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Bill:
<BR> I bought my Alberg (# 275) in 1991 and was led to
this particular Alberg after looking at probably a dozen, many of which
smelled of gasoline. Not that a properly-maintained boat with a gas engine
can't be safe, but after 20-30 years metal fuel tanks do deteriorate, as
do Atomic Four engines. Mine had had a Westerbeke diesel installed in l989.
I had a boat earlier with an old Atomic Four and the ignition and other
things were a constant problem. I believe all the original Atomic Four
installations had raw water cooling rather than the more modern heat-exchanger
with fresh water in the engine itself. I had found with the earlier boat
(not an Alberg) that salt water cooling was a problem.
<P> Anyway, I am very happy with the Alberg 30 with the
diesel. I love the boat, which is overbuilt by 1998 standards, which (as
George Dinwiddie says) I like.
<BR> If you buy an Alberg, do join the A-30 Association.
George is your contact for that. The Association has a newsletter, a maintenance
manual, seminars on racing, cruising & maintenance and many summer
events on Chesapeake Bay. Great bunch.
<BR> As to other things to look for: recently owners
found that the thru-hulls needed changing. Not a big thing in cost, but
necessary to look at when hauled out. Some original thru-hulls were not
cast bronze but were brass washers hammered over the end of brass pipe
and one failed a couple of years ago and sank a boat at its mooring. Mine
were that type but had not significantly deteriorated. I replaced them
myself at small cost in time and money. This is the kind of thing the Association
can inform you about.
<BR> Also, my boat, being an early one, 1967, seems to
be made of better resin than more recent fiberglass boats and I have
not had blister problems in the gelcoat. (Blisters should be looked-for
in any fiberglass boat) I find blisters in the <U>paint</U> on haulout,
but not in the <U>gelcoat</U>.
<BR> I assume that the early boats, like mine, not having
the liner, all have masonite cores, which are better than the balsa cored
decks. I strengthened the mast step but have had no other problems attributable
to the basic boat. I did have the exhaust pipe break off at the manifold
but that was the fault of the installer of the diesel who used steel water
pipe instead of bronze. By the time I reached shore the boat was full of
carbon from the exhaust. I piped the cooling water overboard with a lashed-up
hose but could not get the exhaust itself clear of the engine compartment.
Major mess!!
<BR> Incidentally, I just hauled the boat out after 2
1/2 years in salt water and had hardly any barnacles. I hauled out my 16
ft outboard after four months in the water and had only one barnacle and
that was on the depth sounder pickup that had not been painted with bottom
paint. That barnacle was about a half-inch in diameter, so I guess the
paint I am using is pretty effective. I am down Chesapeake Bay about 100
miles south of Annapolis where the water is somewhat more salty that further
up. I will find the paint can and advise what brand it was.
<BR>
- Gordon White</HTML>