[Alberg30] Common Problems

[Mary & Bill Mahony]

Most of the common problems are covered in the reviews of the boat on the
web site and from reviews in pubs like Practical Sailor.

In the older boats, the mast support beam can weaken, causing a depression
on the cabin top at the mast base, and making it impossible to open and
close the head and locker doors.  Most older boats have been retrofitted
with a "sandwich" of steel or aluminum plates to reinforce the beam--this
fix works quite well.  Another weak spot is the bolts anchoring the
chainplates--the originals were too thin and could distend under prolonged
use/loads.  Retrofitting with sturdier bolts fixes the problem.

I learned a lot from our boats survey--while she surveyed very well, most of
her fittings and wiring were original--old "spigot" style sea cocks, wire
nuts on connections, etc.  Reliable in their day (and truth be told,
probably still reliable), most insurance companies want these things
updated.  Getting these details updated (new seacocks, new push-on
connectors, etc.) were required for our insurance carrier.  We kept our boat
on the hard for about 2 months while the yard guys did a ton of this kind of
work.  Mary Ann and I worked on the interior and on the brightwork--things
that I felt if I screwed up, the boat wouldn't sink ;-).

We also found the kinds of problems you can expect from any boat that's over
30 years old--a couple of our portlights leaked, we had some dry rot on
things like the cockpit locker covers and companionway hatch, etc.  We were
probably fortunate in that our boat had only been in fresh water its whole
life until we came along, so the engine (original Atomic 4) was in good
shape.  I'll probably have it rebuilt at the end of this season, just for
peace of mind.

While we had her on the hard, we just went ahead and updated a lot of other
things.  We replaced the head with a small, manual head, adding a holding
tank under the port v-berth.  We also replaced our main halyard and genoa
winches with modern winches.  "Mary Ann" came with a good sail inventory,
and her working sails are in good shape, so although I planned on replacing
canvas, I haven't had to yet.  Other updates have included a compass, new
radio, GPS, interior lamps and stereo.

Bottom line Tom, the Alberg is a pretty bullet proof boat, and from limited
experience, I'm willing to say the majority have been well cared for--as you
can probably tell from your responses, people fall in love with these boats.
Most of the things I've mentioned here you would probably need to consider
with any old boat purchase.

Here's a tip--pick up a copy of "This Old Boat" (it's referenced on the
homepage, you can find it at Amazon or B&N)--a great insight into the things
to look at in older boats, and also a layman's guide in how to work on a lot
of them yourself.

If you think you're going to be around Solomons, let me know--I'd be happy
to show you around "Mary Ann."

Now we're moving to the next step--trying to get her Captain and Mate up to
the level of readiness she is!! :-)  That's this season's task.

Fair Winds,
Bill
#276 Mary Ann


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom DeWitt" <dewitt-t at cmltek.com>
To: <Public-list at alberg30.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 4:14 PM
Subject: [Alberg30] Common Problems


>
> Are there common problems, specific to A30s, that I should watch for when
I
> shop.
>
> Tom DeWitt
> dewitt-t at cmltek.com
> Voice Mail 240-599-1289
>
> "If I only had the brains...
> the heart...
> the nerve"
> Scare Crow, Tin Man, and Lion
>
>  +---------------------------------------------------------------+
>  |                This Old Boat by Don Casey                     |
>  | http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071579931/alberg30-20 |
>  +---------------------------------------------------------------+
>
> Public-list mailing list -- Public-list at alberg30.org
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 +---------------------------------------------------------------+
 |                This Old Boat by Don Casey                     |
 | http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071579931/alberg30-20 |
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