03/06/2025
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The armchairs
In the mid-1980s, more precisely in 1985, a Swedish man, who had previously ordered several new Hallberg-Rassy yachts, was interested in ordering a 49-footer. But, as he explained to the boatyard, he wanted to replace the saloon sofa on the port side with two armchairs.
The people at the boatyard weren’t particularly fond of the idea and thought it was an odd suggestion. But, since the man was indeed a loyal and long-standing customer, they agreed.
The man had an acquaintance, a furniture dealer, who would supply the wooden frames for the armchairs. The furniture builder didn’t use mahogany, which was used in the boatyard’s interior, but beech, a much brighter type of wood. However, the pieces were stained so hard at the boatyard that the parts almost looked like mahogany. The yacht was completed as the first sailboat ever to be made with armchairs on board.
Later that year, it was time for the yearly floating boat show in Oslo. But the team at the boatyard was facing a problem: all the yachts were occupied, all but one. The strange Swedish 49 with armchairs… Could one possibly display such an odd yacht at a boat show? Or should the Norwegian boat show be skipped this year? This issue was discussed back and forth, and they eventually decided to exhibit the armchair boat. But only because there was no other option available. Needless to say, there was no mention of the armchairs in the marketing material.
As the story goes, the owner lent his boat to the boatyard on the condition that the boatyard would be responsible for sailing the yacht to the boat show and back to the boatyard’s marina, where he was leasing a berth. Despite the Hallberg-Rassy team’s dislike for the armchairs, the crew discovered how comfortable they were on the trip to Oslo! Nevertheless, it was decided to keep a low profile and avoid mentioning the armchairs to anyone.
Once the boat show opened, it became an instant hit. Visitor after visitor sat down and exclaimed,’Wow, I also want armchairs!’
Today, similar solutions can be seen on yachts from boatyards worldwide, but no armchairs are as comfortable as those original ones from Hallberg-Rassy.
This is an extract from the book about Hallberg-Rassy. Buy your copy at https://shop.hallberg-rassy.com/the-story-about-hallberg-rassy.html