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Yacht Designers Harry Becker | Harry Becker, Yacht Designer |
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Harry Becker was born in Sweden in 1905. In 1909 his father, Emil S Becker, started a small boat yard mostly producing small rowing boats and smaller fishing boats. There was a great interest for sailing in the little town, much due to the naval centre there. One of the local designer was a cornel at the Naval centre who had designed several square meter yachts both for him self and for others. Harry Becker’s father decided to build one of the square meter designs for him self and this was the 30 square meter yacht GERD. Harry spent much of his free time onboard GERD and became a very good sailor. He liked the design much but thought that there were a few things that could be made better. In 1920 Harry Becker designed his first yacht at the age of just 15. It became the 30 square meter yacht GERD II. Much of the design was a copy of the original GERD but it had some changes that Harry had thought of. The designed turned out to be faster and more manageable then the original GERD and Harry Becker won several races in the yacht.The same year, at the age of 15, Harry Becker decided it was time to quite school and instead started working in his father boat yard. One year later Harry Backer designed his very first boat on his very own ideas, GERD III. This yacht turned out to be exceptionally fast and won every race it entered during 1922, until it was finally beaten by a Gustaf Eslander design in the very end of the year. GERD III was followed by a string of “GERD” yachts, each one faster then the earlier. The success of course filled the order books in the small yard that earlier build mostly rowing boats. The building capacity was therefore soon reached and Harry Becker designed boat had to be built by other yards, including the well known “Holms Yacht Yard in Gammleby”. The designed included both smaller 22 square meter boats as well as larger yachts. In 1933 Harry Becker designed his first non square meter yacht, it was the 6mR “X:ET”, this was how ever not a design type that interested Harry Becker very much, he thought that the square meter rule was superior and also cheaper to build and that suited the yards budget much better. One of the most successful square meter yachts ever was the 30sqm “TRE SANG”. She won every race she ever entered until she was eventually sold to UK right before the start of WW2. In 1945 “TRE SANG” was converted in to an ocean racer and was in 1946 named Yacht of the Year due to her success as an ocean racer. The yacht was later sold first to USA and then to Australia. The export of square meter yachts to the USA was also good. In 1938 two 30 square meter yachts where delivered to USA, “RAPID” and “MARIANNE”. Rapid was later sold to South Africa after have win the Lipton Cup twice. During WW2 Harry Becker keep the yard afloat by producing different things for the army and navy, any thing from ammunition boxes to folding boats, but in 1947 the story was over and the Harry Becker owned yard “Rodesunds Batvarv” was declared bankrupt. The same year Harry Becker stared working for his good friend Knud Reimers as the yard manager for his Hastholms Varvet (yard). Harry Becker later registered a new company and again started designing and producing yacht and boats under his own name. In 1992 Harry Becker died, but his yard is still running, now by Tore Becker. Yachts Designed by Harry Becker: Gerd |
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