Swedish Monohull Sailboats

[boggie]

Originally Posted by boggie

New form? Do you mean new investors?
I had an experience last mounth in Norwegian fiords, 1 week sailing and we crossed with a beatifull N355. Our boat had to tak several times to make closed haull, this N355 did beautifully, mantained it's course sailed faster than us even with one reef.

I allways be very confident on this brand, i wish they close their doors !

Good Luck for NAJAD !

Sorry my mistake i meaned " I wish that they DON'T close their doors "

Also there was an open yard, started last weekend and i would like to know the progress of NAJD situation.

Watch this video and we can see how the N355 performs, magnific !

Najad 355 in the Norwegian Fiordes - YouTube

[aluijten]

As I live in Holland I can tell you that in Holland the Swedish boats are considered a bit 'better' (whatever your definition is) compared to their Dutch sisters.
I'd say Contest (Dutch) is about the same as Hallberg Rassy. Contest is one of the best boats build in series from Holland. Not very quick though.
I'd also say having a Hallberg Rassy is the least inefficient investment you could do in a sailing boat. They are quite easy to sell (I sold one myself) as long as the teakdeck is good. On the other hand the investment is also quite high.

Personally I really like the interior woodwork of HR. I'd say it's among the best you can get from a 'standard' production boat. As for pure sailing ability, HR gives you good, solid performance but no exceptional speeds. For a few years the most HR-s were actually sold in Holland! You see a lot of them here.
Last years HR had to digest a serious backfall in demand, just like most other yards. They had to lay of quite a few workers as well. At Najad the backfall was so big that the whole yard came to a grinding halt. This, combined with very ambitious plans (they bough the Danish Maxi Yard) made them fall over.
You could also have a look at the Swedish Scanner 361. Very nice boat as well.
But like I said before, if you are interested in return value after a few years and ease of sale, HR would be the best to look for. But it does reflect the second hand price so it depends on which side of the fence you are and whether you are buying a new one.
Malo and Najad are close runners up, although the bankruptcy of Najad may not help. The after-sales (spare parts) of HR are better as fare as I can see as well.

[Mexdon]

I wrote to Fantasi Yachts a couple of months ago to ask if the were still building their PH 44 which IMHO is a fantastic yacht. I did not receive an answer. They still have a website but think they are now just doing maintenance and operating a marina. I inquired about SV Tinto II but it had been sold privately. I believe there are two for sale in the UK. This link will give you a slide show of one of them I cannot find any photos of the other.

Fantasy Fantasi 44 Sailing For Sale - Rightboat.com - new & used boats for sale from the UK and Europe

The designer was Gabriel Heyman so anyone interested may get some more info by looking up his website and contacting him.

[boggie]

I went to Dusseldorf Boat show 2011, some guys that i talked mentioned to me the prices of HR and garanties were far better than the other yards.

We see more HR on second hand market than Malo and NAJAD.

[boggie]

Good News !
NAJAD found new investors, check their website !

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by boggie

Hello everybody !

I would like to focous this forum only on swedish monohulls sailing boats.

This would be fantastic, but I am sure moderators will let you have only one THREAD for this ;-) I think that could be arranged - Pete

Anyways, we have a Swedish boat and I have sailed some Swedish boats of various age and make.

I would say that older boats are of high and very high quality. Comparable with good Dutch, American and British boatyards. Strong hulls, good engineering, quality components and fine wood inside. Most are definitely the cruising type while single ones are a bit more racy than others.

There are some general trends in Swedish boats that some people love and others hate. I would say the layout is good in the seaway. I would say the boats are optimized for upwind/mixed, NOT downwind sailing.

I did not see any major quality differences between particular makes but I did see interior finish differ.

I would not pick up a Swedish boat for a liveaboard - good American boats beat them hands down. I would not pick a Swedish boat for any extended off the wind voyage - French boats beat them hands down. Maintenance on Swedish boats tends to be low - stay away from teak decks and you are fine. Gelcoat, rigging, hatches, winches etc. tend to be from the top shelf.

As with any good boats - you will pay a premium vis-a-vis any less known, equally well built boats.

Aside from the big fish (one of which has recently gone belly-up) there is a number of less know, equally good Swedish/Danish/Finnish boats.

I hope my two cents help you out a bit.

Cheers,
b.

[BentP]

Najad is appatantly aquired by Nord West Yachts, so the future for the yard should be secured... At least that is what Najads homepage says.

[James S]

Good news...lovely boats.
Welcome to the forum BentP

[Mexdon]

Originally Posted by BentP

Najad is appatantly aquired by Nord West Yachts, so the future for the yard should be secured... At least that is what Najads homepage says.

Welcome to CF BentP.

The question remains just how strong is Nord West considering the declining market for power boats with the cost of fuel rising, especially in Europe which is their territory.

[Cheechako]

Looked extensively at the hr 42 in about 2000. Came away feeling it was a good boat, but not a great boat. Very simple "lego" like fit and finish. For instance, the cabin sole had large gaps at the seams. I couldnt imagine all the muck , bread crumbs etc, that would end up there. The approach seems to be cut a bunch of floor panels with wide tolerances, so you can assemble pre fab boats.

[Vic de Beer]

I have an Albin Ballad (30ft). It is a great little boat, super strong and a good sailer, but, like I said, little boat. That is, small for a boat that size.....so, I am looking at getting something bigger, around 36 ft.

[boggie]

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

I have an Albin Ballad (30ft). It is a great little boat, super strong and a good sailer, but, like I said, little boat. That is, small for a boat that size.....so, I am looking at getting something bigger, around 36 ft.

Have you seen the Najad355 and teh 380 , Hallberg-Rassy 372, Mallo 43 or the new 47?

[CarinaPDX]

I would like to emphasize that the older Swedish boats are very different from the newer ones. As with other manufacturers the newer designs are much lighter, which lowers costs to the builder and results in a faster and more lively boat for the buyer. Also, modern interiors are designed for automated manufacture and minimal labor; they can look quite beautiful, and the fit can be excellent, but don't expect the "cabinetmaker" quality of old. Also, I am underwhelmed by the quality of many of the items on the newer boats (I find it a bit jarring to see sub-$20 incandescent Chinese reading lamps on a $1,000,000 yacht).

It will be obvious that I prefer the older boats, but I don't mean to dis the newer ones: they are fast and flashy, and well designed and built. They are just a different proposition. Also, we all modify our boats to suit our tastes; new boat or old, most boats benefit by equipment upgrades (such as LED lamps) so I don't see that as very important.

My point would be that the older boats have their advantages, not the least being that they can be bought at a lower price.

Enjoy your shopping - what fun to be considering one of these boats.

Greg

[Mossa]

Najad has been taken over by another company (a motor boat manufacturer):

Nord West has acquired Najad

A consortium consisting of the boat manufacturer Nord West and Orust Yacht Service has acquired Najadvarvet, which went into liquidation on 9 August. The acquisition applies to the entire operation in Henån on the Swedish island of Orust, with production, winter storage and service.

During the last fiscal year, Najadvarvet produced 25 high-quality sailing yachts and also had a significant level of service activity at the facilities in Henån on Orust. North West operates on nearby Vindön and last year they manufactured 37 high-quality motor boats.
Nord West foresees significant synergies resulting from the merger. The companies have the same industrial base and have grown out of the craftsmanship and maritime expertise established in Orust over generations.
”We are very pleased that we are finally able to acquire Najad” says Benny Martinsson, founder and owner of Nord West. ”We look forward to continuing to expand Najadbåtar and we see tremendous potential in Najad, which has a complete and modern product range of boats between 35 and 57 feet and an extensive service organization. Both Nord West and Najad maintain a very high standard of construction and are focused on providing world class service.”
Najad’s harbour facility has been managed by Claes Samuelsson for many years and he will now work with entrepreneur Bertil Karlsson to make an even greater effort in the areas of winter storage, servicing and insurance repairs in Henån in order to meet customers’ wishes for a comprehensive solution for boat users.
Najadvarvet was founded in 1971 and has manufactured over 2,000 yachts. The company became bankrupt after a vigorous expansion in 2005-2007, during which the company’s product development, investments and sales doubled. After the peak year of 2007, when sales exceeded SEK 300 million, the company was hit by the financial crisis in 2008, when sales fell sharply. Despite significant capacity reductions, the company was forced to file for bankruptcy in early August 2011.
The new owners wish to sincerely thank the lawyer Jan Save from the law firm Hammer, lawyer Lars Zetterberg and his colleagues at the consultancy Ackordscentralen and also Najadvarvet’s previous owner, Animatrix Capital, for their professional work to close the deal, thereby safeguarding Najad’s long-term future and the possibility of regain its position as one of the world’s leading yacht manufacturers along with Nord West.
Nord West was founded in 1985 by Benny Martinsson and has 130 employees. Sales last year amounted to about SEK 360 million. The company is family owned and consists of boat building and maintenance at Vindön/Orust, as well as a facility in Lysekil for hull construction and plastic fittings. Today the boatyard is one of the most modern in Sweden and sells boats around the world.
According to Claes, the work of winter storage has already started and, if you have not yet decided where to service your boat this winter, both motor boats and yachts are welcome at Orust Yacht Service. Benny explains that new boat production will begin shortly, and the team looks forward to re-launching Najad at the autumn boat shows in Hamburg and Stockholm.


I know the original author of this thread only wanted to hear about Swedish boats but if you are interested in Najad/HR it makes sense to have a look at Saare (made in Estonia). The quality is at least comparable, many solutions are newer and better and the price is attractive.


Saare Paat - About the Company - About

[Celestialsailor]

I will chime in regarding my HR Rasmus 35. It is a 1974 and no structural issues. The wiring is a little inadequate but I'm not sure how much of that was factory vs. owner(s). I do not have teak decks and would not buy a boat with them as eventually they will have problems down the road. Of course back in 74, HR's interiors were not what they are today but high quality materials never the less and excellent craftsmanship putting things together. One of these older HR's are relatively cheap for a person wanting a high quality vessel on a beer budget...