Pieter van der Aa built the 55′8″ yawl SCARABEE singlehandedly at his shop in The Nertherlands. The yacht is a re-creation of the Sparkman & Stephens yawl AVANTI.
Particulars
- LOA 55′8″
- LWL 40′
- Beam 12′5″
- Draft 7′9″
- Sail area 1,354 sq ft
Pieter van der Aa has a seemingly genetic passion for wood. His great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all worked with the material. As a young boy he spent much time with his father at his factory, which built wooden doors and other components for houses. He also spent time at the small boatyard operated by his uncles, who built lifeboats.
In 1980, when he was 17, Pieter brought this experience together and built his first boat, a plywood canoe. Two years later, he restored a teak sloop under the guidance of his uncles’ yard. Soon afterward he restored a classic 28′ Alan Buchanan–designed East Anglian 28 built in 1963. Through these projects, he developed both skill and a deep understanding of hardwoods. He parlayed all of this into his own business, importing oak from France—mainly in special long sizes commonly used in industrial flooring. After a very successful period, he sold his company in 2009.
By then, he had succumbed to the urge to combine his twin passions for boats and wood—but in a very large way. Rather than continue to turn out, say, a series of small boats or even a modest-sized pocket cruiser, he took on the complete construction, alone, of two significant bluewater yachts designed by the legendary American firm of Sparkman & Stephens (S&S).