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 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 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 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- 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 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 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. Two aluminum hand- on older boats. The deck-stepped, an- ward with an 18-inch-by-24-inch hatch rails are on either side of the cabin-top. odized aluminum Proctor masts with overhead. You could bridge the settees The standard boat did not come with swept-back spreaders (7.5 degrees) are to make a double-berth athwartship, as a hawse pipe or bow anchor roller, but holding up as well as can be expected. some owners have. many owners have added these fea- The mast has sheaves at the base that al- For cooking, some IFs have a con- tures. Although the area at the base low the internal halyards to be routed to vertible galley comprising an alcohol of the mast has some nonskid patches, the cockpit. Owners or prospective buy- two-burner Origo stove that folds the rest of the cabintop is dangerously ers should check spreader tips for cor- down from a locker over the port set- smooth. Since the boat’s thin gelcoat rosion and remove any tape that does tee near the companionway. A filler wears through with age, many older nothing but invite further corrosion. board “counter” drops in between the boats have painted decks, and these stove and the small sink near the mast, boats usually have improved nonskid Down Below effectively forming a fore-and-aft gal- on the deck and cabintop. The nonskid Featuring just 55 inches of headroom, ley. Just forward of the sink is a small pattern on the sidedeck and foredeck is the interior of the International Folk- hanging locker. Across from the locker adequate, although it is probably worn boat is hardly palatial, but it can serve is a ridiculously cramped head that is

10 January 2011 www.practical-sailor.com IF Critic’s Corner construction details

Folkboat’s Bulletproof Hull-to-Deck Joint Set It Apart Although not immune to the problems that plague older boat, the IF has stood up well to the test of time.

part from some well-reported hardware is well backed. Deck rot is not Aproblems typical of all old boats— a serious problem although some owner- clouded windows, corroded hardware installed deck hardware has resulted in and worn gelcoat—the International isolated core rot on some boats. Folkboat has held up well over time. Hull-to-deck joint: The International Boats that have been raced hard will Folkboat’s deck is bonded to the inward- need a closer inspection. The builder turning flange in the hull with bedding Marieholms Bruk no longer builds the compound sealant, mechanically fas- boats, although it still offers support tened, and then fiberglassed together to owners. from the inside, forming a strong mono- Hull: The hand-laid hull is solid fiber- coque hull. This time-consuming process The hull-deck joint is glassed from the glass: five plies of 1.5-ounce mat plus makes for bulletproof, watertight bond. inside. Genoa track bolts, also shown one ply of 21-ounce woven roving. Two Keel and rudder: The Folkboat’s iron here, will need inspecting. 2” x 3/4” marine plywood stringers pro- ballast keel is encapsulated in fiberglass. vide longitudinal support. Two partial If the ballast cavity is penetrated from plywood bulkheads provide structural above or below, corrosion can follow, but boats. Both are grooved for boltropes or support at the mast. Stick-built furniture, this does not appear to be a problem with round slugs. Although the sheaves for tabbed to the hull, provide further rigid- International Folkboats. Pintle and gud- internal halyards were designed for wire, ity. The gelcoat may have worn away on geon hardware has had to be replaced on they are easily converted for all-rope hal- older boats, but chipping and blisters are some boats, and these should be carefully yards. Suspicious chainplate eyes should not a common problem. inspected. be pulled and inspected for corrosion, as Deck: The deck is mat and fiberglass Rig: The Proctor mast and boom extru- should at least one or two through-bolts cloth, with marine plywood core. All sions have generally held up well on these for the genoa track. too narrow to be of much use. Many smallish interior, those attracted to crew stays fairly high and dry on the boats have turned this token nod to the Folkboat concept but in need of a windward rail. civility into another locker and put a little more “cruisability” might want to The boat we sailed, Grateful Folk, is port-a-potty under the V-berth. Above look into the or the Cheoy owned by Stephen McCormack, who the settees on either side stretch a row Lee Frisco Flyer—both derivatives of uses it mostly for family daysails and of lockers, fine for storing small light- the Nordic Folkboat. The Contessa local racing. McCormack, with a gen- weight items. For mealtime, a remov- has made many notable offshore voy- erous PHRF rating of 316, sailed the able table fits into a socket in the main ages, including circumnavigations by boat to first in the pocket-cruising di- cabin. The table also fits into a similar Tania Aebi and Brian Caldwell, both vision of the local racing fleet in 2009. socket in the cockpit. of whom circled the globe while still Although the interior was a work in A 25-gallon water tank was optional, in their teens. progress, the boat, overall, was in and some early models had the spigot in good shape given its age. The decks the cockpit, which according to an ear- Performance had been painted, the deck hardware ly review in Boating magazine was put One of the most highly praised virtues was still in good condition, and apart there so that the cockpit scuppers could of the International Folkboat—as well from some minor pitting on the boom, be used as sink drains. Many boats have as all its various relatives—is its per- the rig showed nothing worthy of seri- creative tents fashioned over the cockpit formance under sail when the wind ous concern. The loose-footed, partially area, which greatly expands the amount pipes up. While waves will come aboard battened and 120-percent ge- of “living space,” such as it is. offshore, in a stiff bay chop, the high noa were basic cruising sails, typical of Many owners use their boats for surrounding bulwarks do a good job a family daysailer. Winds during our weekend or long-solo voyages. Adam of keeping the cockpit surprisingly test sail on Sarasota Bay in Sarasota, Correa sailed his International Folk- dry. There is no shortage of photos of Fla., were about 8-10 knots. boat in last year’s Single-handed Trans- International Folkboats (and Nordic Grateful Folk was due for a bottom pac Race, and Blondie Hasler’s famous Folkboats) shrugging off San Francis- job, so we didn’t expect much from it Jester (a modified Nordic Folkboat) co’s famous winds with a single-reefed in such light winds, but were pleasantly crisscrossed the Atlantic many times. main. In such conditions, the jibsheet surprised. The boat did not, of course, Given the limitations of the boat’s is often cross-sheeted and the two-man accelerate in puffs like a modern fin- practical sailor January 2011 11 used boat review

International Folkboat in context Int’L Nordic folkboat Folkboat contessa 26 LOA 25’ 9” 25’3” 25’ 6” LWL 19’ 9” 19’ 8” 21’ Beam 7’ 5” 7’ 3” 7’ 6” Draft 4’ 3’ 11” 4’ Displacement 4,740 lbs. 4,300 lbs. 5,400 lbs.

Sail area 269 268 302 (100 % foretriangle) sq. ft. sq. ft. sq. ft.

Ballast 2,750 lbs. 2,300 lbs. 2,300 lbs.

4-6 hp. OB/ Engine 10 hp. IB 4-6 hp. 0B 10 hp. Water 25 gal. (opt.) Jerry jugs 10 gal. Fuel Portable tank Portable tank 12 gals. The International Folkboat’s interior (above, right) allows SA/D ratio 16.28 16.22 15.70 enough room and berths for weekend excursions for a couple 271 252 260 or family. The full keel allows for excellent directional stabil- D/L ratio ity. Design numbers (right) reveal the obvious similarities Price* $7,000- $10,000- $15,000- between the International Folkboat, the Nordic Folkboat, and $10,000 $15,000 $20,000 the Contessa 26, all based on the same basic design. * Median price of online search; actual prices can vary. keeler, but it reacted positively to pro- memories of sailing the boat by himself for its size, with many features—like a longed gusts. We were able to hold a in a heavy breeze. quick-draining cockpit and monocoque steady 4.8 knots to windward, 5.5 knots “I’d tuck right back there behind the hull—that inspire confidence off sound- reaching, and 5.2 knots deep-reaching off traveller, with the jib cross-sheeted and ings. Finally, the boat is no longer being the wind. Unlike the Nordic Folkboat, watch the spray fly,” he said. “We put the produced, so should you decide to resell the International Folkboat Class does windows under only a couple of times, your boat, you won’t be competing with allow for a spinnaker, although our boat but the cockpit rarely got very wet.” a new boat market. was not equipped with one. In around- Fans of the original Nordic Folkboat the-buoy races, McCormack is content to Conclusion will contend that the International Folk- pole out the jib on downwind legs. Selling for about $10,000 on the used- boat is not as gorgeous nor as desirable as Tacking angles were precisely 45 boat market (if you can find them), the original, and there is some merit to degrees, although we would surely be the International Folkboat has four es- their argument, but in many respects, the able to aim higher in more wind. Three sential attributes that make for a good IF is a more practical boat . . . and the story features struck us about the boat under value. First, it has a long, mostly glowing behind it is no less intriguing. sail. First was the ease with which the history that ensures a loyal, almost cult- boat could be tacked and jibed single- like following. Second, there are enough handed. Frank Costella, whose former iterations of the class, particularly on Contact boat, Espresso, is featured in John Vig- the West Coast, that you can race and International Folkboat or’s book “Twenty Small to rally with a community of like-minded Association, www.ifboat.com Take You Anywhere,” has many fond owners. Third, it is a very well-built boat

12 January 2011 www.practical-sailor.com