You may have read my article about the new aluminium shipyard and boat brand of Germany? If not, do it: There is something big in the making in Kiel, „Sailing City“ of Germany, and it´s super exciting to watch it becoming reality. Apart from this infrastructure project, which it itself is a book full of amazing stories and details, there is a new brand of boats coming up and available from now on: Pure Yachts. Their first boat, the 42 Decksaloon boat is in the making and I´ve visited both boat and her makers.
As I am writing this article, the boat has already been fine-polished and tresferred from its intermediate store in one of the empty, older halls into the very modern set-up workshop where completion works are now underway. 42, this might be the answer to everything according to Douglas Adams. And in this case, it really works as well!
The first Pure: Bare data
Matthias Schernikau, mastermind and founder of Pure Yachts, tells me, that 40 to 42 feet is the perfect size for a yacht. It is the lower most threshold of a boat made in aluminium where weight and material properties really begin to have clear advantages over GRP. It is also the lower most size for a reasonable and practicable deck saloon layout. Go smaller, the boat will be too heavy, to expensive and plagued with too many foul compromises.
On the other hand, having a 42-footer makes a full-fledged oceangoing long haul deck saloon-concept possible. It is a great boat size for the sailin couple with occasional guests. Even 2 plus 4 people aboard is possible. A 42-footer can be easily and safely handled in single- or doublehanded mode. It´s a perfect cruising yacht size that is also capable of going anywhere. The Pure 42 is such a yacht: But what sets her apart from the, let´s say, „usual aluminium suspects“, the big brands like Allures, Garcia, Boreal or Alubat?
Unmistakably a Berckemeyer by Martin Menzner
You can clearly see it in a first glance by just looking at the hull shape: This is a round-chined modern design by no other than Martin Menzner who is the brain behind Berckemeyer Yacht Design. Pure boats are exclusively designed by Martin Menzner, the idea is to have semi-custom yachts and a full custom program for owners. Do I have to tell what a Berckemeyer is?
Sailing performance is a consistency and big pillar of any Pure or Berckemeyer Yacht. That is why a carbon rigging and fat head mainsail is a matter of course for these boats. These yachts have a spotless track record of providing rigid and capable platforms for high seas oceanic sailing with a very strong emphasis on speed, sailing fun and performance. Matthias Schernikau´s BM 49 and many other yachts of this breed come with a tiller – a clear statement, if you ask me.
The Pure 42 adheres to the latest developments in modern hull shapes. The inverted bow may be more a cosmetic or design-choice, but with just 9.8 tons of displacement driven by over 100 square meters of sail area, this boat is not the usual deck saloon-type of sailboat, she is as performant as an all-out racer-cruiser! For comparison, the Sirius 40 DS displaces 11 tons and carries just over 80 square meters of canvas. This is achieved by utilizing the most modern lightweight hard foam materials for the interior and shaving off any unnecessary ballast: A true „no frills“ sailing yacht, as Matthias tells me during our meeting with a smile. Nevertheless, the Pure 42 DS is packed with some seriously interesting equipment, one of which points is the variable draft.
Proprietary drop keel system
When sailing around the world and even a slight „offroad“ sailing trip in Europe, reducing your boat´s draft opens a huge range of new possibilities. Small snug harbors and anchorages, going upwiver or into channel-systems just to name some. The Pure 42 DS features Marting Menzner´s proprietary drop keel system which has many advantages over the standard swing keels and even more over the centerboard-system.
The custom cast lead bomb is connected to massive fin. It weighs 3.3 tons, which makes for a 33 per cent ballast ratio. Impressive! The bomb/fin slides inside a rigid aluminum box – secured within a milled profile. For the Pure 42 DS the draft can be at a minimum of 1.20 meters, which is perfect for shallow waters, anchorages and even the smallest harbors and fully extended to 3 meters flat, which creates a nice strong lever for best sailing performance.
Looking at the guide rail standing on the boat, head down, you can see in the picture just how massive it is. And not only that, it has been milled to a millimeter by a CNC-robot, as well as the „male“ part which is the fin itself. Now, that system not only allows for a stageless variation of the draft – it is a system that works completely without contact pressure into a prism, which is the case on other yachts with drop keels. This increases the utilization and also the comfort: No clanking noise or any movements of the keel within its case anymore!
Many skippers on swing- or drop-keel boats know the all-too familiar side effects of these mechanisms. On a Pure yacht this is a thing of the past. Of course, also according to CE certification, in sailing mode with sails up and pressure of the wind in the rigging, the yacht must always be driven with keel completely down. But there can be circumstances where you need a half-extended keel, like when steaming into harbor (sails down) in severe weather with still high, short, choppy waves.
Also, as being made out of aluminium metal, the Pure 42 of course can fall dry. This may not be the prime unique selling proposition of this boat for sure, but there are many areas of the world´s oceans where this can truly be a highlight. Bretagne, even the North Sea or very remote areas. The Pure 42´s rudder blades can take the load, the ship´s propeller is protected by a small skeg.
All of this makes the Pure 42 a very versatile cruising yacht. Matthias and his crew are sure that she will find her dedicated owners and fans: I know from my own experience that becoming an owner of a Berckemeyer yacht can at times be a very stressful task. Not many boats of this type are being built per year. Apart from the upper pricing level, having Pure Yachts now offering these boats with a projected annual output of 4 to 10 yachts is a huge development. Also, by having the Pure 42 DS pre-arranged into a semi-custom boat makes the pricing a lot more attractive compared to a one-off. Te Pure 42 DS will be available sail-ready in a nice setup for around 800.000 Euros ex VAT. That´s roughly the price of the new Hallberg-Rassy 370 …
A symbiosis
For Matthias Schernikau, the task of Pure Yachts is clear: To offer and build the best performance-cruising go-anywhere boats of the world. In this, as he explains to me very emotionally, the boat essentially is a symbiosis of three things: Outright functionality and practicality at first. Meeting consequent lightweight-focused building and materials as s second matter. And finally, adhering to modern, timeless, beautiful design patterns which have always been setting a Berckemeyer-designed yacht apart from the mainstream.
Redaging the focus on lightweight building, they take it very seriously here at Pure Yachts. The durable high.quality aluminium hull and deck is made to withstand the challenges of the seas as well as being as light as possible. Every single gram of mass that is unnecessary has been shaved off. The yacht is not underpowered as most production boats. The mighty rigging can carry a lot of sail area, making her a truly performant yacht to have fun with and achieve impressive day runs.
The spirit of Martin Menzner and Berckemeyer Yacht Design lives in every corner of the boat. Functionality and a „no frills“-approach is a matter of the heart also for Martin Menzner, who is known for sometimes just refusing to do stuff he is not convinced of. In this, Matthias and Martin seem to be a perfect match.
Functionality, for both, means above all to have a yacht made to sail. The Pure 42 DS is not a boat for the pontoon. To welcome and impress guests with a wide lounge area or bathing platform. Functionality for Pure means to be seaworthy. To have bunks which are safe and cozy even in heeled sailing or bad weather. To have grab handles which can really take your weight, having a thought-throug deck layout with high qwuality winches and lines. Andersen winches and running rigging by Gottifredi Maffioli are a matter of course aboard a Pure!
This doesn´t mean that it shouldn´t be beautiful. Just look at the picture above: Making your lines run subsurface or incorporating steps from the cockpit onto the sidewalk deck is beautiful indeed – but also follows the idea of adding functionality and practicality to the yacht. All of this adds up to a pretty classic design – but executed in the most adorable way.
The Pure 42 DS comes with double wheel steering (although tiller-steering is possible). Down below the huge salon features a U-shaped galley along the starboard side of the hull, faced by a U-shaped settee around the dining table vis-a-vis. Large bathroom to portside and a nice „sofa“ or pilot berth, adjoining the front-cabin. There will also be a very spacy aft cabin underneath the deck house. We will check this out once the boat is fitted. A classy deck saloon layout.
Functionality and practicality meets design
It may be hard to comprehend by just looking at these raw pictures, but the clever utilization of internal volume combined with the huge space that is created by the large deck house will make for a light-suffused, bright and cozy environment. Centered around the large keel-housing, kept in light colors, the Pure 42 DS will welcome you with a modern, friendly but also shiplike interior.
As there is practically a 360 degree large panoramic window view through the deckhouse, the yacht doesn´t need all too many windows in the hull. Nevertheless, the 42 DS comes with two additional bulleyes in the hull for galley and saloon as well as with two hull windows for the owner´s cabin. We will see of these make for a nice view outside when at anchor and laying in bed (a detail I miss on so many boats).
The main tanks of the yacht are located just next to the keel box at the lowermost point of the hull. The Pure 42 DS will carry 400 liters of Diesel fuel in these two tanks and 300 liters of fresh water additonally. By the way, the boat may be equipped with an all-electric or hybrid propulsion solution if an owner wants it. Of course, this won´t be part of the standard semi-custom offer.
The overall concept is a boat made for sailing and real skippers. I know, that is one of the emptiest and most raped product claims in sailing, but Matthias means it. For the Pure 42 DS, apart for the navigational electronics, there is no BUS-technology whatsoever. Everything is meant for a long servive life: Tin-coated wiring, trouble-free dismounting of all panels and furniture parts for maintenance and repairs, damage-free revisioning. He wants a yacht that makes fun to sail – not a boat that is constantly under repairs.
Start of the line
The Pure 42 DS is the first of a whole product line Pure Yachts plans to go to market with. Why the 42 first? Matthias says that a bigger part of potential customer´s inquiries are asking for this size of boat. Secondly, a thorough market research made it clear by numbers that a vast majority of people seeking a go-anywhere yacht in the upper price segment wants their boat in a deck saloon configuration.
Being an owner of a 50-footer Berckemeyer himself he would have love to start the Pure-line with a derivate in that size. But, as he emphasises, people in this boat size are very „special“ in their nees and demands. To start a semi-custom line, the much more affordable 40 foot-range appeared much more realistic. And so the decision was made to start with the 42 DS. The yacht just entered production a few days ago and I am pleased to be invited to check building progress soon.
For now I roam the empty hull and try to imagine how this boat will be looking like in a few months. Matthias and his team of skilled boatbuilders are planning to reveal the 42 DS with 3 meter (!) big scale models during upcoming Boot Duesseldorf in January 2025 and have the boat in the water by spring. The first official boat show will be ancora Yachtfestival in my old home marina in coming May – so get ready to book your ticket for a flight to Hamburg in a few months!
For now I am pleased to see this yacht becoming reality. After the walkthrough of the new Pure workshop we drive a few minutes to visit Matthias´ own yacht, BM 49 GORRE, moored in Kiel as well. When I first met this boat, she was in approximately the same state of construction. Now she is floating and sailing. So buckle up for the next article, a complete walkaround and walkthrough of this wonderful performance cruiser! And believe me, she definitely is worth a place on top of your „Dear Santa“-list!
You as well might find these connected articles interesting:
At the Pure Yachts shipyard in Kiel
A marvel in the making: BM 49
Sailing with Martin Menzner aboard PIKE