Hallberg-Rassy

Named after 2 buiders: Harry Hallberg and Christoph Rassy who were never partners and were actually competitors until Hallberg’s retirement in 1972 when Rassy brought the two operations together. Harry Hallberg, (1914-1997) began his boat building career at the age of 14. In the early 1940’s he opened his own yard at Kungsviken on the island of Orust in Sweden. The first boat to be built in a series was the NORDIC FOLKBOAT. He also had good success with the KING’S CRUISER. By 1963, Hallberg had become a pioneer in serial production of fiberglass sailboats. He was the first successful builder of fiberglass hulls with wooden superstructure in a series. Christoph Rassy, originally from Bavaria, also began his boat building career at a relatively young age and had moved to Sweden in 1960. When he finally struck out on his own a few years later, When Hallberg built a new and larger plant at Elios, 10 kilometers to the southwest on the island of Orust, Rassy assumed ownership of old Hallberg yard at Kungsviken. At first, Christoph Rassy also built boats on a one-off basis. The first boat that became part of a series was the RASMUS 35, designed by Olle Enderlein. The first two were built entirely in mahogany and took one year each. This boat was in many ways ahead of its time. It was a pioneer long distance cruiser with a powerful engine and a center cockpit protected by a windshield, a type that had not been seen before and became a signature feature of the brand for many years. In 1972 Rassy also purchased Harry Hallberg’s yard in Ellös when Hallberg finally retired from the business.. The Hallberg yard at the time was also building series production fiberglass sailing yachts even of a similar size and type. It was also larger and far better known at the time, though it became far more so when the 2 names were combined.