Hvalsoe 13

In 1981, while still in boat school Eric Hvalsoe was commissioned to design and build a traditional dinghy for oar and sail, producing the first Hvalsoe 13. Eric says, "The 13 is the first boat that I ever officially designed and the second boat that I ever built, the first being a plywood river drift boat for my instructor.  I have been drawing boats all my life." 

For Hvalsoe, a CWB-member and Seattle master boatwright, this 13' lapstrake dinghy is his version of "the great compromise," i.e. a boat that both rows and sails well.  It has fine ends which make it a good rowing boat and enough beam to make it stable under its sprit-sail rig. Construction is lapstrake, Western Red Cedar on White Oak frames with copper clench nail lap fastenings. The stem and transom are Honduras Mahogany, and the keel fir.

The 13 has been commissioned by private clients, and built in workshops at CWB, in Canada, and in Europe.  A handful have been built by homebuilders, usually former students.

HV 13 Facts 

• Minimum Freeboard/Depth: 1 foot 6 inches (0.46 meters)
• Weight of boat without centerboard and trunk: Approx. 130 lbs (59 kg)
• Weight with centerboard and trunk: Approx. 155 pounds (70 kg)
• Spritsail: 65 square feet(6 square meters)