37' Double-Ended Nielsen/Walsted Sloop (1968) - SNOW STAR
Owner’s Description
Snow Star is a transitional boat. It was built late in the CCA racing rule era. Thus a long boom, relative short rig and fore triangle. It was built for ease of handling and cruising, with greater than average tankage, horsepower and amenities.
She benefited from an excellent and innovative designer who was willing to try modern (for the time) materials for her construction. She is double planked with epoxy between the planks which gives her fine and fare topsides. Her frames are laminated white oak and fastened with copper rivets. Decks are fiberglass over plywood with a two part polyurethane paint finish. There is a generous use of marine plywood throughout the boat. The aluminum mast was in the original design. The above construction techniques are evolutionary in yacht design/construction and have kept maintaining the boat reasonable.
Snow Star could be called a precursor to a cold molded boat as the extreme bends in her stern sections are triple planked, again with epoxy.
Snow Star has been in the same family for 48 of her 55 years afloat. A well kept secret. She has cruised long and far, crossed oceans, (25 days at sea) raced to Bermuda three times, won a fair share of silverware on the local race courses and has been recognized at the concourse d’elegance at Mystic Seaport’s WoodenBoat Show.
There are 2 beautiful Nielsen design touches. The wheel is forward in the cockpit to allow the helmsman some protection behind the dodger. There is a single big winch aft of the cockpit on the centerline. This makes shorthanded tacking very simple because the sheet to be released is in the same place as the sheet to be hauled. It seems that Aage was the only one to do this. This is boat is a work of art.
Love that storm trisail! Remember the occasion? Snowstar was Greg Wells’ boat before your Dad got her? And then it was out of the family for a few years after he quit sailing? That Danish epoxy must have predated the Gougeon Bros!!
Glad to hear you got through that treatment and have had good followup reports. Stay strong, p
Perfection, in elegant simplicity
There are 2 beautiful Nielsen design touches. The wheel is forward in the cockpit to allow the helmsman some protection behind the dodger. There is a single big winch aft of the cockpit on the centerline. This makes shorthanded tacking very simple because the sheet to be released is in the same place as the sheet to be hauled. It seems that Aage was the only one to do this. This is boat is a work of art.
Love that storm trisail! Remember the occasion? Snowstar was Greg Wells’ boat before your Dad got her? And then it was out of the family for a few years after he quit sailing? That Danish epoxy must have predated the Gougeon Bros!!
Glad to hear you got through that treatment and have had good followup reports. Stay strong, p