Dirk Kneulman Sr. was born in 1922 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he grew up learning to build wooden boats.
[6] After only a few years in the business, Ontario Yachts established a reputation for high-quality workmanship and soon Kneulman’s Snipes were sought after by North America’s top one-design racing sailors.
Kneulman accompanied the fleet at these Olympic events as a shipwright on the shore support team, to ensure his boats were properly tuned and repaired.
One of these 5.5 boats, owned by media magnate Ted Turner, won a world championship in 1972.
[6] Starting in the late 1960s, Ontario Yachts gained a reputation as a builder of quality fiberglass production boats.