Knarr (type of Yacht)

The Knarr (plural Knarrer) is a Bermuda rigged, long keeled, sailing yacht designed in 1943 by Norwegian Erling L. Kristofersen. Knarrer were traditionally built in wood, with the hull upside down on a fixed frame, then attaching the iron keel after the hull was completed. The hull planks were manufactured with convex and concave edges (bead and cove) and glued together. Since 1973, this design has been built in glass-reinforced plastic with the same weight distribution as the original wooden version.

The Knarr is mostly found in Norway, Denmark and San Francisco. There are some vintage knarrer in Northern Germany, some racing and some just cruised for pleasure, sailing under their historic Scandinavian sail numbers as classics.

In 2010 the International Knarr Championship (IKC) were held at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco. Since 1969, The IKC has been held annually alternating between San Francisco, Copenhagen, Oslo and Bergen. Knarrs are currently built by a boat builder in Germany.