Abeking and Rasmussen 50 square meter

50 sqm Bermudian sloop 1938

Before the 1939-45 war, Germany built a large number of yachts for training naval personel. Most were built to the prevailing Meter Rule. There were 4 of the largest, the 100sqm yachts, many of the 50 squares and even more of the smaller 30 squares.

After the war, these yachts were seized as War Reparations and in a major logistical exercise they were returned to UK where they were shared out amongst the services yacht clubs. They were replaced by the Morgan Giles 42’ sloops in the 1950’s and sold off into private ownership.

This is 50 square meter yacht, ex Seetaube, was allocated to Manadon in Plymouth.

She came into the present partnership ownership in 1965. She was sailed with no engine until 1972 when an engine was first installed. She was put ashore for a refit and after 5 years work was relaunched in 1984.
She is still very much in commission and regularly used but the years have taken their toll on the owners more than the yacht and it is time for new ownership.

Length on deck 41’6”
Lwl 30’
Beam 8’ 10”
Draft 5’6”

Approx 7 tons deadweight.

Built by Abeking and Rasmussen, Lemwerder, Germany in 1938 to a design by Henry Rasmussen.

The shape is typical of the period, a sleek, elegant yacht with long fine overhangs.

Planked in 7/8” mahogany, fastened with copper nails and roves to grown oak frames, 3 ¼” x 2 ¼” at 30” centres with 2 x steam bent oak timbers between on an oak back-bone.

External lead ballast keel of approx 3 tons.
Oak floors on the grown oak frames.
Stainless steel straps on the steamed timbers
The original iron strap floors were replaced in the refit with stainless steel and the throat bolts through the oak keel replaced in silicon bronze.
The large ballast keel bolts were drawn, found to be in first class condition and replaced.



The original deck was yacht laid in a hardwood, secret fastened, caulked and payed. The unknown timber is similar to teak but with a slightly different grain.
The oak deck beams and the beam shelf are particularly heavy.
In the refit, the original deck was carefully lifted, machined and turned and relaid on a marine ply sub deck, screwed down from above. The small amount of shortfall was made good with iroko and the occasional boards match in well.
The deck is now yacht laid between varnished coverboards and king plank with varnished margin boards round the coach-roof and cock-pit coamings to produce a most attractive finish.
The toe rail is set clear of the surface to allow rapid freeing of any water on deck.

At the bow she has a twin chain rollers either side of a bronze stemhead fitting under a stainless steel pulpit, a pair of fine bronze fairleads on the toe rail, a massive oak Sampson post stepped through onto the apron, a bronze and teak bar cleat and a bronze mushroom vernt.
The stainless steel forestay deck fitting is set well inboard back from the stem then the windlass, a varnished mahogany fore hatch and the mast stepped through the deck in front of the coach-roof with a fife rail round the mast base.

On the aft deck a central heavy wooden cleat to takes the stern lines with fine bronze fairleads on the taff rail.
Stainless steel pushpit with a varnished seat across it above the twin gas bottles lodged in their mounts on the deck.
Nicely shaped stanchion posts and twin guard wires.
A high stainless steel gantry above the pushpit carries the radar scanner, VHF ariel, GPS ariel and radar reflector.

Coach-roof coamings in varnished mahogany with 3 fixed oval ports each side and a pair of opening bronze ports forward.
Coach-roof deck cleverly domed to keep the coaming profile low while giving head-room below, laid in t&g pine, the original canvas replaced by glass cloth and resin and painted.
Modern campa hatch on the roof. Varnished grab rails each side.
Cabin entrance hatch in a varnished garage.

The cabin coamings extend aft to form the cock-pit coamings.
Self draining cock-pit foot well with seating on the deck level.
Varnished mahogany hatch to the lazarette under the tiller, bronze hinged to the raked bronze rudder stock which emerges through a varnished mahogany support block on deck.




The cock-pit seating meets in a bridge deck across the cabin entrance with sliding hatch and twin, lift-off little louvered doors.

Spray-hood with forward windows on triple stainless steel hoops give excellent protection to the entrance and the cock-pit.

The long coach-roof leaves generous side-decks making for ease of movement around the deck.



Fractional bermudian sloop rig on the original varnished, keel-stepped spruce mast.
Single spreaders with jumper struts above.
The stainless steel rigging has had a program of regular replacement over the years so none believed to be more than 15 years old. Talurit terminals.
Two only chain plates per side, replaced in the refit in heavy stainless steel with the rigging to stainless steel and bronze rigging screws with knuckles.

Single lowers, single intermediates to strut fitting and diamonds around the struts to the mast cap.
Twin side by side fore-stays from the jumper struts to a heavy stainless steel fitting well back on the fore deck, tied through to the inner stem.
Single masthead standing back-stay to the counter.
Runners on bronze levers to the jumper struts.

Varnished boom with original roller reefing goose neck fitting on a mast slide with handy-billy downhaul to tension the mainsail luff.
Now fitted with slab reefing on modern alloy tracks and cheek blocks, the reefing pennants led forward to jammers under the fwd end of the boom.
Tackle outhaul on the clew.
Conventional ram’s horns on the goose neck fitting.
The boom sheets to a track on the aft deck behind the rudder stock on a moveable car.
Double tails led round turning blocks to cleats in the cock-pit well.

Headsail sheets led through blocks on long tracks down each side deck to sheet winches.

Pair of Lewmar 25 2-speed top action winches on stainless steel pedestals against the cock-pit coamings.
Pair of possibly original tufnol halyard winches mounted on fabricated galvanised steel plinths on the mast.
Original galvanised steel captive wire main halyard winch bolted round the mast low down on the fwd face.
Varnished fife rail round the mast base with 6 belay pins takes the halyards.

Spinnaker pole on a slide up the forward face of the mast. The pole stows conveniently down the centre-line to the stem forming a useful hand hold on the fore deck.
Mainsail
Staysail
Light jib
Small jib
Heavy jib – the most frequently used.
New, zip-up, mainsail cover/bag with lazy jacks, makes for easier sail handling.


BMC 1.5l 32hp 4-cylinder diesel engine reconditioned and installed in 1983.
Fresh water cooled with Bowman heat exchanger and bronze belt driven Jabsco circulating pump.
Hurth gear-box.
Centre-line installation under the cock-pit step to stbd off-set feathering prop.
Separate clutch lever + ahead and astern lever + throttle control.
8 gall stainless steel fuel tank under the cock-pit sole. Fuel filler in the after hatch.
2 x 12v batteries, one each side under the fwd ends of the quarter berths.
Belt driven engine alternator.
Shore power connection and battery charger.

4 berths
Fore peak under the fore deck. Stowage bins along the stbd side.
Sea toilet against the bulkhead to port and stainless steel bowl in a surface alongside. Stooping head-room forward but surprisingly spacious.
Mast against the bulkhead.
Stbd side bulkhead doorway through to the saloon cabin.
The original T&G bulkhead replaced in the refit in a ply bulkhead to give added structural rigidity in way of the mast.

Saloon cabin with port and stbd settee berths.
Storage shelves above the berths and stowage below.
Table folds and stows away on the bulkhead.
Side-boards each side. A shelf slides out from under the port sideboard across to the stbd side to make a work surface.
Large chart desk under the side deck aft to stbd.
Galley aft to port under the side deck with gimballed Calor gas B500 2-burner grill and oven cooker. All round fiddle rail.
Stainless steel sink, pumped overboard by manual pump under the galley with a change-over switch to allow bilge pumping instead. Lockers under the deck.
Quarter berth each side.
Engine under a box/step between.

Full head-room all through the cabin, reduced head-room fwd under the fore deck.


Sestral grid compass Fisherman anchor Avon inflatable with oars
Seafarer sounder CQR anchor. 2 fire extinguishers
VHF radio 20thms + 15fthms chain Warps and fenders
Furuno radar 60m approx warp.
Autohelm auto-pilot 24v windlass
Furuno GPS
Navtex.

A tidy yacht with all the appearance of an old friend of these old friends. After 45 years ownership it is finally time to pass her on to a new custodian. This yacht appears all round sound and ready for sea, she is still sailed regularly and only wobbly knees dictate parting with her.