[Public-List] Alberg 30 Rudder question ..... purchase considerations

[crufone at comcast.net]

Morning Chris, 

All the metal associated with the A 30 rudder systems was bronze, for all the production years. The head room in liner boats might be a bit less than that for the preliner boats, perhaps less than an inch difference. Don't fret about this too much. Look at several boats to see how they have aged. Then you can get an idea of what a well kept boat looks like and try to find one. Even totally neglected these boats have held up well. Unless you have endless amounts of time to spend and/or enjoy doing a total refit...................it is far better to find a well kept/fitted out boat and spend the additional 5 to 6K than it is to purchase a poor example and spend much more getting her back into shape. 

Trust me, even if you purchase a boat in 'Bristol" condition you will have to spend plenty enough time to keep her that way. The beauty is that you can sail her from the get go.   Most of these boats are 45 years old and they all require attention. My message is basically don't lull yourself into thinking that you are going to save yourself a boat load of money by buying cheap up front. 



Michael