Bestevaer 36
In a world in which yachts are constantly becoming larger, this Dutch brand is bucking the trend, with the smallest-ever model in its 20-year history. It’s intended to offer performance along with shoal draught and the ability to safely dry out on a beach.
These rugged aluminium pilothouse cruisers have always reflected what former professional skipper and renowned naval architect Gerard Dijkstra wants in a boat of his own: a safe, comfortable, and good-looking yacht for unrestricted, short-handed sailing. It has proved to be the perfect formula for a lifetime of ocean sailing, high latitude work and solo racing.
The 36 follows in a similar spirit, but is also intended as a boat in which Dijkstra can spend extended periods in the shallow waters, lakes and coastlines close to home that he has not previously had time to explore in detail.
“The Bestevaer 36 is a high-performance little yacht. It’s a very easy boat to sail and versatile as well,” he says. “It will easily take you around the world but is also ideal for cruising the local wetlands.”
This vessel therefore needed to be a sufficiently compact yacht to easily fit in small harbours and marinas, with the ability to dry out when sailing in the beautiful Wadden Sea nearby. Yet it still retains all the distinctive features of the brand’s larger yachts including aluminium construction, watertight fore and aft bulkheads, plumb bow, practical pilothouse and deep bulwarks.
The two tonne ballasted centreboard provides a generous 2.4m draught when lowered. This is combined with a big rig to give good sailing performance on all points of sail, including close-hauled and light airs. Yet the board retracts fully into the canoe body, reducing draught to only 0.7m and creating a flat surface on which to dry out safely on the hull’s thick bottom plating.
Like the larger Bestevaers, this boat was conceived at the outset to offer crew plenty of protection. In addition to seats each side of the pilothouse, which has a 360˚ view, the coachroof extends over the cockpit, creating a very sheltered area. All lines are led aft for easy singlehanded operation.
Generous beam helps to provide good form stability, as well as increasing accommodation volumes. The interior has a flexible semi-open plan layout, with three different style options.
The first boat, which will be the designer’s own, is currently in build and scheduled for completion this spring. This example is also being used as a case study for a transition towards more sustainable production processes at KM Yachtbuilders. For instance, 70% of the aluminium is recycled, as is the insulation, while environmentally friendly and largely recycled materials are used for the interior. It has a 15kw Oceanvolt electric drive with sufficient battery capacity for four hours of autonomy. This is supplemented with regeneration and a large solar panel array on the pilothouse roof.
A couple of interesting options are offered for sail plans, including a 95% jib on a Hoyt boom, which makes for an enticing combination of very easy handling and excellent sail shape on all points of sail.
To help make up for loss of headsail area a square-top mainsail with 14% more area than the standard pinhead version can be specified.
The standard specification has a very high level of equipment, including the solar panels, electric propulsion package, antifouling wrap and a traditional style floor mounted with a Dickinson Alaska diesel heater.