An IOR classic
SNIFIX DRY was built in 1978 by Abeking & Rasmussen in Lemwerder according to plans by Douglas Peterson. It is recorded in the shipyard's construction number book under number 6372.
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DESIGN and CONSTRUCTION
When Fredi Heins considered to order the new yacht he was in the fortunate position of first having his new yacht designed by his designer of choice and then having it built at the shipyard of his choice. He chose the combination Doug Peterson + A&R. Peterson was one of the most renowned IOR designers at the time and A&R was also the first choice. And it was certainly particularly natural for a client from Bremen to warm to this shipyard on the Weser.
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With regard to the building material, the client decided on aluminum - at that time it was not yet a given for individual buildings; it was still the transition period from wooden to aluminum yacht construction. Even from today's perspective, a wise decision, because the boat is very durable and requires little maintenance in terms of the structure.
The IOR formula was the only relevant measurment in ocean racing at the time. A special feature of the SNIFIX DRY, however, is its design as an IOR 2-ton vessel with centerboard and variable draft of 1.40 / 2.35 meters. HEr owner was not a “maniak” who was exclusively fixated on regattas, but also wanted to use the boat for family cruises in the local tidal and mudflat area. The minimum draft of 1.40 m creates completely different perspectives and possibilities than a fixed keel with a draft of comparable size IOR yachts.
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The term didn't exist at the time, but today SNIFIX DRY would probably be classified as a cruiser racer. This is particularly evident below deck, where the classic mahogany finish is very cozy and quite comfortable.
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By the way, another well-known Bremen sailor liked the boat so much that he had the sister ship "LUMME" built by A&R under the construction number 6375 - but that was it, there are no more copies of our darling.
DATA
The sober data of SNIFIX DRY:
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Length: 13.03 m
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Width: 4.00 m
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Depth: 1.40 m / 2.35 m,
Electro-hydraulic lead sword + hand pump
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Displacement: 10.1 t
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Waterline: 10.50 m
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Rigg: Bergström top rig with two pairs of spreaders,
hydraulic forestay tensioner
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Sails: Furling mainsail "Furlerboom", G1, G2, G3 (S-Jib), G4,
two spinnakers, gennaker, blister, storm jib
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Rating: ORCi + IRC​​
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The narrow stern with a small cockpit and bridge deck as well as a separate steering cockpit, the elegant sloping and sharp bow, as well as the relatively bulbous appearance when viewed from the footbridge with the greatest width below the deck height, and of course the flat superstructure, which results in the fine headroom below deck, are certainly characteristic achieved through the impression of a certain high edge.
However, the somewhat wide and bulky appearance when gazed from a footbridge ("fat Bertha") is deceptive - a bird's eye view shows that SNIFIX has a rather slender crack with a length-to-width ratio of 3.25, especially in comparison to today's designs.
REFIT
The ravages of time also take their toll on first-class ships - renovations are necessary, and moderate modernization is also appropriate if the boat is not only maintained as a museum.
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SNIFIX DRY was subject to a comprehensive refit by the first owner in 2004-2006, including changes that would allow him and his wife to sail SNIFIX with a small crew even in their advanced years. The "Furlerboom" roller mainsail system was also added to the deck, and the classic individual halyard winches on the saloon deck were replaced by halyards and stretchers with lever clamps and two electric 44 mm halyard winches that were redirected towards the cockpit. Some purists may turn up their noses at this - but it is important to remember that SNIFIX is not a museum ship, but is still used extensively and should be manageable even for a small crew. Since Fredi Heins stuck to the classic non-rollable headsails for good reason, the step to the furling mainsail and the remote-controlled electric winches was logical and clever, especially since the rig configuration has the "horsepower" in the headsail triangle, so that the helmsman can operate the winches and halyards while the second crew member on the foredeck takes care of the headsails and tames them. Furthermore, SNIFIX received, among many other things, its new paint job, which is still in good shape today, new sails and much more, .
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After we took over SNIFIX from Fredi in 2011, we gradually renewed it in many other areas over the following years and brought it up to the current state of the art:
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new engine Craftsman 42 hp
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new 3-blade rotary wing propeller
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new heating
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new refrigerator
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new steering compass (that was a shame, the old one with external full gimbal was more stylish - but it was difficult to read and Cassens & Plath could no longer repair it....)
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2017 was a sad season for us as Susanne was unable to sail due to an severe ski accident. We left SNIFIX in the hall and did some more extensive work in the summer that we didn't have time for in the winter season. There was a new deck paint job with better insulation of the steel railing supports from the aluminum hull, nicely designed folding spring cleats, an overhaul of the large roller fittings for the genoa sheets (this is typical for a boat of this age: there are hardly any original fittings left - if something needs to be overhauled, craftsmen have to do it ....), and the cahrt plotters on the chart table was renewed (B&G). Additionally a small housing in the control cockpit was installed with a second plotter for the helmsman.
The last major refit measures in 2021 were new laminate sails (Mainsail, G2 and G3) as part of the preparation for the FASTNET RACE, as well as the replacement of some halyards and sheets, and various so-called "small parts", which unfortunately are rarely small at SNIFIX and therefore are usually expensive.
At the same time, in 2020/2021, all the things required to meet the standards for Category 2 offshore regattas according to the OFFSHORE SPECIAL REGULATIONS came on board, namely EPIRB, personal AIS transmitters in the life jackets, active AIS for the ship and a new life raft according to the relevant ones Ocean Requirements.
