from aircraft construction," the boat builder confirms the first impression. Wherever possible, the individual components have been sawn out to save weight. In many places, triangular profiles are used instead of square mouldings. "That's only a few grams, but I can save weight with the same bonding surface and stability, and it adds up to something," he says, emphasising the precision work down to the smallest angle. For example, even the seams of the planks of the multi-buckling hull are reinforced with laminate and epoxy instead of stringers. This also saves weight, but it also makes it easier for future self-builders to finish the boat.
A remarkably light small cruiser
The result is a total weight of 400 kilograms! Of this, 125 kilograms are built into the ballast keel, making up 31 per cent. So 275 kilograms for a 6.15 metre long and 2.02 metre wide ship with a cabin. That's a pretty sensational figure, even for a small cruiser! The keel made of a mahogany plate reinforced with glass epoxy and a lead bomb is not a lifting keel with variable draught, but it can be retracted for trailering.
In addition to the successful aesthetics and design features, three characteristics were particularly important to Wolpers: the boat should sail well and be fun on the water. Ambitious amateurs should be able to build it themselves. And it should remain affordable. Points against which it must be measured.
Even before the first few metres under sail, you can feel the positive effect of the low weight of the lightweight construction. The small cruiser can be guided along the jetty with a light hand. The hull seems to float on the water, the boat is so easy to manoeuvre. And this first impression is reinforced on the water.
And this is how the small cruiser sails
At wind force two to three on Lake Ratzeburg in Schleswig-Holstein, the "Dopamin" sets off, accelerates to over five knots and only drops below this value throughout the day when the wind is very light. Helge Wolpers at the helm counts with flashing eyes and a smile on his face: "5.2 - 5.4 - 5.7 - 5.8!!!" You can tell how proud he is of his small cruiser. Later, under gennaker, the clock easily shows well over six knots. "Once I understand the boat better and make a few more changes, up to ten knots are possible with the right wind," says the 60-year-old optimistically.
The ease with which the boat can be sailed is also impressive. It is very balanced and stable on the rudder. It reacts immediately to every deflection without appearing hectic. At the same time, it still follows its course so that you don't have to constantly correct it.
The self-tacking jib and the large cockpit contribute to this relaxed day trip. Three sailors could easily sit on the dents without getting in each other's way, and even two adults and two children are possible.
Many remarkable details
In addition to its size, there are other striking details in the cockpit of the small cruiser. For example, there are the sheets for the jib, which are guided below deck and installed with their guides in swallow's nests in the side wall. An electric outboard motor and battery can be stowed under two hatches in the teak floor. The slip cabin, which is almost three metres in usable length, is large enough to accommodate both sail bags and sleeping space for two, provided it is suitably equipped with cushions.
If I understand the boat better and make a few more changes, up to ten knots are possible with the right wind"
Visitors can sense that Helge Wolpers was a passionate sailor at work. All the fittings are exactly where they should be. The self-tacking jib, the furling system recessed in the foredeck and the gennaker pole work perfectly and can be operated conveniently from the cockpit. And then there is the ease with which the boat can be handled, how quickly it reacts, how it dashes off and acknowledges gusts, how it converts dinghy-like wind into speed - a pure joy.
Costs between 10,000 and 70,000 euros
"Dopamine", the name says it all, the boat becomes a happiness hormone or at least releases it. Only the question of self-build and the costs cannot be answered so clearly. This is partly due to the current situation, in which timber prices cannot be predicted. But it is also due to the construction method offered by Helge Wolpers. As all parts of the kit are CNC-milled by a supplier, these costs can only be estimated at present. He currently reckons that the pure wooden kit without rigging and fittings will cost around 10,000 euros. For this, the customer receives all drawings and plans and the complete kit with all milled parts.
A boat constructed entirely from Gabon plywood, teak and mahogany, ready to sail with all fittings in a high-quality finish (for example, clamps and blocks from Harken), will cost between 60,000 and 70,000 euros.
In between, there are variants such as the one in which the boat manufacturer Lüneburg supplies the hull as a hull and the customer does the rest himself.
In any case, you get a very versatile boat. The "Dopamin" can be sailed sportily in regattas, but is also suitable for a cosy day trip with the family, right through to an overnight stay at the weekend. She is fast and very easy to sail. At first glance she is a retro classic and at second glance a modern boat with many good features.
Klaus-Dieter Seelig
Technical data
- Length above ground 6.15 m
- Width 2.02 m
- Draught 1.25 m
- Weight 400 kg
- Keel 125 kg
- Large 14.5 m²
- Jib 6.8 m²
- Gennaker 30.0 m²
The do-it-yourself small cruiser
Alternatives for DIY boat builders
Plans for self-build boats from Germany are a rarity. The majority come from England, the USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa, where various plans are available to buy. The pages WOODENBOAT.COM or MODERNWOODENBOAT.COM offer a good introduction and overview. On BOATKITS.EU or under DIXDESIGN.COM also offers kits with CNC-milled parts, and under the search term DIY Sailboat Kit, interested parties will find many other options.
Under BOATKITS.DE you will find small boats from the Opti to dinghies like the Pirate. The German-language site VIVIER-BOATS.COM offers plans and kits ranging from dinghies to small cruisers by French retro and small boat expert François Vivier. Furthermore HEIMWERKER.DE a variety of plans.
In the dinghy sector, the Seggerling one-man dinghy is very popular with self-builders. It is built using the easy-to-use "stitch and glue" method, more at SEGGERLING.DE. YACHT also regularly provides information on the subject of self-construction, see most recently the series on Jan von der Banks "Remy" (concluded in YACHT 18/2022). The self-build mini 5.80 in YACHT 8/2020 is also exciting.
