Van de Stadt gave her a long-keel hull with lead ballast. Her dimensions and ratios describe a comparatively heavy, seakindly small cruiser rather than a lightweight racer.
Design and Construction
The Trintella II has a solid-fibreglass hull and deck, a lead keel, and a long-keel configuration. It’s a traditionalist cruising bottom.
Her displacement-length ratio of 309 puts her firmly in the “heavy cruiser” category used by the design data. A ballast ratio of 46 percent and a length-beam ratio of 3.38 give her a stocky, volume-carrying profile rather than the lean wedge of a racing boat.
A motion comfort ratio of 29.4 suggests steady movement, while an immersion rate of about 768 pounds per inch means she sinks appreciably as provisions and cruising gear come aboard. Her capsize screening value is 1.73, a figure that, by the formula alone, would make her admissible for ocean racing. However, a theoretical hull speed of 6.6 knots and 247 square feet of wetted surface point to a comfortable passage-maker first.
Rig and Handling
The Trintella II is a masthead sloop. Her modest sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 19.50 describes a boat set up for control in a breeze rather than quick acceleration off the line. That also limits her pace in light air.
The standing- and running-rigging dimensions are well documented. Jib and genoa sheets run about 31 feet and call for 1/2-inch line. The mainsheet is a long 77.5-foot run, also using 1/2-inch line. The recommended spinnaker sheet length is 68.2 feet, again with the same diameter.
Draft varies with load from 4.63 to 4.93 feet. That is shallow enough for modest marinas, while the long-keel footprint provides the directional stability associated with this configuration under way.
Dimensions and Accommodation
The Trintella II measures 31 feet overall, with a 24-foot waterline and a beam of 9.18 feet. These dimensions gave van de Stadt a compact but not pinched platform.
The available material provides no details of the interior arrangement. Builder context identifies her only as an early GRP cruiser from the Anne Wever era, rather than one of the later aluminium or composite lines. Her heavy-cruiser displacement implies stowage and tankage volume suited to coastal and short offshore use rather than weekend racing.
Engines, Refits, and Ownership
The Trintella II may be fitted with an inboard Volvo Penta MD2B diesel engine driving a shaft. Other period diesels may also be found, so anyone considering a particular boat should confirm which engine is installed. The transmission arrangement is shaft drive.
With fewer than 100 built in the mid-1960s, surviving boats are now well into their refit cycles. Spares and comparable sales are scarce, and any purchase depends on the condition of the individual hull rather than on a known class weakness.
The Verdict
The Trintella II is a small, genuinely heavy-displacement Dutch cruiser from van de Stadt’s mid-1960s drawing board. She was built in solid fibreglass and carries a lead long keel.
She isn’t a performance boat by either modern or period standards. Her numbers instead describe a stable, forgiving candidate for coastal and offshore sailing, with enough ballast and beam to carry a cruising load without drama. Ultimately, her condition will depend on the upkeep of the individual hull rather than on known class weaknesses or inherited faults.
Pros
- Solid-fibreglass hull and deck
- Lead long keel
- Heavy-cruiser displacement and 46 percent ballast ratio for steady motion
- Capsize screening value admissible for ocean racing under the formula
- Draft shallow enough for modest marinas
Cons
- Low sail-area-to-displacement ratio limits light-air pace
- Fewer than 100 built, so spares and comparable sales are scarce
- The only documented engine option is a period Volvo Penta MD2B
