Freja

1996 April 5
By Robert H. Perry

Offshore cruiserr

From Sweden comes this design by Gabriel Heyman. Mr. Heyman entered it in the professional category of Britain's Yachting World magazine's recent design competition and won his category. My own Eden 50 design was the runner-up. The competition called for the ideal panel of designers and sailors. How do I feel about being the runner-up? Not too good. I did receive a very nice old-fashioned deck prism with a brass plaque glued to it. It holds down a stack of taxes quite well. Mr. Heyman received some money.

The drawings are beautifully prepared and well-detailed. The hull lines appear to be hand drawn and show a modern shape with the center of buoyancy pulled aft to help sharpen up the entry.

So let's try to forget that this designer just kicked my butt in a design contest and forge ahead with an almost objective review of this nice boat. We had better begin with that transom treatment. It is unusual and the designer claims that it will prevent the stem wave from overtaking the transom and swamping the deck. I doubt it. The great old dead designer Douglas Phillips-Birt once said (something like), "If your transom is 4 feet above the water and you are overtaken by a 6-foot wave, you will get wet." I've heard about almost every conceivable "Moses effect" stem treatments and I still hold with Phillips-Birt's theory. Maybe you just like the look of what the designer calls his "ducktail" transom. I'm not too wild about it, and I pity the poor duck with a tail like that.

The drawings are beautifully prepared and well-detailed. The hull lines appear to be hand drawn and show a modem shape with the center of buoyancy pulled aft to help sharpen up the entry. It reminds me of a Chuck Paine design in its general proportions. I would have preferred to see a vertical rudder stock. The sections are arclike and there is a relatively thick bustle aft to house the prop shaft. I prefer a clean run sans bustle. The D/L is 204 and the L/B is 3.32. It's a shapely hull with moderate proportions.

Freja is rigged as a cutter with the mast well aft. This opens up a large foretriangle and allows both a jib and staysail to be carried together. But, in moving the mast this far aft, you can create a boat with too much weather helm. The headsail is drawn as a high-clawed yankee-type jib, and while these may afford good visibility under the foot, they are not my favorite sail. They put the center of pressure too high. If you insist on sailing with two headsails, you would be better off cutting the jib with a lower foot and shaping it more like a blade-style working iib. The SA/D is 18.2. Note the way the mainsheet is led to a traveler on top of an arch spanning the cockpit.

The interior layout is simple and effective. You know how I feel about big galleys by now and the Freya has a great one with lots of counter space. There is a wet locker just aft of the big nav table. Pilot berths are ignored these days in favor of lockers, but they provide an excellent place to stow our sea bags for quick and easy access during the day. Rather than separating it, the shower space is included in the head area, which is huge. I have found that this layout works better than two inadequate spaces. The forward stateroom will look comfy with its two chairs and centerline double. Note the clever way the designer has notched the diesel cabin heater into the head area. There is a dedicated engine room space aft, giving excellent access to the engine and generator.

This is my first exposure to the work of Mr. Heyman. I would guess by the quality of this design that we will be seeing more of his work very soon. Oh yeah, congratulations on your win, Mr. Heyman.