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Aage - Stevns Klint 1945

Owners
Aage has had relatively few owners, cf. the table below

Note#: Estimates

There are many traces from the brazier aboard Aage- from the boom's gooseneck and the boom-end's roller-reefing fitting, to clamps, and the window frames on the coach roof. He didn't make the Merriman winches but he could have. In a more indirect manner, there are also many traces from the previous owners. Were it not for them, Aage would have deteriorated to a point of no return.

Aage has, to begin with, been active at the race courses outside of Copenhagen.  We actually have three silver prizes dating back to 1914 races. Today, they are actually mounted, on the inside of the coach roof, where they hung 60 years ago (we can tell by the matching of the dark spots in the wood).

We believe that despite Aage's killer results, he has primarily been used as a leisure craft for the more wealthy part of the population. This has been corroborated by Niels K., son of Niels Peter K. whom we have stumbled upon often in domestic waters. (Aage is quite a "known" boat by many elderly people who spent their time at the seaside - we have met quite a few who have told us of the ups and downs of Aage).

Niels was at that time a small kid, who spent all Summer aboard Aage. He has explained how the boat was extensively used as the focal point of activities for the whole family. Niels' story.

Aage originally
Naturally, it is difficult to tell how much of Aage is original. From  a distant look we believe that Aage has kept much of his original appearance:

• The hull is original  –  only the garboards and broads have been replaced
• Coach roof and skylights are original
• Mast and boom fittings and most deck hardware are dating back to the 1930s and 1940s
• Deck and coach roof still comprise of original planking (but since 1970s laid with teak)
• Boom and bowsprit made of the old spar which broke in the 1970s.

Aage’s broken spar was replaced with a pole-like mast which had originally been built as a very heavy duty version of a folk-boat spar. It turned out that it was way too big for this purpose and better suited for Aage (but still much smaller than the earlier 17 meter spar). It was a nice and strong mast but we have never, however, been really content with it due to it being too fragile to be able to withstand the column pressure from 70m2 of sails. The first reef would as a result often be done by pulling down the foresail - inducing a massive weather on the helm.

Therefore we have worked since 1999 to gradually improve the mast's athwart ship support. The mast failed in 2002 (pic) as a result of a deck clamp being torn out (turned out that it had never, for 30 years, been bedded in Sikaflex or the like). See more.

Aage has a  40 years old Marstal E2-engine (14 HP).

Renovation

Aage has most likely only been through one big restoration process (partly due to meticulous owners and partly due to the relatively cold and damp Danish weather). More, smaller restoration must have taken place.

The previous owners did a very massive piece of work in bringing Aage fit to fight after a long spell of continuous deterioration. Allegedly, more than 5,000 hours were spent in this process. Among the major works being accomplished were:

• New keel plank

• New keel bolts

• New floors re-enforced with stainless steel

• Bulwark a la Colin Archer's Lodsskøyte or Redningsskøyte

• New self draining cockpit

• New interiors

• Copper nail (rivets) throughout (leaving the old crying iron nails in hull)

• New lower four planks (garboard, broards, and plank)
   

• New mast (2003)

Aage - Copenhagen 1999

Eriksen & Thomas - what now?