Carl Gustaf Pettersson (1876-1953)
Pettersson is one of the key names in Swedish
yachting history. His breakthrough as a boatbuilder
came in 1904, when he participated in the
international powerboat races during the Kiel regatta
in Class B, “harbour working boats”, i.e. boats with
engines of less than 8hp. The boat he raced he had
designed himself and built with his older brother at
the shipyard where they worked. It was 8m (26.24ft)
long with a 1.27m (4.16m) beam and given the
pugnacious name of Viking. He soon became one of
the most sought-after designers in Sweden and is
regarded as the one person who “got the Swedish
people out on the water”. With around 1,200 yachts
built, he is also considered to be one of the most
productive designers, with craft ranging from
speedboats a few meters long to big motoryachts.Summer days in the Stockholm archipelagoRAKET
LOA
32ft 8in (9.95m)
BEAM
5ft 3in (1.6m)
BUILT
1919, Tysslinge Yard
ENGINE
300hp Chevrolet V8
(original 30hp Buffalo)
DESIGNER
Carl Gustaf PetterssonRAKET
sonically gets a little tiring in the long run, even for
those who like the sound of engines. The plan is to
switch to another engine as soon as possible so she
can run at lower revolutions with a larger
propeller – for the same top speed.
It is possible to sit and drive, but it feels much better
to stand and look over the windshield. Hard to say if it
is the wind in my hair or the feeling in my stomach
that makes the corners of my mouth begin to flutter
near my ears. Rather 25 knots in a rocket than 50 in a
plastic tub! But this is not a boat to cut through tight
bends with. The slender dimensions Pettersson gave
Raket make tight turns at high speed risky and require
the person steering to really hold on to the steering
wheel. And beware, she really heels over a long way in
a turn, which is a little scary. If, however, you lean into
the bend with her, your body weight helps bring her
back over into a distinctly more comfortable and
gentlemanly poise.
After giving myself a new rather windswept
hairstyle and getting my fill of the thrill of driving a
classic boat at such speed, I sink back into saloon
cushions that are upholstered with elk leather and
stuffed with horsehair, recycled from old matresses. Elk
leather is stronger and more durable than other leather
in the harsh northern European climate, while
horsehair was used simply as it is historically correct.
Surrounded by warm mahogany, the smell of fresh
leather and with the stern wave and the oversized
Swedish ensign shooting out behind us, I get a sense of
the satisfaction Mats and Joakim must feel at having
brought this handsome boat back to life.
At this point Raket still lacked about 60 years of her
history, but as we all know, suddenly from somewhere
unexpected, a piece of information often comes
tumbling in. To Mats and Joakim’s delight, after a
magazine article about Raket had been published in a
Swedish magazine, they were contacted by none other
than Carl Wikström’s grandson Eugen. He had many
memories and stories about the boat and also shared a
little treasure trove of old photographs. And the
Wikström family even decided to support Raket’s
upkeep financially. That, as they say, is boats.