CLASSIC BOAT OCTOBER 2016 9SIESTA 12-M
INA STEINHUSENby the rule. Would Anker also have built the boat as
light as possible? “We could see from the drawings of
older boats that are fully worked out and more detailed
and of course from the still existing boats that he did
endeavour to go for the minimum weight allowed,”
said Stich. “We have simply followed in his footsteps.
For instance the mast he specifies only weighs 450kg,
which again is the minimum allowed.”
Once the frames are all set up the deckbeams are also
fitted, so showing the full skeleton of the yacht and one
of the most photogenic moments in its existence! The
deckbeams are all laminated Oregon pine. The deck is
made up of three layers. A subdeck of 8mm Khaya,
painted glassy white below deck so it looks like a solid
deck. Then comes 12mm marine plywood. This was
done to ensure 100% water resistance but also so that
the 15mm teak toplayer could be vacuum bagged on.
This gives a total of 37mm, which again is the minimum
thickness required by the Rule. “It looks classic but
through the use of modern materials we have improved
strength and still have the weight desired by the Rule.”
The building method for the hull was defined by
Anker: carvel, single planking. The idea was always to
have varnished topsides but this did not influence the
choice of wood. Planks are glued together giving an
immensely strong and watertight monocoque hull. A
small groove about 2.5mm deep and wide was routed in
the middle of each plank, to stop the epoxy being pushed
out when the planks were pressed against each other and
acting like a spline, once more adding strength.