Popular Plastic Folkboat Owners of “Real” Folkboats May Cringe, but This Close Cousin Has Plenty of Converts
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USED BOAT REVIEW The Ever- Popular Plastic Folkboat Owners of “real” Folkboats may cringe, but this close cousin has plenty of converts. s keepers of the narrative truths Aknown to non-believers as mere “sea stories,” we sailors are drawn not only to the boats we desire but the sto- ries behind them. Some might go so far as to suggest the story has as much value as the boat itself, and there cer- The International Folkboat Grateful Folk scoots across Sarasota Bay, Fla. tainly have been some pretty crummy boats that sold well because of the fic- tion their builders spun. How many a boat worth looking into. True, there Story: From Cult to Classic.” times have you gone to look at a used are many boats that might appeal to The designer of the IF Folkboat was boat and the owner has whispered se- the profile described above (some Carl Todd Sunden, who until he died in 1999 ductively, “This boat has a great story Alberg sloops come to mind), but few at the age of 90, was still fighting to es- behind it?” have a story that compares to that of the tablish his claim as the primary designer Well, if you are drawn to stories (true International Folkboat. of the storied Nordic Folkboat, the Inter- stories, not marketing pap), like the idea national Folkboat’s genetic predecessor. of a tacit connection with blond-haired DESIGN DETAILS No one questions that Sunden drew the Scandinavians with names like Ingrid, The drama behind the International lines of the Nordic Folkboat, but whether Sven, and Tord, and can see yourself Folkboat began even before the boat ex- he deserved credit or payment for later proudly tooling around in a 1968 Volk- isted. In 1939, as Hitler pushed the world royalties remains under dispute. swagen into World War II, the neutral Swedes According to Loibner, this much is Beetle, optimistically held a yacht design con- known: In 1941, a committee of judges then the In- test. The winning boat was to be put formed by the Royal Swedish Sailing ternational into production as a new popular class Association chose the best designs of Folkboat is of keelboats. It is from that contest that its international contest for a new keel- definitely the svelte little micro-cruiser that came boat design. Trouble was that the judges to be known as the Nordic Folk- couldn’t settle on one design. Instead, boat emerged. Although we’ve the favorite drawings were handed over The bottom-grinding not the space to cover some of to Sunden, who was tapped to come up winch on Grateful the juicier details of the Nordic with a new design that incorporated the Folk’s mast has been Folkboat’s design origins, even “best of the best” from the contest. retired. As with most the thumbnail view is compel- The result was the Nordic Folkboat, a International Folk- ling. For those interested, De- clinker-built sloop with a reverse tran- boats, the halyards iter Loibner provides a detailed som, a spoon bow, and a low cabin that lead aft to winches account of the controversy gave it simple but pretty lines. Its long near the companion- surrounding the design in his keel, slack bilges, barn-door rudder, and way. excellent book “The Folkboat hefty ballast ratio (just over 50 percent) 8 JANUARY 2011 WWW.PRACTICAL-SAILOR.COM INTERIOR NOTES InternAtionAL FOLKBOAT Pro: Drop-down stove Con: Thin-man’s head Pro: Well-designed convertible table Well-raced IFs will tend to have stripped down interiors, but some, like Espresso Con: Narrow (above), have enough creature comforts for a family cruise. A drop-down alcohol V-berth stove (top left), a small sink, and a removable counter comprise the galley. The dining table stows in a dedicated spot in a quarter berth. The V-berth (left) is tight, but well ventilated. Some owners have installed a hawse pipe and chain locker forward, but the original boat did not have these features. equipped it for North Sea adventures. draw a fiberglass version, and, the boat the halyards routed back to winches The cockpit however—because it was eventually eclipsed its original in popu- near the companionway. The mainsheet not self-bailing—raised the risk quo- larity, with 3,400 hulls built when pro- halyard runs on an aluminum track tra- tient for any offshore ambitions. The duction ended in 1984. From a design versing the back of the cockpit, and the 7/8-fractional rig gave it a conservative perspective, the International Folkboat jib sheets lead through a rail-mounted sail-area displacement ratio of 16.28. shares many of the same features as the genoa track to winches on the coam- The length-to-beam ratio was just un- Nordic Folkboat (see table page 13). ing. Early models came with bottom- der 3.5. The four-foot draft appealed to Gone is the clinker hull—a feature that grinding primary winches, but many the shoalwater challenged. Headroom persisted in even the fiberglass Nordic are equipped with Lewmar single-speed was ideal for those wonderful creatures Folkboat that Svendsen pioneered. The winches. The mainsheet traveller is a no- of Scandinavian folklore: elves. reverse transom has been cut short, and torious shin-whacker, but it makes for Simple, relatively inexpensive to a shallow self-draining cockpit replaces easy sail-handling from the helm. build, and reassuring in heavy weather, the Nordic Folkboat’s deep well. Marie- The cockpit seats are 14.5 inches wide the boat was a hit in Scandinavia, even holms also made room for an inboard or and 65 inches long, too short and nar- among the non-elves. In the post-war an outboard in a well. However, since the row for non-elves to nap. Seat backs are era, carried by the same back-to-basics well was designed to fit the small British 11 inches, too low to offer much back current that swept the Volkswagen Bee- Seagull outboard, it isn’t much help with support, but about what you can expect tle into the 1960s mainstream, the Folk- today’s four-strokes. Most owners close from a boat of this size. Two 16-inch-by- boat dream gradually spread through- the hole permanently with fiberglass and 19-inch cockpit lockers aft are not self- out Europe and beyond. In the U.S., a put an outboard bracket on the stern, but draining, so if you want to follow in the Danish Folkboat-disciple by the name an electric Torqueedo (see page 13) will footsteps of some Folkboat adventurers, of Sven Svendsen brought the gospel to fit just fine. dogging these down will spare you a the U.S. West Coast, more precisely to Overall, the International Folkboat is tedious bailing routine. Four 1.5-inch the San Francisco Bay area. In a rare mo- a good-looking, wholesome, stiff design cockpit drains (exceptional for a boat Top photos courtesy of Frank Costello courtesy photos of Frank Top ment of maritime synchronicity, a boat, that is at its best when the wind kicks this size) and a 12-inch bridgedeck re- a place, and a collective spirit converged up. It is no wonder the Bay Area sailors duces the risk of cockpit flooding. just as the 1970s set in. have acquired a taste for them. The cockpit is tight for more than Out of these contentious beginnings three adults, particularly if the wind is and in the midst of these “interest- ON DECK up. However, with one other person on ing times,” the International Folkboat The International Folkboat is well set board, it is a nice feeling to be wedged emerged in 1967. Conscious of the folk- for single-handed sailing. Although back behind the traveler. The cockpit is boat’s growing appeal, Swedish builder the original boat had mast-mounted narrow enough that you can tuck be- Marieholms Bruk contracted Sunden to halyards, nearly all the boats today have hind the traveller and brace your feet PRACTICAL SAILOR JANUARY 2011 9 IF Critic’S Corner PROS • Well-ballasted, narrow hull presents plenty of secondary righting moment. • Wide sidedecks with handrails make for safe passage forward. • All sail controls are easily tended from Con: the helm. Elfin interior • High coamings keep cockpit dry. accommodations CONS • Headroom belowdecks is just 55 inches. Pro: Easy to sail singlehanded • Cockpit is small compared to modern racer-cruisers. • Traveller divides cockpit in half. • Outboard well is ill-suited for today’s four- stroke engines. Pro: Con: Tight squeeze in Well-backed outboard well winches Con: Shin-whacking traveller on the leeward coaming or cockpit seat. to the point of being useless on some quite well as a weekender, if properly With the mainsheet close at your side, you older boats. equipped. The range of amenities can can confidently press to windward when The hardware is well-fastened with vary greatly, and many of the options others are still at the dock waiting for the through-bolts and backing plates. This described here are likely to be absent whitecaps to ease. Some spray will cross was the first 26-footer we’ve seen in a on a boat that has been stripped down the bow, but most International Folkboats while with 10-inch cleats. Some of the for racing. For sleeping, you have the come equipped with a cockpit dodger, a hardware is marinium, an alloy common choice of two long settees that stretch worthwhile investment. in the 1970s that is a poor substitute for aft from the main cabin and tuck un- Going forward, the sidedecks are silicone bronze, but these components der the cockpit (with 35 inches of clear- wide, and the foredeck offers plenty of are beefy and seem to be holding up ance), and a 72-inch-long V-berth for- working space.