Alberg 35?

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:02 am

I've noticed a few which seemed to offer very good value (well-equipped, well-maintained, well-priced). Taking most of the characteristic Alberg features as a given, but doing sort of a "balance sheet" on the rest, some of my thoughts are:
Pros:
- good size vs. Alberg 30 or Vanguard
- yawl rig possible
- seaworthiness
Cons:
- some aspects of build quality (e.g. hull-deck joint, possibly soggy decks)
- deck-stepped mast
- cabin layout

Anyway, my impression is of a boat that "fell between the cracks" - it's not as comfortable or well-built as a Whitby Alberg 37 (one of my favourites), and it's not seen as much better than an Alberg 30 or a Vanguard?

These are the two which "got me thinking" about them: here, and here.

I've never even been aboard one, though, so any thoughts would be interesting to hear. (By the way, my interest is casual - I support two boats already, but you know how the story goes...)

Ric in Richmond · Post by **Ric in Richmond** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 10:05 am

I love mine!!!

Great size, Great looks, Sails just like you'd expect. Happy above 10knots!

Decks are suspect on all Alberg 35's, but aren't all decks at this age?? And I can fix decks.

Post by **Tim** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 10:51 am

The Alberg 35 is Alberg all the way. Narrow beam, slack bilges, flat-ish sheer. She is instantly recognizable. Most Alberg boats sail similarly--that is, very nicely and predictably. I was interested to see the listing for the yawl-rigged A-35; I don't think there are too many of those. I always liked the rounded deadlights, which are slightly different from the typical Triton-esque Pearson deadlights of the day. (Though some A-35s have the Triton type deadlights.)

The A-35 was always one of the boats on my "possibles" list, until I found the Seabreeze that I ultimately bought and which languishes, sadly untouched, in my shop awaiting the major rebuild that she needs. I ended up sold on the Seabreeze because of her outstanding sailing qualities and balance, as well as the beamier hull and shallow draft with rounder sections that provide additional interior space and storage versus the typical Alberg design.

The A-37 is a nice boat as well, and also looks excellent with a yawl rig. (Frankly, I think they look a bit funny as sloops, as if something was forgotten.) The 37 is a pretty narrow, deep boat, with 6' or 6-1/2' draft. I always liked them too, but I like shallow draft when possible. I think my Seabreeze has more usable space than an A-37.

Personally, I don't love Vanguards. I like the A-35 way more. She's not a large 35-footer, but then most of the traditional boats that we like aren't that large for their length. Build quality of the A-35 would be on par with just about any other builder of the day, with the usual potential for problems. Nothing untowards there.

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:32 pm

Thanks for the feedback, nice to know I wasn't barking up the wrong tree!

Re: cabin layout/space, I guess my reservations boil down to the more comfortable galley/dedicated nav station, which seem so nicely worked in on the Alberg 37. I spent a bit of time staring at the diagrams, trying to see if there was a way to accomplish this on the 35, but then I realized "two feet can make a big difference". This is such a common observation it made me feel a bit foolish. :)

Ric in Richmond · Post by **Ric in Richmond** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:03 pm

You will never use an Alberg35 (or any CCA 35 footer) as a floating condo space wise...but it makes a great sailboat. My family (wife and three boys) all fit, but it isn't like we have separate staterooms. It is about as small as I could possibly go and get away with it and about as large as I'd want to sail single/shorthanded.

Not sure you will ever get a dedicated nav station in there. But there is plenty of room as long as you remember we are dealing with a narrow boat.

If you gave up some other space and used it as a couple boat you could redesign it the way you want.

For my type of sailing I would never use a nav station and it would be wasted space. Maybe if I was going to do something other than bay sailing and a little coastal cruising and I had way less faith in GPS. You really going to be plotting noon sites and using a nav station...or you just going to pile stuff on it?

I am always amazed at how much more volume there is packed into modern boats of the same length....and how they just don't look near as nice IMHO...all puffed up and fat. High freeboard, crowned decks, narrow decks with wide houses.

When you sail the Alberg you can reach over and drag you hand in the water. You can walk the deck comfortably since they are wide and have a nice gunwale about 4" tall.

I am also amazed at the bilges in modern boats. ( I mean lack of bilges!!) You pop open a floor board and there is the bottom!!! On my boat you have to have a grabber about 2-3 feet long to reach stuff you drop into the bilge. I have to think you could put 200 gallons in the bilge and none would slosh out on the floor while sailing!

Of course she has some lee way going to weather and she rates 200+ phrf...but give her 15 knots and away we go!

She is just so right. I need to go see her and get my fix!!! Maybe monday.

Come to the souther chesapeake..I'll be glad to show you around on her.

A30_John · Post by **A30_John** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 10:46 pm

Neat post Ric!

I feel much the same way about my A30.. just scaled down for 2 people. ;-)

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:05 pm

Ric in Richmond wrote:Come to the southern chesapeake..I'll be glad to show you around on her.

haha, twist me arm - best offer I've had all day! Ditto for up here, if you ever get a notion.

Ric in Richmond wrote:She is just so right... It is about as small as I could possibly go and get away with it and about as large as I'd want to sail single/shorthanded.

There is so much in what you say that just rings true. When I am sailing, the accommodations really are the least of my concerns: there's always a place to sit, room to put things, a way to get a meal and have a decent berth, etc.. The cabin is more of a refuge, in other words, than a "living space" - that's what goes on up on deck!

Having said that, I have always enjoyed a nav station as a spot to work at, and it is handy. It's also a little hobby when I'm not doing something more useful, looking at arrangements and wondering how could they be just a little bit better.

It certainly wouldn't turn me aside from the primary purpose, which is a good sailing boat, and I think you've answered that one very convincingly!

Edit: Not to mention that it's pretty silly of me to carp about the space in a boat whose dimensions are FAR more generous than the wee ones I currently hunch around in. :)

Post by **Tim** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 9:08 am

Duncan wrote:It's also a little hobby when I'm not doing something more useful, looking at arrangements and wondering how could they be just a little bit better.

That's a worthy and fun hobby. Certainly no production boat comes from the factory optimized for every future owner...or even for any owner period. All interiors are filled with compromises of one sort or another.

I have a problem where I go aboard any other boat--even nice, expensive boats in good condition--and look around and say to myself, "Gee, this would be a nice boat, but I'd have to change this, and add that, and redo this...". I have never been aboard a boat that I felt would suit me without some changes. A person's needs are too individual.

We may look at the interiors as a refuge to be used at night and in poor weather, but that doesn't mean that the interior shouldn't be comfortable and as tailored to our individual needs as possible. There are no right or wrong ways to redo a boat interior, as long as the end result satisfies the owner at the time. Certainly a layout optimized for two people can have many more options than a layout that requires 4 or 6 individual berths.

Hence the derelict project boats that I favor. With nothing to start from, I can do whatever I want, right or wrong. Any boat is what you make it--nothing more, nothing less. I'd hate to feel limited to the layouts and concepts that some design team felt was the best choice at that given time. Typically, one can do much better if they're so inclined. And there's always more room to learn and grow, and want to try something different. Sometimes this leads to a different boat, other times it means reconfiguring one thing or another on an existing boat. But I look at boat interiors and systems as non-permanent things that are free to be changed if the need arises.

keelbolts · Post by **keelbolts** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 11:57 pm

Remember, any sailboat design is a compromise. I'm not a yacht designer, but my felling is that, for a given length, there is a trade-off between below deck accomodations and sailing ability. I have yet to sail on a boat that didn't clearly trade comfort underway for comfort at the pier. It's a legitimate trade-off if you spend more time relaxing on board than sailing, and there's nothing wrong with that. I envy my friend's showers and such when we're pierside and they envy my windward ability and light helm under way. Tim, I knew a couple that had a seafoam green Seabreeze that I loved - the boat, not the couple... I look forward to seeing the magic I'm sure you'll work on yours when you get the time.