Rosättra Boatyard believes it has the ideal option for those looking for a modern yacht with long-lasting appeal, the Linjett 39. 

Today’s new designs are invariably variations on a common theme. Happily they tend to sail better than earlier designs, while also offering more accommodation volume. But are other approaches to yacht design viable today?

The Rosättra Boatyard, 90 minutes north of Stockholm, definitely believes there are better options. The firm, which has only had one change of family ownership since it was founded in 1886, introduced the Linjett range of cruiser racers in 1973.

Today it quietly produces 10-15 performance cruisers a year across a three-model range from 34-43ft. The yard also enjoys outstanding customer loyalty, looking after 220 Linjetts every winter – a quarter of all boats built since the range’s inception.

The small production numbers of new yachts means design and tooling costs must be amortised over a long period – each model is expected to remain in production for up to 15 years. Together these factors foster a long-term mindset, and the promise a boat that won’t date as quickly as more mainstream offerings.

A draught of more than 2m and generous ballast make this a stiff boat upwind. Photo: Ludovic Fruchaud

The Linjett 39 is the latest model and, like the rest of the range, was designed in house. From a distance it has echoes of classic early 1990s designs such as Stephen Jones’ excellent Sadler Starlight 39. However closer up, and especially once you start sailing, it’s very clear this is a more contemporary design in many respects, with performance and handling to match.

I have long believed light airs performance is a good test of a thoroughbred design. The Linjett’s hull has plenty of curvature on the fore and aft rocker shape and, without maximum beam carried right aft, can be surprisingly quick in light airs. This translates to less time spent under power, bringing forward the blissful moment when the engine can be switched off.

Rope bin keeps things organised at the helm. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

Immediately after leaving La Rochelle’s Port Des Minimes marina we hoisted the main, deployed the furling nylon cruising gennaker and sailed out of the narrow channel at decent speeds despite having just 7-8 knots true breeze.

The Linjett 39’s Impressive numbers

We headed upwind with the 107% jib and made a useful 4.7 knots boat speed, which reduced to 3.8 when the wind eased to 5 knots. There are not many yachts with displacement close to 9 tonnes that match these numbers.

The test boat was with a gennaker that produced a useful speed boost when reaching in light airs – in 8 knots of true wind we made 6.5 knots boat speed with the true wind just forward of the beam.

Speeds of 5 knots are achievable off the wind in as little as 8 knots of true wind. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

There was a time that the most common way to achieve good light airs performance was to increase the size of the rig, but this inevitably led to a boat that lacked stability and needed reefing early to keep it under easy control.

On the second day of my test we had a solid Force 4 to 5, which gave opportunity to push the boat hard.

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Pushing her limits

Close hauled at an impressively tight 39º true wind angle in 14 knots of breeze we made 6.5 knots of boat speed, still carrying full main and jib and nowhere near being overpowered.

I was then able to test how she handles close to the limit, broad reaching under the cruising gennaker in 16 knots of true wind, clocking 9 knots of boat speed, with the true breeze a little aft of the beam and the apparent well forward.

For Baltic bows-to mooring, a stern anchor is permanently rigged. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

The boat was very powered up at this stage and lacked the rock solid feel in gusts of today’s twin rudder boats that also have full forward sections and therefore extremely high form stability. Nevertheless, it is still much better in this respect than earlier designs, partly thanks to a hefty keel bulb, with ballast ratio a shade over 40 per cent, allied to a deep 2.15m draught.

While there’s space for a removable table, the cockpit feels secure and is narrow enough for easy bracing. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

The powerful 1.85m deep rudder is set well forward, away from disturbed water at the transom. Single rudder yachts tend to offer more feedback than twin rudder designs and this one is no exception, with a positive feel on the helm that builds in a predictable fashion as the rudder becomes progressively loaded.

Even when heavily loaded the rudder retains so much grip that our first few attempts to broach failed. Eventually the blade aerated as the stern lifted on
a bigger wave and the flow stalled. But there was no great flogging or drama – just ease the spinnaker sheet, wait a few seconds for the rudder to regain grip, then bear away and sheet in.

With a single deep rudder well forward, the helm offers good feel and plenty of grip. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

Cockpit benches are close enough to brace your feet even when the boat’s well heeled. This gives a much more solid feeling of safety and security than most of today’s very wide cockpits, yet there’s still space for a removable cockpit table with folding leaves.

Instruments and a small MFD under the spray hood make this a good watch keeping station when the pilot is steering.

A split forepeak keeps sails, fenders and anchor separate. The optional bower anchor stows on a roller in the stem, keeping the deck clear. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

All under control

All control lines are taken along the cockpit coamings to control stations ahead of each wheel, with 10 clutches and two pairs of Anderson winches each side. The latter are manual as standard, but to date every boat has been fitted with at least two electric winches.

Rope bins help keep control lines tidy at the helm. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

The mainsheet is led to a coachroof traveler with all controls led aft, which generally works better than boats where you have to go forward from the helm to the companionway to trim the sail.

Big cockpit lockers are provided under the helm seats, plus liferaft stowage and additional space for a couple of sails or a dinghy in the centre of the cockpit sole. All have neat catches – press a button on the side deck and the lid pops up on a gas strut.

Helm-seat lockers are lined with wood, and bars keep mooring lines and sheets tidy. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

The foredeck sail locker has a separate forward section for warps, fenders and so on, as well as space for a windlass and chain locker for the optional bower anchor.

Light and space

The interior blends solid woodwork with lots of light and space in a semi open-plan layout, which uses double doors to close off the forward cabin when required.

A combination of generous hull windows, two overhead hatches in the saloon and the light oak finish of our test boat make this a very pleasant area in which to spend time and gives it a very contemporary feel.

Coachroof hatches and windows, plus large hull lights, make the accommodation light and well ventilated. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

On descending the companionway there’s a separate shower compartment to starboard, which doubles as a giant stowage space for foul weather gear. It’s an excellent solution, but the downside is that the toilet is forward of the saloon, which is less convenient at sea. There’s also a useful large dry hanging locker forward, opposite the heads.

The saloon has a big folding table offset to port with C-shaped seating around it, plus a straight settee to starboard. Both could make good sea berths. The L-shaped galley at the foot of the companionway has reasonable fixed worktop space, twin sinks, two fridges, four drawers, four big lockers as well as a pan locker and space for bins.

In the three-cabin layout, the starboard compartment is a shower that doubles as a wet locker, but not a heads. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

The substantial stainless steel crash bar doubles as a handhold.The test boat we took out lacked a conventional chart table; instead there’s a small square cabinet with deep fiddles on the top and four large useful drawers, though a common customisation is to have a chart table installed here.

Triple cabin layout

The aft cabins are comfortable, with 130cm-wide double bunks but less volume than other boats of this size. The 50cm-wide space between the aft cabins has shore power chargers, batteries, retractable stern thruster and so on.

Most examples sold to date have the same three-cabin layout as our test boat, although a handful have a two-cabin arrangement, with aft heads and a much larger forecabin with a peninsula bed.

Double aft berths are 130cm wide and comfortable, though the cabins have slightly less volume than modern square-ended boats. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

The boat is constructed using a vinylester and Divinycell foam sandwich, primarily using woven rovings, and is infused in one shot to create a stiff yet light hull structure.

Structural engineering is based on ring frames made of unidirectional rovings, with furniture glued and bonded in place, creating a very stiff structure that’s quiet underway.

The forward heads are athwartships and separate to the aft shower compartment. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

Our test boat was a prototype used as a test bed to trial a variety of new technology, including a Vetus joystick docking system in which the 50hp motor is married to retractable bow and stern thrusters.

It’s a combination that makes for very easy handling in tight spaces – spinning the boat in its own length was easily achieved, for instance. On the downside, however, it adds to the boat’s complexity and is an expensive option.

A V-berth is standard, but the two-cabin version has a larger cabin and island double. Photo: Linjett/Klaus Andrews

Tankage, which is of a reasonable size, is mostly to starboard, although there’s also one water tank in the bow, but the weight of this is offset by both the weight of the galley furniture as well as any provisions.

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