Folkboats

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Vindleka

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I am currently selling my vindo 50 and looking to downsize to a Folkboat. Although I have admired these boats for a long time, I have not looked into them in any great detail before. Having looked at various sites, it seems that the 'Nordic' versions have mainly clinker built wooden hulls and the 'International' versions have fibreglass hulls. Is this correct? Also, it seems there are some wooden, carvel hulls around. Would these be late 'Nordic' or early 'International'?

I think I am looking to buy a Nordic Folkboat. It seems there are different types of wood used according to where the boat was built. Does anyone know the best combination?

Any other advice, useful tips or personal experiences would be much appreciated.
 
If you Google Folkboats you will be inundated with sources of information about the different variations of the design, which vary from the "original" engineless simple clinker built design to GRP versions, "British" folkboats and spin offs such as the International Folkboat. The Associations are a good starting point to find answers to your questions.
 
You are correct that Nordic Folkboat is the full name of the original wooden clinker class. The International Folkboat was an updated design for building in fibreglass sometimes called a Marieholm Folkboat (where they were made) and is a bit bigger. There is also a British Folkboat many of which were made in Germany, and Nordic Folkboats are now made in fibreglass too, along with a lot of builders in different materials who built different cabin and coach roof arrangements and sometimes altered the rig so two folkboats can appear very different above the sheerline.

It is all very confusing but doesn't matter a bit unless you wish to join a one design fleet of course. There is a book - "Dieter Loibner - The Folkboat Story" - but it is american and not very relevant to the uk.

Is that all about as clear as mud then?
 
Mud...

I suppose the only really important question is whether, over time, a particular combination of wood chosen for the construction has proved to be better or worse than any other...
 
Then the answer is almost certainly No. Folkboats are lightly built and were not really designed for long hard lives, so condition will depend very much on use and the way the individual boat has been maintained. There are known weak spots such as cracked ribs, particularly towards the stern. If you are serious about finding out this level of detail, then you need to contact the Associations as there is a wealth of material and expertise available
 
Associations

Thank you for the advice. I have already searched online and read the information available in English, Swedish and American! I have also researched the associations and I am in touch with various people regarding different aspects of Folkboats.

The reason for posting on this forum was to hopefully receive some feedback and make contact with boat owners who have first-hand, personal knowledge of these boats as this kind of information does not seem to be easily available on the official sites.
 
Well, hopefully you will get some response - there are FB owners who post here from time to time.

However, there is often quite a delay, and it helps to keep your thread near the front so the occasional visitor sees it.

There was a "new" FB for sale recently - built over the last 20 years or so by a guy in Sweden - don't have the reference to hand, but both the build and sale were featured in Classic Boat recently.
 
Vindleka said:
Thank you for the advice. I have already searched online and read the information available in English, Swedish and American! I have also researched the associations and I am in touch with various people regarding different aspects of Folkboats.

The reason for posting on this forum was to hopefully receive some feedback and make contact with boat owners who have first-hand, personal knowledge of these boats as this kind of information does not seem to be easily available on the official sites.
Click to expand...

Hi There
I have owned my Folkboat for just over 3 years. She is clinker built, mahogany on oak frames, from a yard called Woodnutts in the Isle of Wight, built in 1948 and still in commission. They sail very well and are admired everywhere you go, but they are pretty cramped below. I think the best advice is to find a good one or be prepared to spend quite a bit of time and/or money on restoration. There are also a lot of folkboat based designs built in GRP such as the Contessa 26 , Invicta and Folksong, worth considering. Happy to try to respond to any more specific questions.
 
Some of the carvel folkboats are made by early strip planking techniques, glued without caulking and edge nailed. Many of those hulls have proved remarkably durable and kept in fair condition can be very low maintenance wooden yachts.
 
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