Design and Construction
The Trintella II's hull and deck are both solid fibreglass, and the keel is lead — a combination that, paired with a long-keel configuration, reads as a traditionalist cruising bottom built with a long keel. Her displacement-length ratio of 309 places her firmly among what the design data calls "heavy cruisers," and a ballast ratio of 46 percent with a length-beam ratio of 3.38 gives the section a stocky, volume-carrying profile rather than a lean racer's wedge. The motion comfort ratio of 29.4 and an immersion rate of about 768 pounds per inch suggest a boat that rides her load steadily and sinks appreciably when provisioned. With a capsize screening value of 1.73, the formula alone would admit her to ocean racing accepted to participate in ocean races, though her 6.6-knot theoretical hull speed and 247-square-foot wetted surface mark her as a comfortable passage-maker first.
Rig and Handling
She is a masthead sloop, and the sail plan's modest sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 19.50 tells the story of a boat tuned for control in a breeze rather than acceleration off the line. 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 at 1/2 inch, and the spinnaker sheets measure 68.2 feet on the same diameter recommended spinnaker sheet length. The long-keel footprint and 4.63-to-4.93-foot draft that varies with load let her tuck into shallow marinas while retaining the directional stability such a keel gives under way.
Accommodations
The available material carries no interior arrangement details for the Trintella II, and the builder context notes only that this is an early GRP cruiser from the Anne Wever era rather than the later aluminum or composite lines. What can be said from the dimensions is that her 31-foot length overall with a 24-foot waterline and 9.18-foot beam gave van de Stadt a compact but not pinched platform, and the heavy-cruiser displacement implies stowage and tankage volume suited to coastal and short offshore use rather than weekend racing.
Refits and Ownership
The Trintella II may be fitted with an inboard Volvo Penta MD2B diesel turning a shaft drive inboard Volvo Penta MD2B diesel engine. Owners shopping a specific hull should confirm which power plant is installed, as the boat could also appear with other period diesels; the shaft-drive transmission is the arrangement. With under 100 built and production in the mid-sixties, surviving examples are now long into their refit cycles, and any purchase hinges on the condition of the individual hull rather than a known class weakness.
The Verdict
The Trintella II is a small, genuinely heavy-displacement Dutch cruiser from van de Stadt's mid-sixties pencil, built in solid fibreglass with a lead long keel. She is not a performance boat by modern or period standards, but her numbers describe a stable, forgiving coastal and offshore candidate with enough ballast and beam to carry a cruising load without drama. The individual hull's upkeep, not inherited faults, decides her condition.
Pros
- Solid fibreglass hull and deck with lead long keel
- Heavy-cruiser displacement and 46% ballast ratio for steady motion
- Capsize screening value admissible for ocean racing under the formula
- Shallow-enough draft to enter modest marinas
Cons
- Low sail-area-to-displacement ratio limits light-air pace
- Fewer than 100 built, so spares and comparable sales are scarce
- Only documented engine option is a period Volvo Penta MD2B
