Tips Sail

Dorothee Design 1553

This yacht was designed to the German 12-meter KR rule as a cruiser/racer. She was launched in 1960 from the Yacht-Und Bootswerft Burmester Shipyard of Bremen, Germany. She was designed and built for the owner of the shipyard who used her until his death.

The construction is a little unusual for the period. The boat was built using laminated ring frames where deck frames transitioned to hull frames and floors. To this structure three layers of planking was applied: the first on the diagonal and then two layers of Tabascan mahogany "carvel-planked". Here is the only image I can find of the construction details which shows the "ring" framing.


The boat was heavily campaigned and according to the shipyard "During 5 years she participated in about 35 races in the North Sea and Baltic Sea and won 24 first prizes under the KR rule, 5 first places under the RORC rule and defended successfully 30 championships".

Here are the plans.


Here's a fairly contemporary image, the boat now named Mira II.

Here's a nice detail shot of the deckhouse.