When, in the spring of 1924, the D.S.Vb. published the construction regulations for the national 30-square-metre cruiser class (dinghy cruisers), several vessels of a larger type, with a sail area of 35 square metres, had already been built in Hamburg.
Originally, the predecessors of the national 30-square-metre cruisers had a sail area of 35 square metres with an L+B of 10 metres – that is, the same dimensions as the current national class. Following the creation of the 30-square-metre cruiser class, some Hamburg sailors wished to retain the 35-square-metre sail area, and so, in collaboration with the Hamburg shipyards, they drew up construction regulations for 35-square-metre dinghy cruisers. It was envisaged that these might be submitted to the D.S.Vb. as a new association class; the fact that this did not happen last year is likely to be attributed to consideration for the already substantial register of association classes.
To date, seven or eight boats have been built to these specifications, four of them based on my plans, and these vessels have proved to be very fast, comfortable and dry-sailing boats, with sailing times that were better than those of the national 30-square-metre cruisers.
Following a joint decision by the owners, several boats took part in the Travemünde Week, as they had done in 1924, sailing in a handicap class but without any financial reward, and engaging in some very interesting and thrilling contests. The times showed differences of usually only a few seconds – a sign of the boats’ near-equality. I believe it was precisely because of these hard-fought races, which are highly regarded from a sporting perspective, that everyone went home feeling satisfied.
I have now incorporated my experience to date with these cruisers into the published plans. The formula used here is L + B = 11.00 m.
The construction drawing shows the robust design of the components, whose specifications are broadly similar to those of the 30-square-metre cruiser. The layout differs from my previous designs, due to the centreboard case being positioned far towards the stern. This made it possible to find a good solution for the arrangement of the sofa beds and a folding table. The helmsman has a raised seat and is not obstructed by the mainsheet trimmer sitting below; the jib and centreboard trimmer has their place just behind the cabin bulkhead. In the foredeck, there is plenty of storage space in addition to the fixed berth, as there is in the aft deck. Everything else is shown on the layout plan.
Despite numerous reservations, I have once again opted for a high rig, particularly as the boat’s design is tailored for greater stability and I have had good results with a high rig on these boats so far. Two 30-square-metre dinghy cruisers based in Hamburg have also performed well with this rig.
It would be desirable for these dinghy cruisers to become a regular sight in other sailing areas as well, such as the lagoons, as they cope very well with the gentle swell of shallow waters.
W. Ott, Altona
