Maxi 95 was presented in 1974 and manufactured until 1982. It was manufactured by Erje Produkter in Mariestad. In total, around 1,600 copies were produced. Maxi 95 became very popular thanks to its large cockpit and its enormous interior spaces. In 1982, the Maxi 100 was introduced, which is the successor to the Maxi 95.
Maxi 95 has been sold reworked under several names. Maxi 100 and Maxi 100 PS are motorsail variants of Maxi 95.
Production
The Maxi 95 was designed to accommodate a family safely and comfortably and also to sail well, the design realised all three goals. Production started in 1972 and continued into the 1980s with incremental improvements occurring each year. Manufacturing was based on the west coast of Sweden and around Lake Vnern which lies 100 km north east from the city of Gothenburg (additional descriptions can be found in our translation of the original Owners Manual). As fibreglass was a new material for boat construction, the moldings were made much thicker (and stronger) than todays productions. Osmosis is rather unknown to most yachts from that era when extra catalyst was added for extra strength. This means that the 20 year old Maxi boats are still structurally strong and ready to continue. Engines and other accessories may wear out and need replacement but the hulls continue to serve well.
Specifications
Engine
| Inboard alt 1 | Vetus M4.17 | 4 Cylidrar | 42 HK |
| Engine power total 1 | 30.9 KW | ||
| Top speed (engine) | 6-7 kn |
Rig (excl. Sail)
| Mast Height | 11.8 m | Rig | Masthead |
Sail
| The length of the boom | 3400 mm | Jib | 10 m² |
| Genoa I | 29 m² | Genoa II | 19 m² |
| Length of mast body | 10300 mm | Spinnaker | 70 m² |
| Mainsail | 18 m² | Stretch tires to the mast top | 11800 mm |
Hull
| Number manufactured | 1600 | Width | 3.2 m |
| Displacement | 4100 kg | Profound | 1.55 m |
| berths | 7 | Contractor | Pelle Petterson |
| Length in water line (Lvl) | 7.8 m | Length over all (L.ö.a.) | 9.5 m |
| Stretch firsts in tires to front edge mast | 3330 mm | Year | 1974-1983 |
Standard Equipment
| Fuel tank | 61 L | fresh water | 100 L |
Brochure
Maritime Guide
Maxi 95 became a real family winner that was built in over 1,600 copies – and now is fighting for the victory in Gotland Runt.
Av Bengt Jörnstedt
When Pelle Petterson came up with Maxi95, it was both logical and surprising.
The success of the Maxi 77 a couple of years earlier, in 1972, was monumental and one could expect her to be followed by a larger boat. But so much bigger …
Nine and a half meters long, about 32 feet, was a real step up at that time – would the ‘popular’ concept also work in that size and price range? Albin had previously flopped with Singoallan, a ‘big Vega’ who came out of the starting blocks but no more.
But like most things Pelle P touched on, the Maxi 95 was a great success, she would be produced in over 1,600 copies between the years 1974 and 1983.
This is an unusual amount for a 32-footer, possibly an all time high in the size class. The success followed the pattern of the 77 – a spacious boat at a reasonable price – but offered an even greater degree of family friendliness; a solid cockpit with high frames and a fixed table, a corresponding inviting lounge under the deck, and aft over its own cabin.
And in the middle of the glory a steering wheel – the attribute of the big boat feeling. Actually completely unnecessary as a means of control on a, after all, such a small boat. But absolutely necessary to create the cozy cockpit.
Pelle P absorbed the trends that existed at the time. In Finland, around the same time (1975), Hans Groop made a similar Targa 96 according to exactly the same concept, with a large, deep cockpit and aft cabin with an entrance from it. And both have the same type of ‘flushed’ tires. The Laurine diets were the forerunners, and by the end of the 60’s little Ohlson 22 had shown how to easily create an unbeatable volume inside, a solution that Pelle P would apply to all his early Maxi models; they got the Laurin boats’ ‘choice deck’, but more angular. It can be said that the entire tire forms a superstructure – or that a superstructure is missing – when it is flushed and angled almost vertically downwards at the railing before it meets the hull. On the Maxi boats, that edge is masked with the characteristic dark blue (sometimes red) decorative color, and this is where the windows facing the salon are located. If you want volume in a boat – and this is what Pelle P and his partners wanted at all costs, it was a cornerstone of the sales philosophy – then the tire is a given solution. On the 95, there is also a slight hint of a raised superstructure behind the mast.
The Maxi 95 immediately became a big seller. There was no doubt. At the same time, she was not just bought by ‘ordinary’ people. For example, the then Volvo CEO Pehr G Gyllenhammar owned a 95 in the mid-70s and also competed in Gotland Runt with it.
But it is not as a racing sailor Maxi 95 that has made itself known, but as a pure family and holiday boat. And it’s still a much sought after boat.
The engine in the middle
It is an incredible craving for the boats. It is almost a rule that they end up around 350-400 thousand, says Thomas Hedén, 95th owner in Gothenburg.
The higher amount goes back to Maxi 95 owner Arne Bergqvist in Stockholm:
I do not sell her under 400,000, he says firmly.
That is almost double the price compared to the purchase in 1985. But, Arne adds:
… she’s not for sale.
Thomas, who has his boat in Fiskebäckskil, became 95th sailor in the late 90s. Arne, with the boat at Bullandö Marina outside Stockholm, is on his way to his twentieth season in the Maxi 95
It’s a damn well thought out boat. In terms of space, she is the world’s largest 32-footer, says Thomas and points to a large cockpit, large saloon, stern ridge and forepeak – six fixed berths, with the possibility of a seventh.
The cockpit is truly a winner. The edging is unusually high and gives a very cozy feeling. Despite the fixed table, the floor space is well enough to move around. You will probably have to look for a more pleasant cockpit.
No plus but minus; it will be a big step from the benches up on the election deck, from the security in the well up to the high plateau which is as much a canopy as the deck. There is a stainless steel arch along the man train to grip on the road, but up on the deck it can feel a bit hefty. Here you have nothing to stay in until you reach the mitten. This feeling of insecurity is not found on boats with conventional superstructures and clear cut decks. But you get used to it, of course.
The fixed table in the well has a pendang down in the lounge. Because here, in the middle of the boat, is the inboard engine (a Volvo Penta MD 11C or MD 2B). The coffee table sits on top of the hood, and with the side flaps raised, it forms a sturdy and unusually large table.
It’s cool with the engine in the middle, and incredibly practical, you can renovate it on site, says Thomas
You can dance around it, as Arne puts it.
Albin Stratus has a similar location, but otherwise this – strangely enough – is a rare arrangement on sailboats. The engine ends up perfectly in the middle of the boat, accessible for service from all directions. Another advantage is that you get a lot of storage space in the engine’s regular place under the well.
The passage in front goes to the left of the engine / table, on the starboard side is the generous L-shaped sofa. It can be fitted with an extension leaf and function as a (almost) double berth, should a seventh sleeping place now be required.
Normally we are five people when we are out, then it is good with a large salon and large well – there is room! says Thomas.
Arne Bergqvist, on the other hand, often sails alone and can enjoy all the space all by himself. A long line of kerosene lamps helps to create an atmosphere in a cabin that is pleasant from the beginning.
The chapel will be clean, he says.
The interior is built on an extensive plastic module. It is a real standing height under the deck, all the way to the forepeak. There are plenty of storage compartments, cabinets and drawers, and under the floor a fairly deep keel can be used for both storage and slag water.
On previous models of the Maxi 95, the mast support was too weak, some gave way. A new stronger support was developed, and most boats have changed. The visible voice stars do not have their own, continuous connection to the deck mounts and are therefore not a source of leakage. The glove screws on the deck are located in a built-up deck beam in homogeneous plastic, and it is to this that the internal voice irons are connected.
The tire is in sandwich while the hull is in single laminate. The inner module and clad hull sides insulate well from the cold.
Recurring problem? No major. The steering wheel steering mechanism may need to be reviewed, it is the gears that wear (see box). The early 95s have a little less plastic in them, for better or worse, says Arne. With groundings, it can happen, as with many other boat types, that it cracks behind the keel.
The older boats before 1978 float higher, are a little thinner. 300 kilos of plastic were added to make them stronger.
The keel is wrapped in plastic and is available in both iron and lead, it was optional at the time.
Sealing properties
One thing both Thomas and Arne agree on: Maxi 95 is not a light wind boat. This is hardly surprising, she has a clearly low rig with a cross area of about 50 sqm as standard. It is relatively small for a holiday-loaded boat of about 5 tons.
It would like to have upwards of 7-8 meters to be tough, says Thomas.
Arne has an extra large genoa of 36 sqm and gets better speed.
It is quite clear that she is underrigged. But with my 36 sqm ‘super genoa’, which I have on a roll, it is excellent to sail in lower wind speeds around 3-5 m / s. With the cross jib it must blow 7-8 meters, but then it goes all the better. It is strange that she gets so much faster than other boats when it is windy, says Arne.
Good hard wind properties were completely in line with Pelle P’s intentions. Sailing becomes more undramatic with an underrigged boat, in really light winds you can always support the engine. But the stiffness is not just in a low rig and small sail area. Just like the little sister Maxi 77, the 95’s considerable keel weight and design (with bulb) contributes to her carrying her sail surface for a long time. The result is a more family-friendly sailing with less slope and tearing of the large first in high wind strength
I drive full almost constantly, says Thomas.
Arne has the same impression.
It is a rigid boat, you can sail for 10 meters with a full frame. With jib and big, it takes up to a gale before I need to bring in a reef.
There are the upper limits, but as usual it will be easier to handle if you reduce the sail a little earlier than that, even if it is not ‘needed’. Precisely for this reason, Arne has installed a self-tapping jib rail and a detachable cutter bar where he can put a cross jib without having to remove the roller genoa from the regular bow.
One spring I had ten meters in my beak every weekend when I would sail home again. Thought I had to do something about it.
As a family cruiser, the Maxi 95 has clear advantages, and she is highly valued by its owners. There is not much more to be desired here. But she needs a little blowtorch in the stern to get going in light weather, and as usual it is on the sailing side you can do things. With a 95, there is no reason at all to follow the standard measurements and measurement marks on the mast and boom. Talk to your sailmaker about what can be done to increase the surface of the sails. Then the Maxi 95 will be an even better sailboat.
Thomas knows how to fix the 95
For Thomas Hedén in Mölnlycke, the interest in the Maxi 95 has led to a kind of spider-in-the-net position for owners who want to restore and develop their boats. With fairly small funds, you can achieve a lot, he says:
If the stuff is finished and you, for example, have to change a sprayhood and change the decorative edge at the same time, you have a completely new boat.
Thomas himself has a lot of Maxi 95 accessories in stock for sale, and what he does not have he can get. He collaborates with several well-known companies – such as Båtsystem, Nimbus, Asperö, Lidköpings Båtsnickeri and Comstedt – and the range includes everything from decorative stripes and teak in the cockpit to small points and bathing platforms. Or a completely new steering wheel.
I have been involved in developing the steering. The old one had a telex, and over the years some weaknesses have arisen which make the plastic ring gears more brittle and that it cogs over.
The new steering is made by Dutch Stazo for Maxi 95 and fits the boat’s heart shaft with the help of an adapter. It has a bronze gear ring and a stainless steel chain that is connected to stainless steel wires. These go in the envelopes to the quadrant. You do not need to be an expert to install the control, says Thomas.
It was a guy in a panic this summer who bought one from me and assembled it himself. I said he could call if he had a problem, but he did not hear from me. Then I got worried and the next day I called him – then he was already up in Trollhättan on his way into Lake Vänern …
The Maxi 95’s steering wheel is normally 70 cm in diameter, the new one is 90 cm and thus becomes more comfortable to handle.
I am normal size, and here I can really stand. There is a big difference in height, says Thomas.
He takes all teak details from Lidköping’s Boat Carpentry. The teak that is mounted on the benches looks as if it is screwed on strip by strip because it has visible plugs. But these are only for the sake of appearances; you do not screw in the plastic at all, the whole teak part is glued in place in one piece.
You use Sikaflex, it bites something cruel. It requires thorough cleaning and fixing during curing, but it is easy to do, Thomas explains.
Six thousand kronor costs a complete teak set for the cockpit.
Something that wears over the years is the side windows, which are made of acrylic. It is possible to improve the oxide of carpet surfaces with Autosol and polishing, but if you want to change to a completely new kit, it is good to turn to Thomas Hedén (who has templates for all Maxi models). This also applies to the rubber strip that covers the joint between the hull and the deck and which is also a carrier. It takes three men to do the job, says Thomas. It is done on land with a scaffold around the boat; the rubber strip is pulled in one piece around the entire hull and must be stretched about 10 percent to get a shrinkage; it is heated in hot water before installation.
Maxi 95 Photos
Recent Comments