15′ Nielsen Custom Sloop (1936)Email This Listing to a Friend

1936 Custom Aage Nielsen Sloop

Aage Nielsen mastered many different styles during his career in yacht design but is perhaps best remembered for the lovely shape of the double-ended hulls he grew up with in Denmark. At 15’ long PRIMROSE is the smallest of his designs of this type; launched in 1936 at the Simms Brothers yard in Dorchester, MA.

When PRIMROSE was designed Nielsen was working for Sparkman & Stephens, and a flyer of the time advertises her as the “Sparkman & Stephens Double-Ender 15” at a new cost of $750 FOB Boston!

Performance and comfort-wise, PRIMROSE is reminiscent of the widely admired Herreshoff 12 1⁄2. Her waterline length is a foot longer than the H-12, and she offers the same feel of sailing a much larger boat. Also like the H-12 and its Joel White–designed cousin the Haven 12 1⁄2, PRIMROSE has an easily handled marconi rig and a cuddy forward for stowage.

Construction is cedar planking over steam bent oak frames fastened with copper rivets and bronze screws. The 600-pound lead ballast keel is fastened to the original oak keel timber with ½” bronze bolts. PRIMROSE received a full restoration at Ballantine Boatworks in Cataumet, MA in 1988, during which all the frames and planking were replaced, as were the deck (plywood/Dynell), cockpit coamings and toe rails (mahogany), and the cockpit seats and sole (teak). The sternpost was replaced with iroko in 2023. The rudder is plywood/epoxy, spars are Sitka spruce, and all hardware is bronze. Sails were made by Roy Downs in 2009 and are in good condition.

PRIMROSE comes with a custom galvanized trailer, a full cockpit cover, and an amazing wealth of historical information, photos, articles, and correspondence. She has been lovingly owned and maintained by the same family for the past 44 years and is now ready to join her next steward.

PRIMROSE Particulars:
LOA 15′ 1″
LWL 13′ 5″
Beam 5′ 6″
Draft 2′ 3″
Sail Area 133 sq ft
Displacement 1,720 lbs
Ballast: 600 lbs.

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