[Alberg30] Common Problems
Mary & Bill Mahony
mabwjm at starpower.net
Sun Apr 27 06:28:45 PDT 2003
Tom,
Re your question on the beam, I think Bill Blevins said it better than
I, you'll know it when you see it. Interestingly, "Mary Ann's" mast support
was only braced on one side as well--I guess that must have been an early
fix as Bill indicates. Ours looked fine, until we stepped the mast--once
that load was placed on the beam, we could see the same twisting Bill said
he saw on "Sabrina." We had a second plate added to the forward side of the
beam, and she's fine now. The yard at Zahnizer's checked the chainplate
bolts and confirmed they were original, and several were in fact elongated,
so we had them all done, and for good measure had the plates rebedded as
well. We did have the advantage of having Tom Maroldy checking the boat and
the work every day in his very limited spare time, and sharing info from the
Assoc Maint book with the yard manager...I should mention that's another
sign of just what this Assoc is all about--I never asked Tom to do any of
that--he just took it upon himself, and we will never be able to thank him
enough.
I think the rule of thumb for "new" vs "old" A30s is in the neighborhood
of hull #400--I think the Alberg page calls it at #409, but mentions some
transition boats either side of that number--the very low 400s should put
you in the "new" ballpark.
Thanks for your kind words about the "real" Mary Ann :-). Not only my
wife and sailing buddy, she's my best friend and I can't wait for her to
come home. I share your prayers for all the troops to come home.
Fair winds,
Bill
#276 "Mary Ann"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom DeWitt" <dewitt-t at cmltek.com>
To: "Alberg 30 public list" <public-list at alberg30.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2003 7:36 AM
Subject: RE: [Alberg30] Common Problems
>
> Mike - That's a gracious offer and I might like to take you up on it.
Where
> are you located? Thanks in advance, Tom
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: public-list-bounces at alberg30.org
> [mailto:public-list-bounces at alberg30.org]On Behalf Of Mike Lehman
> Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 10:21 PM
> To: Alberg 30 public list
> Subject: Re: [Alberg30] Common Problems
>
>
> Tom,
>
> If you want to see an example of a new style A30, let me know, I'd be
happy
> to show you "Gilleleje" #505 - she's not for sail!
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mary & Bill Mahony" <mabwjm at starpower.net>
> To: "Alberg 30 public list" <public-list at alberg30.org>
> Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 4:49 PM
> Subject: Re: [Alberg30] Common Problems
>
>
> > 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
> > > http://www.alberg30.org/mailman/listinfo/public-list
> > > To unsubscribe: email to Public-list-request at alberg30.org
> > > Include command "unsubscribe <password>" in subject or body.
> > > Use command "help" for more options.
> >
> > +---------------------------------------------------------------+
> > | 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
> > http://www.alberg30.org/mailman/listinfo/public-list
> > To unsubscribe: email to Public-list-request at alberg30.org
> > Include command "unsubscribe <password>" in subject or body.
> > Use command "help" for more options.
> >
> +---------------------------------------------------------------+
> | 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
> http://www.alberg30.org/mailman/listinfo/public-list
> To unsubscribe: email to Public-list-request at alberg30.org
> Include command "unsubscribe <password>" in subject or body.
> Use command "help" for more options.
>
> +---------------------------------------------------------------+
> | 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
> http://www.alberg30.org/mailman/listinfo/public-list
> To unsubscribe: email to Public-list-request at alberg30.org
> Include command "unsubscribe <password>" in subject or body.
> Use command "help" for more options.
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| 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
http://www.alberg30.org/mailman/listinfo/public-list
To unsubscribe: email to Public-list-request at alberg30.org
Include command "unsubscribe <password>" in subject or body.
Use command "help" for more options.
1051450125.0
More information about the Public-List
mailing list