A late summer's day in Potsdam. Lake Jungfernsee has a mirror-smooth surface, the picture in it could be the motif of a black and white postcard from days long gone. Villas line the shore, many of them with a jetty; a classic baker's deck is moored dreamily on one. Only the lush green of the wooded shoreline makes it clear: yesterday is today, the picture is real - and alive.
We walk along a footpath along the shore towards the jetty, where the oldie boat, with the name "Hecht" written on the transom, is already covered and made ready to sail across the Jungfernsee and the neighbouring Havel. A sonorous humming surrounds the scene, the running diesel engine spreads a spirit of optimism, and off we go. And if you bring a little imagination with you, you can actually dream yourself back to the time when this vehicle was state of the art on the waters of Berlin.
The pulsating cosmopolitan city of Berlin epitomises the Golden Twenties, that brief period of prosperity between the currency reform and the global economic crisis, that radical upheaval from the last empire to the first republic, those years of social renewal with rare high-frequency developments in art, culture and science.
A time of pleasure - even on the water
After a world war that for the first time also involved the civilian population of the countries involved, this period is not least a phase in which extravagant pleasure is seen as a legitimate purpose in life and everything that serves it has an unreservedly positive connotation among large sections of the population. Society amused itself in cinemas and revues, danced the Charleston and attended sports festivals, leafed through fashion magazines and listened to the sound of shellac records on the gramophone or the radio, which could now be received by detector.
People also enjoy themselves on the water, and the capital is almost completely surrounded by it. If you can afford it, you can cruise the lakes in and around Berlin in a nippy motorboat. Sleek back-deckers with a steep stem and an elegant silhouette that is not dominated by superstructures are in vogue. In the evening, you can take it to a cosy anchorage for a picnic, at the weekend with a paid pilot to fight for silver at motorboat regattas. If it rains, the owner sits in the saloon and the driver stands behind the wheel in an oilskin coat. Fixed windscreens or wheelhouses are therefore not a must.
The "Hecht" - a back deck paradeexample
The "Hecht" is a prime example of this species. It was created in 1928, when nobody realised that the golden age had already reached its zenith. And the "Hecht" also symbolises the pinnacle of the evolution of its species. The hull is solidly and economically constructed from solid shipbuilding steel, the deck is originally made of pine staves, and the reveals and superstructure are made of mahogany. There is a hatch over the foredeck, a skylight over the saloon and a sliding hatch over the companionway. The helm position is completely open, but there is a spacious aft cabin with two berths. The open cockpit is located amidships, under the floor of which the drive is installed, which can be completely exposed in a few simple steps. In front of this, the galley leads into the spacious saloon, at the end of which the wet room with WC is located in the foredeck.
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The interior was built according to the wishes of the owner, a Berlin carpet wholesaler named Max Berke. "The Claus Engelbrecht shipyard produced three hull sizes at the time: 9.5 metres, 10.5 metres and 11.5 metres. And each customer decided how they wanted the hull to be built," recalls Felix Feige, who got to know the "Hecht" and its owner Berke in 1952 when he joined the Motor Yacht Club of Germany, of which Berke was a founding member.
Now Feige sees the forecastle for the first time in many years. With a white bone in its mouth, the boat, which has just been extensively restored by the Potsdam boat builder Alveus, pushes its way under the Glienicke Bridge, bringing back memories for Feige. "Engelbrecht made fore cabin boats and aft cabin boats, each with or without a wheelhouse. They were all unique," says Feige, who attests that the boat builders have restored the "Hecht" to the condition in which it was once launched.
The Mercedes among the propellers
At the time, the "Hecht" was powered by an eight-cylinder Continental, an extremely powerful petrol engine - which was common on sports boats of this type at the time. "I know that the 'Hecht' was fitted with a Zeise propeller, which was the Mercedes of propeller manufacturers. And a three-bladed one at that," says Feige, adding that a Nixe reversing gear was on board.
During the Second World War, the "Hecht", like almost all private motorboats, was requisitioned and used as a patrol boat. Berke subsequently got the forecastle back, however, and by the time he gave it into other hands in the mid-fifties, he had spent almost 30 years of his life on this ship.
Mr and Mrs Schneider from his club take over the "Hecht". They take out a loan for the purchase price of 15,000 Deutschmarks; they dedicate themselves passionately to the ship and build a wheelhouse on it. But their time together on board did not last long. And after two more changes of ownership, the forecastle became the property of the Stumpf couple from Lübeck.
An era began for the boat, during which it was much loved, intensively cared for and sailed a lot. "The Stumpfs had it completely renovated in Köpenick after reunification and went on to win every prize there was to win," says Felix Feige, who became friends with the owners at the time. Long journeys on the inland waters of Europe and regular participation in the relevant classic boat meetings are the reason for the many honours. Feige, who also owned an Engelbrecht backdecker at the time, often joined in the fun.
Engelbrecht was the most renowned shipyard in Berlin
The new start in Köpenick is highly symbolic. The Engelbrecht shipyard, founded in 1890 in Zeuthen, east of Berlin, had been based here since the mid-1920s, and it was here that the "Hecht" was launched. This was the heyday of Berlin's most renowned shipyard. From seaworthy motor yachts and elegant inland cabin cruisers - the so-called limousines - to genuine racing boats and the back deckers somewhere in between, around 1000 sports boats were built here up until 1945, including small and large sailing yachts. But to this day, the name Engelbrecht stands above all for outstanding expertise in propulsion technology - at a time when this was developing rapidly.
The shipyard register provides information about a large number of engines installed and therefore allows conclusions to be drawn about the company's innovative spirit. Well-known names such as Daimler, BMW, Hanomag and Dürkopp appear there, as well as names that are almost forgotten today such as Argus, Körting, Kämper and Breuer. After the war, the shipyard, now run by the sons of Claus Engelbrecht, who died in 1935, was dismantled. The nationally-owned company Yachtwerft Berlin was later established on the site.
Comprehensive restoration with many original parts
Today, the "Hecht" is powered by a 130 hp Lombardini diesel engine. Boat builder Hilmar Dembler-Malik stands at the wooden spoked wheel and holds the self-designed classic-look throttle in his right hand. He slowly turns it until the engine brings the boat up to eight knots at 2000 revolutions. The humming is now an octave higher than at idle on the jetty and so loud that conversation becomes exhausting. The "Hecht" consumes around three litres on this cruise, says Dembler-Malik as he passes the Pfaueninsel. Then the fairway describes a bend. The hydraulic steering system makes it easy to steer the ten-metre-long, five-tonne forecastle. Since the recently completed restoration, the helmsman can once again look out over an unobstructed deck, just as he did when the boat was built.
The diesel engine came on board before the restoration, and various boatbuilding measures had already been carried out earlier, which explains the good condition of the original substance. "The entire inner shell has already been blasted and coated," says Dembler-Malik and reports that it was immaculate when the hull was stripped as part of the restoration.
The Backdecker character
The work at Alveus began with research into the original condition. The boatbuilders managed to obtain photos of the "Hecht" from the early years. "You can see that the beam bay was changed and the freeboard was raised," says Dembler-Malik. This resulted in more space underneath and a secure footing on deck, but also changed the character of the forecastle. "However, as the deck was perfectly fine, we advised the owners to leave it as it was." Only the aft deck needs to be re-covered because it is damaged.
All other work consists of an intensive refurbishment of the old parts and the dismantling of the modifications. Even the original rubbing strake remains on board, although it has to be repaired in many places. But "the old oak just looks so much nicer than a new one," says Dembler-Malik, revealing a lot about his philosophy, which has to do with an appreciation of old craftsmanship and the joy of travelling back in time. And this also explains the satisfied smile as the passionate boat builder steers the classic backdecker round the last bend at full speed and once again takes the jetty from the postcard view ahead.
