The first "Maverick" was a Fellowship 27, which Erdmann bought on eBay for 6,000 euros and converted into a blue-water yacht for his big adventure. The ship remained in the USA in 2006 and now sails the coasts of Florida under the third owner after Erdmann.
The new "Maverick" is a Contest 33, also built in Holland. The fact that the ship dates back to 1972 can only be recognised by its shape. Otherwise, the series yacht designed by Uus van Essen was painstakingly refurbished by Johannes Erdmann and Cati Trapp in 2013/2014. This began with an osmosis renovation, during which the GRP boat was reinforced with aramid mats in the bow area in order to withstand possible collisions with containers or small ice floes.
A bargain on Ebay brought the almost new rig of a Bavaria 34, whose owner had switched to furling and therefore had a mast to spare. Since then, "Maverick" has had around eight square metres more sail area. The new wardrobe consists of a fully battened mainsail, a genoa, a jib, a storm jib and a gennaker. The engine was also replaced as part of the refit with an old but completely overhauled Volvo Penta MD-11C with dual-circuit cooling.
The equipment is rather simple, but of consistently good quality. In addition to a "Monitor" wind steering system, a 90 watt solar panel and a wind generator, a radar unit and AIS transponder make "Maverick too" a reliable blue water sailor - ready to explore less frequented areas off the usual cruising routes.
