There are many things you can see at first glance about the large grey yacht that stands out from the colourful crowd at the jetty in Stavoren Marina. That it is robust and made for long journeys, for example. That it follows the principle of functionality rather than aesthetics. And that she is - quite obviously - a Reinke. In other words, one of the yachts that Bremen designer Kurt Reinke built for ambitious amateur metal boat builders in his spare time until his death (YACHT 1/2020).
But this assumption is wrong. The ship clearly has the genes of a Reinke. The hull with double buckling frame, angular lines, deck saloon, bare aluminium - it all speaks for itself. And yet it is more a symbiosis of various Reinke yachts, a kind of best-of that the builder has devised.
His name is Michael Matzerath, on this day in August 2020 he is wearing jeans, a T-shirt and sandals and is just below deck taking warm bread rolls out of the oven. A quick breakfast before heading out onto the IJsselmeer for one of the first trips on the newly completed boat. Just a few days earlier, it had been brought from Düren in North Rhine-Westphalia to Stavoren on a low-loader and launched. The scales on the crane showed a whopping 15 tonnes, as all of the owner's belongings and equipment were already on board for a journey that - if all goes well - will last the rest of his life.
This boat is designed around a bed
Michael Matzerath is a passionate autodidact and built his "Malu" himself. Until 2018, the trained master coppersmith was the owner of Yachtbau Matzerath GmbH, a company in the inland region between Bonn and Aachen that specialises in converting and extending Reinke yachts made from aluminium. Numerous long-distance yachts, including the current "Freydis" owned by Heide and Erich Wilts, have been prepared for their blue water life there. But now, shortly before retiring, the shipyard boss has sold his business and is finally going sailing himself. And on a ship that combines his experience from over 30 years of working on the distinctive metal hulls.
Other special boats
"To put it bluntly, the 'Malu' is designed around a bed," explains Matzerath in the saloon of his boat. "I really wanted to have a 1.40 metre by two metre bed that reaches under the seating area in the saloon." No Reinke design provides for such a thing. So the metal professional designed his own interior, inspired by the layout of the Reinke Super 11 and the 13M. The result is a "one-room living concept", says Matzerath. In fact, there is not a single wall or door on the 13-metre boat, from the slip berth aft on the port side to the wet room in the bow - everything is open, bright and spacious. Almost like a boat for day trips, except that this ship is designed for many consecutive days at sea.
"I didn't want a separate aft cabin, like on the 13M," explains Matzerath. "Why do I need separate berths when only one or two people will be travelling on this ship anyway?" Matzerath has banished the wet room, which Reinke places in a room directly in front of the saloon on many of his designs, to the very front. Sure, it can get uncomfortable in the toilet on the cross. But as a yacht specially designed for long journeys, his "Malu" will spend most of its time at anchor and not on the high seas.
Lots of tinkering to make life on long journeys comfortable
Many other details show that the ship is designed for long trips alone or with a small crew: the mast steps, for example, or the welded-on foundations with fastening eyes for lashing the dinghy to the foredeck.
The hull is made of five to eight millimetre thick, seawater-resistant aluminium. Watertight bulkheads divide the ship into four sections. Equipment for the great outdoors is enthroned on a mighty equipment carrier at the stern: in addition to antennas for GPS, AIS, radar, Wi-Fi and the autopilot remote control, a 300-watt solar panel is housed there. "It should be enough to run the fridge and computer at anchor," the owner surmises. If necessary, the two 280 ampere-hour batteries can be charged via a generator or the alternator. Two additional 300-watt solar panels could also be hung on the railing.
This is welded on as a robust aluminium sea fence and, like so much on board, is at least adequate, if not oversized. "I don't want to win a regatta, I just want to be able to hold on securely wherever I go," says the owner, proudly pointing out another detail that should make his long voyage life more comfortable: A "multifunctional board" protrudes across the stern, supported on the sea fence: this is intended to serve as a gangway, fender board, seat board or even for cutting up fish that are caught en route.
Another board is fitted at the very front. It makes it easier to get on board or can be used as a place to keep a lookout at sea. The bow fitting is almost one metre wide. The genoa and jib are each attached to a stay as a furling sail. A third forestay for the storm sail can be optionally rigged.
Long voyage with a small crew is the concept
A 28-kilogram bow anchor disappears completely under the bow fitting when underway, so that it cannot get caught anywhere during manoeuvres. 100 metres of ten-millimetre chain are waiting to be used in the anchor locker. Another 23-kilogram anchor hangs ready at the stern.
Much of the cockpit is also specifically designed for single-handed sailing or anchoring. A clothes peg still secures the cables for the anchor winch, but when everything is ready, it should be possible to operate it from here. The mainsail can be reefed from here without anyone having to go to the mast. To do this, a whole battery of reefing lines is attached to the coaming on the port and starboard sides of the superstructure. The fully battened mainsail has three reefs, each operated with two lines.
"I still have to get used to which line is which," says the skipper. But most of the moves are already in place, even though he has only been sailing the finished boat on the IJsselmeer for a few hours. Another trial run is now to take place there. A good 3 Beaufort is forecast. The ship could do with more, but Matzerath looks satisfied when the hustle and bustle of boats in the harbour entrance has passed and the "Malu" leans slightly to one side under autopilot.
"After all, six knots with a small jib is okay in 13 knots of wind," he says happily. Under genoa, the aluminium yacht then accelerates to seven to eight knots. The cordless screwdriver with attachment for the winch is used to furl the huge cloth again. After all, 64 square metres need to be tamed.
An emergency tiller is always ready for use on the Malu 42
Matzerath has also modified the rig a little: The boom is attached further down the mast than originally intended. This is intended to make it easier to work on the mainsail, for example when attaching the halyard or raising it. However, there is no boom vang or kicker. "No room," says Matzerath pragmatically.
Even on the busy IJsselmeer, the autopilot usually steers the ship. If you steer yourself, the steering wheel on the deckhouse is the highlight. Thanks to a hydraulic cylinder, it can be swivelled steplessly to the right or left so that you can steer while sitting on the coaming. This also makes it possible to go down in the centre of the ship - on Reinkes, this is otherwise offset to port.
Provision has been made in the event that the rope wheel steering fails; the mount for an emergency tiller is always ready for use on the aft deck. Grinning, Michael Matzerath pulls a carbon fibre tube out of one of the lockable swallow's nests in the cockpit. "From my old surf mast," he reveals. In just a few simple steps, the part is inserted into the welded-on bracket in a matter of seconds - and the "Malu" is ready to sail as a tiller boat.
Tinkering like this can be found everywhere on board, making the "Malu" a very special boat. For example, there is the small high-pressure cleaner in the walk-in anchor locker for rinsing the anchor chain, which is connected to its own sea and fresh water supply. Or the throttle lever in the cockpit, which can be removed and replaced by the winch handle, which is easier to operate with your foot. The storage space on deck is also impressive: In addition to lines, fenders and lots of equipment, there is also space for the companionway bulkhead in the starboard locker. The stern storage compartment has space for two bicycles and a trailer.
The idea for the Malu 42 was born back in the 1980s
Even though he has only now realised it, Michael Matzerath had the idea for his dream ship decades ago. At the time, he didn't realise that his vision of his own ship for long-distance sailing trips would have a significant impact on his career and the development of his business.
In 1988, he took over his parents' company; the Matzerath company in Düren was still a coppersmith's shop with an apparatus construction business. By this time, Matzerath junior had already travelled the world extensively, most recently living in Portugal. It was there, by the sea, that his dream of owning his own ship was born. However, he found nothing on the market that matched his ideas - until he came across Kurt Reinke's plans and began building a Super 11 out of aluminium at the company in Düren. He personally invites the designer to inspect it, and he does indeed come round. Impressed by what he saw, he then ordered a boat for himself, a Reinke 11MS, from the metal company. "That was my introduction to boatbuilding," says Michael Matzerath.
He is still selling his Super 11 as a hull. "During the construction phase, I realised that I can't really do anything with a boat while I'm still working," he says. "Sailing is only exciting for me when I can cast off and moor at a new destination. Always sailing in Holland would have bored me." Instead, he is making a name for himself as a shipyard for Reinke yachts. Refits in particular, but also new builds. A carpenter in the company ensures high-quality interior fittings. After obtaining a special licence from the Chamber of Crafts, Matzerath is finally allowed to call his company a yacht building business. At the same time, the company continues to operate in the paper industry and container construction.
The idea becomes a concept, becomes reality
A good ten years ago, as retirement approaches, thoughts of his own boat return. On the computer, the then 50-year-old designs a boat type that combines the essential features of a Reinke, but also deviates from them in many respects. The "Malu" has new dimensions and is wider in relation to its length. The twin keels are set less steeply and have a shallower profile depth. Matzerath designed it with the help of a database from aviation science.
A customer is also convinced by the concept, so that in the following years, two of the ships, which the shipyard boss calls "Malu" - "Matzerath" plus "Alu" - are gradually built in the evenings. He always keeps an eye on the costs of his boat so that he can enjoy a long voyage in the near future despite his low pension. He buys a lot of things second-hand on the Internet, such as the traveller, some winches and the compass. The ship's horn on the stern beam comes cheaply from railway accessories. He welds the hull himself from aluminium plates and also installs the technology and electrics himself. Only the interior fittings are done by the company's carpenter.
The result is impressive: The completely open area below deck is spacious, cosy and bright, almost loft-like with a panoramic view from the deck saloon. Half of the bed, which the owner designed the "Malu" around, actually disappears underneath in the foredeck area. Above this double berth is a swivelling and tilting monitor, which can be viewed both lying down and from the companionway and saloon. A bench seat can be folded down to create a V-shaped sea berth - without a leeward sail, but with a view to the outside when you sit up.
Endless storage space
Easily accessible at the passageway from the saloon to the forward area is a switch cabinet that is aptly named. Apart from the sealed-off walk-in engine room for a 40 hp Vetus, this cabinet is the technical centrepiece of the boat. A push-button can be used here to check whether there is potential from the 12-volt network on the hull. An isolating transformer is installed for the 230-volt mains.
If you lift one of the floorboards in front of the galley, you can look into the 800-litre diesel tank and check the fill level. There are two 180-litre tanks for fresh water and a 220-litre waste tank in the wet room for faeces. The owner has already filled the enormous storage space in drawers, lockers and under the floorboards: Tools are stored there, as well as pasta, UHT milk, tea lights, sugar - and countless books. "I've parted with a lot of things," explains Matzerath, who has broken everything up on land. "But it was difficult with my books."
So it's no wonder that there are now a good 150 of them on board. The standard reference work for Patagonia travellers stands between "Segelrouten der Weltmeere" and the Dutch "Wateralmanak". Everything seems possible, the new owner has plenty of plans. He also has to work from time to time en route to finance the trip. A few things are still waiting for their final place on board; from the trim lines to the deck covering to the bimini.
And the long-term plans? "Sure, of course I'd like to go round one day!" says Michael Matzerath. "But my sailing happiness doesn't depend on it." He has already found it in his "Malu".
Technical data of the Malu 42
- Shipyard: Yacht building M. Matzerath
- Hull material: Aluminium
- Total length: 13,65 m
- Width: 3,63 m
- Draught (twin keels): 1,47 m
- Weight: 13 tonnes (empty)
- Ballast content: 42 %
- Mainsail: 37,0 m2
- Genoa: 64,0 m2
- Fock: 38,0 m2
The article first appeared in YACHT 23/2020 and has been updated for the online version.
