It´s been roughly three months since I visited Rosättra shipyard in Sweden. Shocking, how fast time flies! Anyway, back then I took some pictures of a brand new boat which I am now free to publish at last. Linjett´s latest yacht is soon about to touch water. This is the story of the new Linjett 36, a boat that is as compact as you might wish for – but offering a versatility and performance only Scandinavian yachts really have.
It was a cold, rough day. A pretty biting icy wind, as the proud white hull swung over, gently driven by the marina crane. Unmistakably a Linjett: White hull with the signature blue waterline stripes and the slight positive stem. Where most shipyards and naval architects go for designs without any significant overhangs and even negative bows, Linjett is one of the last few offering a “classic” line. Nevertheless, looking at the stern section, you instantly notice a slight increase of aft volume: Good for sailing on reaching points of sails and certainly good for interior volume in the aft cabins.
Bringing a new boat design to life
But first things first: How it all started. I´ve made an in-depth article about the design process at Linjett Yachts already, you may check it out here. After agreeing on a design and finalizing the plans, any series production boatbuilder will have a mould produced. This is valid for Linjett as well as for the big production boat companies.
Not far from Rosättra, a dedicated partner company with a machine big enough to house the dimensions of a sailboat, took a huge block of Styrofoam and started the robots. That´s a pretty impressive sight, I once caught such a multi-axis robot in action when visiting the Astondoa shipyard in Spain. The level of accuracy is amazing, seeing how the robot seemingly “independently” buzzes over the material, changes the tools automaticall from time to time, is fascinating. Not to mention the speed in which those tasks are accomplished, truly a step forward compared to the times when this has been done solely by hand.
After this “positive” or “male” form is finished and hardened by adding several layers of filler and GRP, the “negative” or “female” form can be built. The outcome is the mould: Birthplace of every boat. Moulds in boatbuilding are among the most significant investments for the companies. Back in the day, when I was showing the Beneteau shipyard once to potential buyers, the tour focused especially on these tools, you may check out this mould-related article here. These guys told us that dozens of boats need to be sold in order to just refinance the development and building costs of the moulds.
Hull number #001 is born
I am sure that this won´t be a problem for the new 36. Now that the mould is ready, the actual building process of the very boat can start. For a Linjett, this means vacuum infusion is chosen as primary production technique. So no hand lamination anymore, which saves production time, raises the level of quality and lowers the weight in the end. Utilizing vinylester resin exclusively, combined with an high grade UV-resistant NGA gelcoat will make for a practically osmosis-resistant hull. Nevertheless, later when the yacht is going to be delivered to a customer, the shipyard will apply no less than five layers of epoxy primer before the antifouling bottom paint, which is a surplus of peace of mind for the future owners.
Furthermore, in areas without structural forces and above the waterline, the Linjett is build in sandwich construction. The shipyard refrains from utilizing Balsa as core material. Instead, synthetic Divinycell foam core is used, which makes sure that a high quality is maintained throughout the whole area with sandwich laminate. Linjett uses the performance kit from Swedish specialist Diab, which is another detail worth mentioning. All the laminating and hull production is done at a facility not far away from the headquarter in Rosättra. After hull and deck are finished, the parts are delivered to Linjett: It´s time to get fitted! Grand entrance for the boatbuilders and carpeneters.
Looking at the bare and empty raw hull´s inside, what´s interesting to note here is that the shipyard doesn´t need to fit large inner GRP-parts. Compared to big production manufacturers like Dufour or Beneteau, the inner part for the Linjett 36 is rather small: A testament to an already stiff and formidable building quality of the hull. No stringers or other elements are needed to add extra strength. It´s also worth noticing that Linjett is one of the last boatbuilders to fit single rudder configurations to their cruising yachts.
While there are undeniable advantages in having a double rudder configuration, these only apply to hull shapes with wide sterns, optimized for reaching points of sails. Scandinavian yachts, or let´s say, boatbuilders opting for a more holistic approach to sailing with yacht designs balanced to work fine in any point of sail, a narrower hull shape and more compact and classic stern section designs are preferred. No need to fit the complicated setup and steering system needed for double rudders. Simplicity is skipper´s friend, indeed. Just one sidenote here: Look at the thickness of the rudder shaft and trunk in the picture above! It shows quite nicely how rugged these boats are built. Did you know that a Linjett rudder-blade has a predetermined breaking area so that with a grounding that part will break away without compromising the steering capabilities or causing any leak?
From mockup to reality
I´ve waited with this article until I got the green light by Linjett. But that´s just one reason. Another is the wonderful, well, let´s call it, “unusual” or “anachronistic” approach (in the best sense of the words!) to boatbuilding here in Rosättra: You´ve probably read the article about the interior mockup of the Pure 42 a few days ago. I was stunned to see such a detailed life-sized model of the boat there. Same here, with even one notch up in terms of detail and building quality.
These two pictures are taken from nearly the same perspective: The picture above shows the amazingly detailed mock-up of the Linjett´s saloon, the picture below the raw saloon. I find it interesting to see how much effort goes into designing these boats, but how much the shipyards still rely on models to get a real grasp and sense for the volume, for sizes, measurements and also the details. Not a few of these details are changed, or let´s say, altered, to make a perfect fit in the end.
Hull #001 of the new Linjett 36 is currently in production. The joiners and boat carpenters of Linjett are working with their best efforts to put out an exemplary yacht. Nevertheless, I found it quite amazing when I was told that the first boat will be finished and in the water around July. Which is … next month. Also amazing that right away, with only some renderings and nice layouts out, Linjett was able to sell nine units right away: A proof for the trust people have in the capabilities of this company.
Nearing completion
She should be a commercial success anyway: 36 feet is a magic number, at least in the Baltic Sea. This is a size I would call it a “compact yacht” – big enough to already be home to a sailing couple with occasional guests or a small family. I was amazed and I am still thrilled to see how much internal volume the First 36 has, for example. The Linjett 36 will be no different. 11 meters length overall, 3.66 meters width and a draft of 1.95 meters with 2.7 tons of ballast. That´s the first batch of numbers to bear in mind.
With that, the Linjett 36 carries 39 percent of ballast, which quite a nice ratio. According to the ORC measurement certificate, the Angle of vanishing stability, or limit of positive stability, is 125.8 degrees, which is indicating that this boat is very stable. At the same time, the 6.8 tons boat will sport 84 square meters of upwind sail area (mainsail and Genoa), which is also a nice figure. For comparison, the new Hanse 360 sports 61 square meters of sail area with a boat displacing 7.8 tons.
That said, it will be a true pleasure seeing this new boat floating and sailing. Having met the guys again during ancora Yachtfestival last week and having them as neighbours, gave me the chance to secure a sea trial on their Linjett 39 in a few weeks, which is an occasion I look forward very much. For the new small 36, let´s wait for her to be checked when she floats and sails, I am sure that this entry-level high quality sailboat will find its lovers around the globe.
Related articles you might find interesting as well:
All Linjett-articles on one glance
Why 36 feet is a pretty perfect boat size
You want it a bit crazier? Pogo 36 might be your boat then.