Lennart Silfverin and Mikael Hedberg from Smedjebackens Båtklubb were presented with a medal and diploma at the annual meeting of Kungliga Motorbåt Klubben (KMK) in Stockholm this spring. The honour from Sweden’s Royal Motorboat Club came as the Smedjebacken-based club continues to grow its membership and activity at a time when powerboat sport is losing ground in much of the country.
Silfverin, club chairman, and Hedberg, a board member, following the Stockholm presentation:
It means a lot to receive recognition for the work you do, and the attention is good for the sport.
KMK was founded in 1915 and is the oldest and most prominent motorboat organisation in Sweden. Its annual awards recognise outstanding contributions to the sport. The citation for Smedjebackens Båtklubb reflects the club’s work on youth development, which has placed it at the front of a national conversation about how to secure the next generation of powerboat racers.
A Club Moving in the Right Direction
Smedjebackens Båtklubb operates 500 boat berths across two sites, in Smedjebacken and Söderbärke, and runs the only fuel station along the Strömsholms Canal. The club has strong ties to competitive powerboat sport and counts 580 family memberships. Revenue from café operations, pitch rental and harbour activities has given the club a stable financial base, supporting development that would otherwise be difficult to fund through volunteers alone.
Last season the club made a first in its history, taking on a paid employee. Per Laurentz works part-time on harbour development and visitor services, supported by around 20 regular volunteers.
Laurentz, on his connection to the club:
I think I have been here for 50 years. I have always liked this place.
GT10: Behind the Wheel from Age Six
The club’s youth programme centres on the GT10 class, a standardised entry-level category using 9.9 horsepower engines capable of reaching 20 knots. Smedjebackens Båtklubb was the first club in Sweden to adopt the class and has invested in five club-owned GT10 boats, meaning parents do not need to buy their own craft to get children involved. The minimum age is six.
The description from those at the club:
It is the optimist dinghy of powerboat racing.
During 2025, the club ran several open days on the water, with children navigating a buoy course. Participants came from different parts of Sweden, partly as a result of the club’s appearance at the Allt för sjön trade show. Other clubs across the country have since contacted Smedjebackens Båtklubb requesting visits to help them start their own GT10 programmes.
Silfverin, on the need for the class:
We need drivers so that we can travel around and race in Sweden.
Plans for 2026
The 2026 calendar includes a more structured training schedule for young drivers, school visits to the harbour office over winter to introduce children to GT10, and try-out trips including to Stockholm. The club is also exploring an expansion of the clubhouse to create a dedicated training facility, with an initial approach made to the Swedish Heritage Fund (Allmänna arvsfonden), though the project remains at an early stage.
Summer berth hire, allowing visiting boaters to rent a pitch for a week or two, is a new initiative planned for the season ahead. The club’s location alongside the Strömsholms Canal and a stretch of island-studded waterway is already drawing interest beyond Sweden’s borders. A racing driver from Italy has been in contact about training in the area.
Hedberg, board member:
We recently heard from an Italian driver who wants to train in our waters.
About KMK
Kungliga Motorbåt Klubben (KMK) was founded in 1915 and is Sweden’s Royal Motorboat Club. It promotes motorboat sport and seamanship throughout Sweden and administers the country’s annual motorboat awards programme.
This article is based on original reporting by Viktoria Åkesson Forsman, published in Siljan News.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
