A historical presentation of Mälaren
This old red boat was first a Göta canal steamer, and her first name was Sätra, built 1914 for Ångfartygs AB Sätra at a shipyard in Sjötorp.
In the 1920’ she was a common sight in many bays along Mälaren, freighting lumber for processing, later also seen in the ports of lake Vänern.
In the mid 20’s she was sold to Ångfartygs AB Helge Göteborg, and journeyed Mälaren to Göta Canal.
She was working all the way through to 1950 when she was bought by the building company Bergendal & Höckert, who used her as a hostel to house construction workers during reconstruction of bridges near Stockholm.
At the end of the 60’s she was in Hässelby port awaiting deconstruction, when the German boat enthusiast Peter Vogel from Heidelberg found her, saved her, then reconstructed her into a youth hostel.
Then she became a youth hostel at the Hammarby lock, until she found her true place at Södermälarstrand kajplats 6, but you can still feel her longing for bigger waters and past times, only rocking like old when the waters of Riddarfjärden is growing strong in rough weather.
A Historical Presentation of Ran Av Stockholm
Ran av Stockholm was constructed in steel by Marinverkstäderna in Karlskrona 1946, as a hydrographic survey ship for Kungliga Sjöverket.
She would remain in the Swedish state’s scientific expeditions until 1981, when she was bought by a private actor but would never make it to civilian traffic.
Ludwig Metz bought her in 2003 as an addition to the then Hostel “Den Röda Båten” and was renovated to host both hostel as hotel guests and has since been rocking gently next to her older sister Mälaren.