Bootsbau an der Küste von Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: zur Entwicklung des maritimen Handwerks seit 1990

Abstract

In contrast to the comparatively slow and politically compulsory "transition" to so-called socialist production and living standards during the 1950s and '60s, the transformation since 1990 in social and economic conditions has occurred very rapidly indeed. On the coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania these recent changes have also been obvious in all sectors of maritime culture, not least in the traditional craft of boatbuilding. Already on the superficial, visual level, for instance, the boatyards can be divided into three basic types: Firstly there are those with old wooden boatbuilding halls that have remained unchanged for around fifty years, with rails leading down the slipway through a large gate to the water. Secondly, there are those that were nationalized and then expanded and modernized with state funds from the mid 1950s onward. The third type is conspicuous for the modern features introduced since 1990 (large halls for lightweight construction, bulwark renewal by means of sheet pile, an absence of slipways and their replacement by modern lifting and transportation technology, paved areas, new jetty facilities with drinking water and electric power connections, as well as - in some cases - expansions that include the boatyard's own marina). The property situation resulted in the biggest changes, because only seven smallish companies survived GDR conditions as private enterprises. The nationalization and/or re-nationalization of the remaining boatyards took place in 1990/91, whereby several master boatbuilders previously employed at these yards decided to risk the partial or full acquisition of one of those up for sale. Other master boatbuilders rented or leased accommodations in order to continue with their craft on a self-employed basis. During the 1990s, declining numbers of orders forced most of the yards specializing in wooden boatbuilding to reduce both personnel and training vacancies sharply, because scarcely any orders were still being received from either professional fishermen or recreational sailors. In contrast to these yards, which still account for the majority (as they always have in the past), the two yards in Greifswald and Lauterbach - mass-scale manufacturers of yachts made of fibreglass-reinforced plastic - have undergone a different development, mainly because of the high demand for these leisure vessels. Since these two boatyards shifted their fibreglass hull production to Poland several years ago, boats and hulls made from fibreglass-reinforced plastic are currently only being built at three locations along the coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. As far as steel boat construction is concerned, naval and administrative boats as well as passenger ships are still calling at their respective specialist yards in Barth, Stralsund and Wolgast (Horn). No more new boats have been built there, however. Apart from boatbuilding, the rest of the services offered by the boatyards are clear indications of recent developments relating to the decline in professional fishing and the considerable increase in recreational sailing. Many master boatbuilders have managed to adjust to this new situation quite rapidly by expanding their boat and engine services, modernizing and extending their water berths, adding additional winter storage facilities both outside and in halls, and introducing modern transportation technology (boat cranes, hydraulic lifting trucks). In summary it can be said that the craft of boatbuilding along the coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania still exists, both in its traditional form (wood) as well as in newer forms (fibreglass-reinforced plastic, steel). As concerns the number of yards and the work most frequently carried out at them, wooden boatbuilding still occupies pride of place, but of course that does not apply to production volume. The latter is clearly being determined by the yards that massproduce sports and leisure vessels with fibreglass-reinforced plastic hulls. Aside from the economic situation currently prevailing in mass-produced fibreglass yachts, the type of work being carried out at boatyards which manufacture wooden vessels is perhaps most worthy of attention: Even though the main activity involves renewal of planks and frames and sometimes the interiors of supplied boat hulls, there is an increasing fondness for restoring or even recostructing "veteran boats" abandoned only a few decades ago. A few former fishing boats at these yards have also been revamped for recreational purposes. In addition, these boatyards are still receiving orders for new boats from professional fishermen who continue to appreciate the advantages of a solidly built wooden boat and its clinker planking.