The story of Pionier — a Waarschip 740 built from a kit, shaped by learning, patience, and the irresistible urge to go sailing.

The story of Pionier, a Waarschip 740

In July 1980 I bought the kit version of a Waarschip 740, hull number 8. Delivery followed at the end of that same year. These kits were produced in a small village in the far north of the Netherlands called ″'t Waar″. The package consisted of a bare wooden hull, roughly pre-sawn Bruynzeel marine plywood panels, all mahogany profiles, West System epoxy, paint, a cast-iron keel and the basic hardware. The boat was even advertised as being made of ″synthetic wood″!

For the construction I was able to use the workshop of a friend. In that same space he was building a 33-foot Van de Stadt design, the Pionier 10.

Although I was not particularly clumsy, I had no idea whether boatbuilding was something I could really handle. Choosing the kit version felt like a sensible compromise. Starting with nothing but a thick stack of drawings — as my friend did with plans from Van de Stadt Design — was a step too far for me at the time. Besides that, I wanted to go sailing, not spend years building.

In the end the construction took more than three years — or more precisely, three and a half.

It was a busy period: building a boat, starting my career, and falling in love with Monique (ten years later we got married).

All of this took time — far more than my friend expected. He was convinced I could finish the boat within a year. Apart from breaking out the workshop doorway (his boat was too wide to pass through), my unfinished hull blocked the exit. Eventually I had to move to a yard near the river Eem, where I finally completed PIONIER.

The name turned out to be fitting. The project started in the shadow of the Pionier 10, and everything felt like pioneering. “Pionier” is, after all, the Dutch equivalent of “pioneer”.

By the way, forty years later (in 2019) this wooden beauty of my friend († RIP) is still going strong, now sailed by his son and being prepared for a single-handed circumnavigation of the world. (Go Herman!)

The first major task was sealing the exterior with West System epoxy and painting. At this stage it was easy to keep the hull upside down until the painting was finished. After that, with the help of friends, we turned her over. Once the interior structure was installed, the hull gained its final rigidity.

Typical features of Waarschip designs — across all models — are the clinker-built, multi-chine plywood hull and the characteristic external reinforcements on the cabin roof, which are relatively easy to build. Every piece of wood was sealed on both sides with three layers of West System epoxy. For the non-skid deck I chose Treadmaster.

Seagulls screaming, water calling. I’d had enough.

Not all details were finished, but I had to go sailing. I was done with building. Pionier had to sail. We organised a small launch party.

Monique christened the new boat by throwing a bottle of champagne against the keel, which had only just been bolted on. I checked under the floorboards for leaks. Nothing. The boat appeared watertight. Hopefully the still-wet epoxy would also cure underwater.

All guests were invited aboard. The little 24-foot boat sighed deeply under the extra ballast and painfully reminded the builder of his own optimism. Water flooded the floorboards. At first I suspected a practical joke, but within seconds it became clear this was serious.

My pride had to be evacuated quickly. Once the boat floated higher again, the inflow stopped. It soon became clear that I had forgotten to connect the engine exhaust to the transom outlet. My first blemish on a skipper’s soul — corrected quickly, and fortunately not enough to spoil the otherwise enjoyable afternoon with family and friends.

On the left are some photos of our first sailing trips.

Some links about the engine:

And here are two videos from a time when everything was still a bit more manageable.