Franz Schattauer; Founder Of Sailmaking Shop Loved Sea

From the beginning, Franz Schattauer loved the sea.

Born in the German seaport of Bremerhaven in 1909, Schattauer apprenticed both as a sailmaker and, like his father, as a house painter. Eventually, however, he chose sailmaking.

``He wanted to be around the water,'' said Axel Schattauer, his son.

Franz Schattauer was 80 when he died last week. He had been in and out of the hospital with heart failure and diabetes for the past two years.

Axel Schattauer says his father lived a full life - but not always an easy one. ``No one ever gave him anything,'' he said.

Franz Schattauer was only 2 years old when his mother died. As a result, he spent part of his childhood working on a farm in the German countryside before returning to his hometown by the sea.

In the 1930s, he made 52 round trips across the north Atlantic Ocean as a crew member on the ocean liner Bremer. Later, he was drafted into the German navy and served as a navigator on a U-boat during World War II. In 1940, he passed a three-day test to earn the title of master sailmaker.

But Schattauer kept bumping into obstacles on the way to opening his own sail loft in Germany. By 1953, he had grown so frustrated that he took out a ``position wanted'' ad in a U.S. magazine.

Before long, Schattauer headed to California with visions of white sand beaches, palm trees and endless opportunity. Four years later, his employer decided to retire from the sailmaking business. Schattauer didn't have enough money to take over the business, so he packed his bags and, this time, headed north to Seattle.

Within two years, Schattauer's future grew cloudy again. His employer was experiencing hard economic times. ``Dad realized that, if he was going to stay with this work, he was going to have to start his own business,'' said Axel Schattauer.

So Schattauer opened a loft in the Magnolia area in 1959. Seven years later, he moved the operation, still known as Schattauer Sails, to its current location in Ballard.

Stitching together sails for large cruising boats, the company prospered. Axel Schattauer, who operates the business today with his brother Frank Schattauer, says his father was a good teacher. He also was a good storyteller.

As they worked in the loft, Schattauer would regale his sons with war stories about refugees fleeing Russian-occupied Baltic states, about U-boats surviving attacks from Russian torpedo planes.

Although he served in the German navy, Schattauer joined a group of U.S. submariners known as The Sharkhunters. A few years ago, he was given a special tour of a Trident submarine at Bangor.

True to form, Schattauer collected a variety of boats. His favorite was a 50-foot Italian boat named Condor.

``He loved wooden boats the most. They're the ones he grew up with,'' said Axel Schattauer.

Franz Schattauer is survived by his wife, Helga, and sons Alex and Frank. He also is survived by Claus Moehlenkamp, a son by a previous marriage. Like Schattauer's other sons, Moehlenkamp, who lives in Germany, is a sailmaker.