Wood, always wood. For several generations now, a passion for this natural material has been ingrained in the DNA of the van der Aa family from the Netherlands. Pieter van der Aa, 59, followed in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, grandfather and father, who were all carpenters or joiners. Even as a young boy, he spent a lot of time in the yard, where he loved playing with all kinds of wood.
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At the age of 17, he built a plywood canoe based solely on a simple drawing. Two years later, under supervision at his uncle’s boatyard, he restored a teak sloop. It was at this point that Pieter developed a passion for the work he does today. Shortly afterwards, the sailor restored a classic designed by the English designer Alan Buchanan. It was an East Anglian 28, a long-keeled boat from 1963 reminiscent of a Folkboat, which he sailed himself with his family.
How van der Aa became a specialist in wooden boats
Van der Aa went on to become an increasingly experienced boatbuilder and joiner, specialising in exquisite, handcrafted, one-off wooden pieces. Having worked at several shipyards and gained a wealth of experience there, he decided to set up in business for himself and found his own company. He began by importing oak from France, mainly in special long lengths, which are more commonly used for industrial flooring.
Following a very successful period up to 2009, he sold his business and set up a sawmill in Suriname, which processed hardwood trees felled underwater by divers in a reservoir; van der Aa mainly had these cut into roof tiles. Alongside this, he continued to devote himself to his passion: yacht building. As a keen boat enthusiast and with more time at home, Pieter felt an increasing urge to combine woodworking and sailing.
One of the subsequent projects was the construction of deckhouses, skylights and hatches for the 176-foot schooner ‘Ingomar’ – a Herreshoff design. Van der Aa was also entrusted with the refit of the classic tender ‘Fiona Mary’, which was built in 1932 by the British shipyard Camper & Nicholsons.
Why van der Aa takes on such projects himself
Over a period of several years, working entirely on his own, the timber expert built a design by Olin Stephens – a classic New York 32-type sloop – which he named ‘Masquerade’, completing the vessel by 2010. Henry B. Nevins’ shipyard in New York had built 20 boats of this series in the 1930s. Van der Aa obtained a special licence from Sparkman & Stephens to build another example of the series. He opted for a modern construction method using moulds and epoxy resin – a choice that was not apparent in the newly built classic and which inspired the boatbuilder to choose the name.
Olin Stephens, the legendary figure in the history of yacht design himself, was full of praise: “She is a truly unique yacht,” and described her as one of his favourite projects. Nevertheless, ‘Masquerade’ was sold in 2013; it was Pieters’ wish to build an even larger yacht for himself – one big enough for longer cruises and with the option of living on board.
Why it should be a large yawl this time
Pieter van der Aa: “I have studied the books and drawings of Olin Stephens’ designs in great detail. Time and again, I was struck by the beauty of the yawled vessels. One day, I went sailing with the Dutch owner of the 52-foot S&S yawl ‘Baccarat’ and was absolutely thrilled. The yacht was built in 1953 by Abeking & Rasmussen on the River Weser. She is still beautiful today.”
From that point on, Pieter van der Aa was completely captivated by the classic Sparkman & Stephens yawl. In 2013, the boatbuilder approached the chief designer at the S&S design office – which is still in operation today – to enquire about a possible new project. Shortly afterwards, Bruce Johnson drew the timber expert’s attention to ‘Avanti’.
The historical model: the S&S yawl ‘Avanti’
This 56.8-foot yawl, based on an S&S design, was built in 1935 at the Herreshoff shipyard in Bristol, Rhode Island. This meant that the two biggest names in US boatbuilding history had worked together on a joint project. The ‘Avanti’ was commissioned by the second Baron von Rothschild, Walter N. Rothschild. Following her launch, the yacht enjoyed success in many local regattas and brought her owner many happy days on board.
During the Second World War, the ‘Avanti’ was used for an entirely different purpose. In the spring of 1942, German U-boats in the Atlantic attacked merchant shipping to and from Europe, mainly off the east coast in the New York area. The US Navy and Coast Guard did not have enough ships available to combat these U-boats.
They subsequently recruited fishing boats and private sailing yachts manned by seafaring men to patrol the coastal waters. The ‘Avanti’ was painted navy grey, had the registration number CG R-3042 painted on its hull, and was fitted with a radio telephone and generators. A cannon was mounted on deck for defence. “Avanti”, along with dozens of other vessels, was to set out daily for many months and report several encounters with enemy submarines. On one occasion, she missed a submarine that had just surfaced by just a few metres. She herself met her end in 1954, when she was hurled onto the coast of Massachusetts by Hurricane Carlon.
How the ‘Scarabee’ was built using modern methods
More than her history, however, it was her lines that captivated van der Aa; it was love at first sight when he studied the original sketches, recalls the yawl enthusiast. He bought the drawings, and the building process began in Heukelum in 2013. Pieter chose ‘Scarabee’ as the name. Although the scarab is a dung beetle and, as such, not the most suitable namesake for a decidedly pretty sailing yacht, it has its roots in Egyptian mythology, where it is regarded as a lucky charm and a symbol of resurrection. It fits.
And the rebirth was now also taking shape for the ‘Avanti’. This had been built conventionally at the Herreshoff shipyard using planks on frames. For the ‘Scarabee’, the drawings were adapted for a modern construction method. Red cedar strips were screwed and glued onto a moulding frame. The composite structure was given three inner and outer layers of fibreglass fabric and epoxy resin and was reinforced with mahogany frames. The process took three years, with van der Aa working entirely on his own. He still remembers one highlight to this day: “The moment we turned the hull over and stood it upright was nothing short of magical. Suddenly, there was a real boat right in front of us!”
"The moment we turned the fuselage round and set it upright was nothing short of magical"
This was followed by a further four years of refurbishment. Pieter redesigned the original ‘Avanti’ interior to meet modern standards. At the bow is the owner’s cabin with an adjoining bathroom. Amidships there are two comfortable sofas with a folding table seating eight people. Behind these, the galley is situated on the port side and the navigation table on the starboard side. Two guest cabins are located on either side beneath the cockpit.
A combination of exquisite woods
The layout, the woods used, the exposed deck beams, combined with light-coloured contrasting surfaces, convey a pure, classic yachting feel and are reminiscent of the design of classic yachts from the US East Coast. Van der Aas’s knowledge and passion for wood really come into their own in all the types of wood used. He adds: “I’m fascinated by combining exquisite woods. Western Red Cedar for the hull, teak decks, a teak-clad deckhouse, gangway frames, hatches, skylights and the cockpit. Inside, I’ve used varnished oak frames with white-painted ceiling battens. The deckhouse is 14 millimetres thick with teak on the outside and the same thickness of mahogany on the inside. I don’t like veneer, and this way the yacht will last for many generations. The interior floor is made of varnished light-coloured Oregon pine, which can easily withstand water from wet sailing boots.”
His aim was to build the ‘Scarabee’ with the utmost respect for the original ‘Avanti’ design, whilst retaining the sail plan. But he also made use of the achievements of modern technology: this genuine long-keel yacht is fitted with state-of-the-art navigation equipment as well as a bow thruster.
After careful consideration, aluminium was chosen over wood for the rigging, as it is easier to maintain. The Dutchman, however, made the yards himself from Sitka spruce. These were protected and reinforced with two layers of glass-epoxy laminate.
The sails made by sailmaker Simon den Boer are snow-white with caramel-coloured details; like ‘Avanti’, they bear the construction number 85. The rig, comprising a jib, foresail, mainsail and mizzen, is designed for ease of use and can be handled by a single person. The running rigging consists of modern, high-performance rope. The deck fittings are colour-coordinated. The cleats and other details are made of stainless steel and complement the chrome-plated Andersen winches. The genoa tracks are made to measure from anodised aluminium.
How the ‘Scarabee’ was built using modern methods
And in the summer of 2021, the moment had finally arrived: ‘Scarabee’ was ceremoniously launched in Heukelum, following seven years of construction. A week later, the rigging was in place. And then Marina Colijnsplaat, on the southern shore of the Oosterschelde, became the new home port for this snow-white beauty.
Following various minor and major jobs on the boat and its equipment, the first test runs took place. The sunny day began with a light breeze, which later picked up to force four. Much to the delight of the proud owner, his vessel responded immediately and proved very agile; ‘Scarabee’ effortlessly reached a speed of eight knots and remained very true to course. A lovely day to mark the end of a very long process.
Pieter van der Aa is planning longer voyages around Europe in the near future; the S&S replica has already visited France and England. The Baltic Sea is right at the top of his bucket list. And there are also classic yacht regattas on the horizon.
Pieter: “I’ve worked hard and for a very long time to fulfil this long-held dream of building my own yacht, and now I’d like to strike a better balance between work and leisure. If someone were to come to me and commission a boat like this, I’d be happy to build it again – but this time I wouldn’t do it all on my own.” He would then carry out the project with other qualified boatbuilders, enabling him to complete the build in a much shorter time. On top of that, he wants to help preserve the craft of wooden boatbuilding and train enthusiastic young apprentices. As well as boatbuilding and restoration, van der Aa is available to offer advice on all kinds of timber projects and is working as an expert on two restoration projects in the Netherlands.
After several months of further extensive detailed work, the boatbuilder and timber expert decided to apply for a nomination at the highly prestigious Classic Boat Awards organised by the British classic boat magazine *Classic Boat*. It was well worth the effort: “Scarabee” won the prize in the key category “Traditional New Builds of All Sizes”. A well-deserved victory.
Technical specifications for the ‘Scarabee’
- Designer: Sparkman & Stephens
- Shipyard: Pieter van der Aa
- Construction method: Beams/GRP
- Year of manufacture: 2021
- Length: 17.00 m
- Waterline length: 12.20 m
- Width: 3.80 m
- Draught: 2.30 m
- Wing area: 126.0 m²