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Lövsavs Akademiet
Lövsavs Akademiet
A Danish yacht builder based in Sweden, Bjørn Olsen, built in the 1950s a small sailing yacht with modern shapes and a plywood hull covered with fiberglass for his own needs. The construction turned out to be very successful and appealed to his Swedish friends from Gothenburg.
They founded the association Lövsavs Akademiet (LA), which commissioned Bjørn Olsen to design a slightly larger vessel that would ensure the pleasure and ease of recreational sailing while maintaining the safety to sail in the North Sea.
The name of the association is a linguistic joke that perfectly reflects the neighborly mischief between Danes and Swedes. Lövsavs means saw for wood in Danish, while in Swedish it is a whole set of tools and machines necessary for working with wood.
caption says: it was a bit of a hell machine when it came out.
LA Krydser
LA Krydser
The result of the constructor's work was the project of a 30-foot yacht, which was named LA Krydser (LA Cruiser), which was completed in 1958. The first prototype was fitted with a fin keel, but others received the more traditional long keel. However, the most modern solutions in the 1950s were used - a raised deck and a hull made of waterproof plywood, covered with a thin layer of laminate.
The yachts were built by several shipyards, including Botved Boats, the company employing Bjørn's brother, Knud Olsen (constructor of the popular OK Dinghy), Elvstrøm, Børresen Bådebyggeri and Guldborg Marine.
The construction turned out to be so successful that a total of about 190 copies were made, including a dozen amateur copies called LD Krydser.
The yacht was considered very comfortable, the interior was spacious and well lit, and the nautical properties were very good. In "Sail and Motor Bladet" magazine one could read that a class organization that had been formed for the LA Cruiser, was primarily intended to preserve it as a family boat and counteract that it became a pure racing machine.
The first dozen of yachts went into the hands of the members of the LA association, while the next ones were sold to Denmark, United States, Monaco, Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and England.
On the wave of success, Bjørn Olsen founded the company Olsen Yacht, which designs and manufactures yachts. He has developed many successful designs, some of which share some similarities with LA Krydser, Nimbus 26 and Nimbus 33. His son to this day continues family traditions.
The symbol of the LA Krydser class are three parallel lines representing layered hull structure.
Old Sparrow
Old Sparrow
Our LA Krydser is number 71 and is one of only a dozen of representatives of its class that have survived to this day. There are three yachts of this type in Poland, but unfortunately only ours is currently seaworthy.
The yacht is used for recreational sailing and can be seen in Marina Gdańsk
The hull design has aged very well. Many of the solutions that shocked in the 1950s have become standard now and the LA Krydser line, which was considered too tall and the hull too bulky, seems slender and classic. The use of plywood translates into the need to constantly take care of the varnish and paint, so operation is associated with annual renovations. The interior is ridiculously cramped compared to modern constructions, and the standing height is available only in a small area near the companionway. The engine work culture and moderate steerability at low speeds (the screw behind the rudder blade) also leave a lot to be desired. Still, under sail, the yacht is easy to use, stable, very comfortable and can give a lot of pleasure to both novice sailors and old sea wolves. The cockpit is deep, providing good cover for the crew, while the two stays and plenty of space on the deck allow for a convenient change of sails.
Technical details
Technical details
Type: LA Krydser
Constructor: Bjørn Olsen, 1958
Hull made of waterproof plywood covered with 2-3mm laminate
Guldborg Marine shipyard (Denmark), about 190 were built
Year of construction: 1962
Overall length: 8.90m
The length of the waterline: 7.65m
Width: 2.40m
Sails measuring area: 27 sq m
Sails: storm jib / jib / genoa / mainsail / spinnaker
6/12/22/18/50 sq m
The sails cannot be rolled, but the yacht is equipped with two stays that enable quick change. Reefing the mainsail is possible by winding it on a spindle-shaped boom.
Water tank: 55l
Fuel tank: 55l
Engine: Volvo Penta MD2 (diesel, 2 cylinders)
Sail sign: S-240
Call Sign: SPG4677
MMSI: 261039090
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