[Alberg30] cost of ownership

William Wallace tristan at one.net
Tue Dec 30 14:04:12 PST 2003 

Now Jim,

Don't you worry about all that stuff : )

We just bought a 1962 Seafarer  Rhodes Meridian, a full keeled small 
cruising boat that looks like it could be a little sister to the 
A30...We paid less than $4,000 for her, which is not bad.  We have an 
inboard diesel (which we still have to bleed and hopefully, start), a 
wooden mast in rough condition that will be repaired or rebuilt over 
the winter, but the rest is pretty seaworthy...Oh, she had water in the 
starboard deck at one time, and someone drilled many holes, got the 
water out, then epoxied over and pulled all the deck fittings, drilled 
and filled with epoxy, then rebed everything.  Her interior needed 
cleaning and repainting, and the cushions need recovering but what the 
heck!

I am convinced the hull is sound, the boom in great shape and the 
original  1962 sails were originally hand made and sewn by Larry 
Sobstad; they were reconditioned in Pennsylvania back in 1998 and still 
look very servicable...we have no cradle, and no trailer, but those are 
things we will still need to buy.

I bought the boat from photographs I found of her at 
Yachtworld.com...When I flew into Tampa, Florida and saw her in person 
for the first time she looked a little rougher than the photos, which I 
found out, were taken almost two years before and the old Florida sun 
can do wonders on a boat left at her dock for two years with NO 
maintenance and TLC, but she is on the mend now.  I sanded her hatch 
and hatchboards, stained and revarnished.  Old Watermark is a happy 
girl on her way back, plus working on her is a good stress reducer!

Lee of this list found his beautiful A-30 Stargazer, for a good deal, 
too and he and his wife have been bringing her back!

Good Luck,

Get some help from A30 sailors in your neck of the woods and be brave!

Scott Wallace, Sailor, Seafarer Rhodes Meridian WATERMARK

On Tuesday, December 30, 2003, at 10:26 AM, Alfredo wrote:

> Jim, the amount of work you invest on any boat is your decision. The
> boat does not need shinny teak and mirror like topside to be enjoyed. A
> good hull,  good standing and running rigging along with decent sails
> is all that is needed. You could surely find a reasonably priced A30
> with most major upgrades already done. Periodic maintenance would be
> required to keep her safe, just as any other boat. To your advantage,
> Maine is loaded with craftsmen that could help guide you trough proper
> maintenance.
>
> The A30 would be a natural in the Penobscot Bay.  The long keel and
> protected rudder would be well suited against the lobster traps.
>
> Where in the mid-coast are you? I lived in Camden,  Northport  and
> Brooks during the early ‘90s.
>
> Cheers,
> Alfredo
>
> --- James Williamson <jamesgordonwilliamson at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Dear folks,
>> A couple of months ago I wrote to Mr. Dinwiddie with questions
>> regarding the
>> Alberg 30.  He kindly suggested that I sign up to the public list,
>> which of
>> course I did (Thanks Mr. Dinwiddie, that was a great suggestion).
>> The
>> letters have been very informative and often times delightfully
>> humorous
>> too.  Well, after having followed this forum for a bit (and with some
>>
>> nervous trepidation) I was hoping that I might ask you folks the same
>>
>> questions.  I'm a former sailor who has been considering getting back
>> into
>> it.  I'm lucky in that I recently moved to mid-coast Maine which is a
>> great
>> place to sail.  The opportunity is hard to pass up if you know what I
>> mean.
>> Anyway, originally I had asked questions about the suitability of the
>> Alberg
>> 30 to do local/medium distance cruising and how it compared to other
>> vintage
>> craft of that era.  It would seem from what I've read that the boat
>> is
>> certainly up to the task but...  My problem with a purchase, like so
>> many
>> folks I suppose, is a shortage of cash.  To be completely honest it
>> wasn't
>> so much that I had fallen in love with the Alberg 30 as it was
>> searching for
>> an "affordable" boat that was designed and built to handle my
>> perceived
>> needs.  The Alberg 30 is beautiful (love those side decks), was
>> designed and
>> built well enough for the task (I think!), but (here we go) because
>> of my
>> lack of experience with older vessels I had no idea that so much was
>> required in a restoration effort.  I've been reading about everything
>> from
>> new seacocks, repowering, new mast compression supports, rewiring,
>> replumbing, to reattaching the deck (very daunting indeed).  I truly
>> mean no
>> offense to those who consider these tasks a labor of love however, by
>> the
>> time one does all of this plus the normal purchases like sails etc.
>> it's
>> possible to have put almost enough into the restoration as the price
>> of a
>> much newer vessel.  Forgive me if I don't seem worthy but could a few
>> folks
>> offer up an opinion on this.  I feel up to the restoration task
>> technically
>> but much over 20k total and I'm simply out of luck.  Factor in the
>> reality
>> that I couldn't spend every weekend sailing, Maine summers don't last
>>
>> forever, and I just can't justify spending more.  Would it be better
>> to
>> charter once or twice a year or could I stay within a budget like
>> that and
>> have a boat that is honestly seaworthy?  Thoughts please.
>>
>> thank you,
>> jim williamson
>>
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>>  +---------------------------------------------------------------+
>>  |                This Old Boat by Don Casey                     |
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 |                This Old Boat by Don Casey                     |
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