alberg sailboats

Carl Alberg (1900-1986)

Alberg's career coincided with the newly developing fiberglass boat-building techniques beginning in the late 1950s, and the founding of Pearson Yachts, one of the pioneers in the field. Thousands of boats designed by Alberg were built by Pearson and others, and most are still sailing to this day. Among his most well-known designs are the Pearson and Aeromarine Triton, Bristol 27, Pearson Ariel, Commander, Ensign, Alberg 30, Alberg 35, Alberg 37 and many of the Cape Dory designs. The vast majority of his designs were built in the US where he spent most of his life. He was adamant about what he considered a good, safe design and resisted the trends toward fin keels, spade rudders and flat bottoms. His designs are typically recognizable, with long, graceful overhangs, low-slung sheerlines, narrow beam and sweeping full keels that are cutaway in the forefoot, designed to the CCA rules of the 1960s. It has been said that Alberg had but one boat design and simply scaled it up or down as needed.

Andrew Vavolitis of Cape Dory Yachts said, "I always asked Carl to design me the beamiest and shallowest boat possible. Then he'd go away, and what he came back with, was what we used. Of course, it was never as beamy, or as shallow, as we liked. He never compromised his design principles." Carl passed away on August 31, 1986 at his home in Marblehead, Massachusetts. His 56 designs resulted in over 10,000 boats. This site is dedicated to Carl Alberg and the graceful, sea-kindly boats the "stubborn Swede" designed, that have brought generations of sailors so much enjoyment.

Carl Alberg's yacht plans and drawings are now owned by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA USA.

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Pretty to look at and tough to boot, this classic cruiser makes a fine family boat

By the time the first Alberg 29 came off the production line, Alberg had designed dozens of successful boats, beginning with Malabar Jr. in 1935. Alberg’s Triton and Sea Sprite, both launched in 1958, were well received and became icons of their era. The still in-demand Alberg 35 followed in 1961.

In partnership with Pearson Yachts, Alberg designed the Ariel 26, the Alberg 30 and the wildly popular Ensign, all in 1962. The Bristol 27, also built by Pearson, arrived in 1966, and then in quick succession the 19-foot Typhoon and the Alberg 37 in 1967, and the Alberg 22 and 23 in 1970. 

With such a sterling track record, almost any boat designed by Alberg received acclaim and acceptance, and the Alberg 29 was no different in 1976.

Nye Yachts built 80 of the rugged sloops between 1976 and 1985. The late Alan Nye Scott was at the time also president of J.J. Taylor, the company responsible for producing the Canadian-made Contessa 26 and Contessa 32. Nye Yachts launched the Alberg 34 in 1985, shortly before the business closed in 1986.

The Alberg 29 has proved its mettle over the years. Gordon Applebee, former owner of the Alberg 29 Long Reach , undertook an extensive refit and in 2012 sailed the boat transatlantic from Canada to Europe in a well-documented voyage. The boat has always exhibited bluewater capability.

Potential buyers often ask what makes the Alberg 29 different from other boats designed by Alberg, particularly the Alberg 30. The answer typically leans toward its shorter overhangs, increased interior volume, a keel-stepped mast, and a more modern look compared to the more traditional Alberg designs that preceded it. 

First Impressions

Sailors fond of boats with graceful overhangs are often quick to recognize the work of Carl Alberg, and the Alberg 29 is no exception. It has all the features a sailor dreaming of coastal cruising or setting out on longer passages might want or need. 

A masthead sloop, the boat looks graceful yet solid, and that’s precisely because it was built for sailing in heavy weather. It appears balanced, with two large portholes on each side of the cabin and three smaller portholes on each side of the coachroof. There’s a sense of composition, style and continuity, unlike some modern yachts, which can resemble a museum of windows. Wheel steering, sensible T-shaped cockpit, bow pulpit, sturdy double lifelines and plenty of grab rails on deck contribute to the boat’s overall sense of capability.  

Construction

The Alberg 29 was built to exacting standards, and the hull, deck and interior exhibit master craftsmanship. The solid hull is hand-laid fiberglass mat and roving, the deck a sandwich of balsa wood between layers of fiberglass. The boat’s lead ballast is encapsulated. Most fittings are stainless or bronze. The joinery and other woodwork below deck are occasionally described by owners as near museum quality.

What to look for

Like any older boat, the Alberg 29 can suffer from deck delamination, mostly due to water infusion at the chainplates or where other deck hardware has been attached. After more than 40 years at sea, the boat’s seacocks and other through-hull fittings are likely in need of replacement. If the caulk has degraded at the deck fittings, it may be time to rebed. 

Some owners contend gelcoat blistering is common, which usually requires deep sanding or peeling and the application of a new barrier coat. Engine problems often depend on how well the previous owner maintained the machinery. Look for worn belts, brittle hoses, oil leaks and clogged filters, all signs pointing to a lack of maintenance.

The boat has wheel steering so its control cable should be inspected for wear.

The Alberg 29 is a masthead sloop with aluminum mast and boom. The T-shaped cockpit is roomy enough for four adults while the helmsman stands aft of the destroyer wheel. 

Double lifelines and a stainless bow pulpit and stern rail suggest safety, as do multiple wooden handrails fastened to the deck. The boat has a cast bronze bow. Cleats and chocks at the bow, amidships and stern are also bronze. The mast and boom are extruded aluminum. The mast is stepped to the keel for strength.

Originally the boats were outfitted with two bronze halyard winches with bronze handles and a pair of two-speed bronze genoa sheet winches. The boat has jib/genoa track and fairleads.

The cockpit shape allows unhampered movement forward by the helmsman when single-handed sailing. The cockpit has large, self-bailing drains and seat locker storage. 

The cabin interior is teak and oak, with a teak-and-holly cabin sole. Cabinetry and joinerwork is of the highest grade. The forward cabin includes a V-berth for two adults, with shelves, drawers and storage in the forepeak. The cabin has a settee and a double berth. Headroom is 6 feet 2 inches. There is no excess of interior volume for storage or daily living despite the manufacturer’s boast to the contrary.

The galley has a stainless sink with freshwater pump, insulated icebox, and a gimbaled stove with oven. There are lots of drawers, cupboards and a dish rack. The boat carries 30 gallons of fresh water.

The head is located to port with a counter sink to starboard, where it shares space with a hanging locker. The amidships shower sump pump was optional.

The original Alberg 29 was fitted with two-cylinder, 15-horsepower inboard Yanmar diesel with reduction gear, water-cooled exhaust, and control panel that is easily accessible from the helm. The engine compartment is large enough to allow servicing. The boat has a 12-gallon fuel tank. The hull speed has been estimated at 6.3 knots. 

The Alberg 29 owners’ association notes the standard design features “a shorter waterline and long counter, which adds speed in both light and heavy air.”  The owners point out the full keel “provides tracking ability and comfort in a seaway, which few other designs can match.”

According to the 1980 sales brochure from Nye Yachts, the Alberg 29 “is a more modern hull with increased stiffness, resulting from firmer bilges, increased beam, and the fact that her fullness is further aft.”

Additionally, “a deeper draft and wider keel lowering the center of the lead ballast by several inches, along with the higher ballast-displacement ration, contribute to the boat’s stability.”

Owners say the bow is finer than on other designs and the keel more cut away, reducing wetting surface. The beamier hull provides comfort in a seaway.

The Alberg 29 is a well-designed, strongly constructed cruising boat that’s rich in craftsmanship and known for its bluewater capabilities.

SAILING’s Value Guide

(5-sailboat rating system)

PRICE:  The price of the Alberg 29 can range from $30,000 in pristine condition to less than $20,000 for an older model in good shape. (3 Sailboats)

DESIGN QUALITY:  Carl Alberg designed this full-keel boat near the end of his illustrious career. Like almost all of Alberg’s boats, it offers an elegant sheer, low coachroof and classic sailplan.  (3 Sailboats)

CONSTRUCTION QUALITY: The Alberg 29s were built by Nye Yachts in Canada. Robustly constructed, they featured hand-laid fiberglass matt and roving throughout the hull, with a laminate design. The mast and boom are extruded aluminum. The mast is stepped to the keel for strength.  (3 Sailboats)

USER-FRIENDLINESS:  Despite the boat’s relatively small size, wheel steering is standard, which many owners contend is a plus when sailing short-handed. Like most Alberg boats, the full-keel hull is designed for a comfortable ride, with a shorter waterline and long counter adding speed in both light and heavy air.  (4 Sailboats)

SAFETY:  Heavy-duty hardware and double lifelines, along with nonskid decks, add to the boat’s sense of topside safety. The beam is wide enough to allow for crew making sail changes, anchoring or performing other foredeck tasks.  (3 Sailboats)

TYPICAL CONDITION:   Although it was a production boat, it was solidly constructed and carefully crafted, which suggests typical condition will be better than other boats of the same vintage.  (3 Sailboats)

REFITTING:  Owners have cut out sections of the deck where moisture was evident. Some rewired the entire boat, addressed engine oil leaks and replaced tired standing rigging.   (3 Sailboats)

SUPPORT: Information and support are available from a website dedicated to the Alberg 29. (www.twentynine.ca). The Great Lakes Alberg Association is also active and there is an annual Alberg Design Rendezvous in the Pacific Northwest.  (2 Sailboats)

AVAILABILITY: Eighty Alberg 29s were built by Nye Yachts between 1976 and 1985. Only three were for sale in the United States in late winter and a few more in Canada. It has been noted Nye Yachts began numbering Alberg 29s by starting at 100, which would be hull No. 1.  (2 Sailboats)

INVESTMENT AND RESALE:   The Alberg 29, perhaps due to trust in the designer and the builder, continues to hold its value and remains in demand long after the last boat came off the production line.  (2 Sailboats)

OVERALL 'SVG' RATING: 3 Sailboats

LOA 29’3”; LWL 22’3”; Beam 9’2”; Draft  4’6” ; Displacement  9,000 lbs.; Ballast 4,000 lbs.; Sail area  416 sq. ft.

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1985 Alberg 37 | Zipporah Deltaville, Virginia, United States

1982 Alberg 18 Friant, California, United States

1982 Alberg 29 Belleville, Ontario, Canada

1968 Alberg 37 Fulton, Mississippi, United States

1966 Alberg 13 Huntsville, Alabama, United States

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• Sailboat Reviews

Alberg 35 Offers Classic Escape

Owners praise eye appeal, solid construction, and low price..

Photos courtesy of Tom Curren

The Alberg 35 dates back to the dawn of big-time fiberglass sailboat building. Its production began in 1961, just a year after Hinckley stopped building production wooden sailboats. Two years earlier, in 1959, Pearson built the first Triton, the boat that was the prototype of the inexpensive, small family, fiberglass cruising sailboat. The Tritons big selling point was a low-maintenance hull that Mom and Pop and the kids didnt have to spend all spring in the boatyard, getting it ready for the summer.

These days-when getting the family sailboat ready in the spring may mean little more than washing and waxing the topsides, plus a quick coat of paint on the bottom-its hard to remember that owning a boat some 30 years ago usually meant work, and a lot of it, or money, and a lot of that, too.

In 1961, Pearson added the 34-foot, 9-inch Alberg 35 to its expanding sailboat line. The Alberg 35 was a fixture in the Pearson line until 1967. In 1968, the boat was replaced by the Shaw-designed Pearson 35, a slightly larger, more modern boat in keeping with the changing demands of the market. During six years of production, more than 250 Alberg 35s were built.

Its very tempting to call every good-looking, successful boat from the 1960s a classic. And the Alberg 35 is no exception. It is good-looking and was successful, so we think it deserves to be called a classic. The boat has a handsome sheer, flattish for her day but old-fashioned and springy compared to current boats. She has a low, rounded cabin trunk with slightly raised doghouse, and just about perfectly balanced long overhangs both forward and aft.

Compared to more modern 35-footers, the Alberg 35 is narrow, short on the waterline, and cramped. Todays typical 35-foot cruiser-racer is at least four feet longer at the waterline and more than a foot wider.

Sailing Performance

The term cruiser-racer was just entering the jargon in 1961. The Pearson sales brochure from 1967 calls the Alberg 35 a proven ocean racer, cruiser. Note the term ocean. The Alberg 35 was the smallest boat in the Pearson line to which that word was attached, unlike many builders who push anything with lifelines and a self-bailing cockpit as a bluewater cruiser.

While the Alberg 35 had moderate success as a racer, the boat was-and still is-a cruising boat. By current standards, the Alberg 35 is a slow boat for her length overall, with a typical U.S. Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) rating of 198. By way of comparison, her replacement, the Pearson 35, rates about 174, and the Ericson 35-2 about 150.

But Alberg 35s take to sea pretty well. The narrow, deep hull form makes for a very good range of positive stability-about 135 degrees-and an easy motion in a seaway. Owners consider the boats speed on par with other boats of similar size and type.

Unlike modern boats with wide beam and firm bilges, the narrow Alberg 35 heels very quickly, despite a 42-percent ballast-to-displacement ratio. But narrow boats sail fairly efficiently at fairly steep heeling angles. A modern boat such as the J/35 sails best upwind in 15 knots of true breeze at a 23-degree angle of heel, while a boat like the Alberg 35 is happy at close to a 30-degree angle in the same conditions. (Bottom line: The cook will insist that you crack off while supper is on the stove.)

With a rudder set well forward, it can take a lot of helm to keep the boat on course when reaching in a breeze. The relatively large, low-aspect ratio mainsail doesn’t help. At the same time, owners report that the boat tracks well, a quality missing in many newer boats.

The Alberg 35 was built both as a sloop and a yawl. Yawls were popular under the Cruising Club of America (CCA) Rule because mizzen and mizzen staysail area was lightly taxed. The yawl is not a bad rig for short-handed cruising, since the mizzen can be used to help balance the boat, and it is particularly useful in anchoring and weighing anchor under sail. From a performance and handling point of view, however, the yawl rig has few if any advantages on a boat this size. We would look for the sloop rig if we were shopping for an Alberg 35.

The mast is stepped on deck, over the doorway to the forward cabin. This requires substantial reinforcement of the bulkhead. Several owners in our survey reported that the coring in the deck under the mast has crushed, allowing the top of the cabin to compress. The problem can be fixed by replacing the core with solid laminate, and re-locating the compression post more directly under the mast. Other owners have also laminated in cross beams beneath the deck to reinforce this area.

Both the sloop and yawl rigs have simple, fairly heavy aluminum masts. A varnished spruce roller-reefing main boom was standard. Wed forget the roller reefing and set the boat up for slab reefing. In our experience, a roller-reefed mainsail is usually so baggy that its useless for upwind sailing.

Several owners in our survey have added bowsprits to their A35s, converting them to cutter rigs with a yankee and staysail. This improves the boats balance, as well as making sail combinations more flexible for cruising.

The cockpit is long and quite large, with plenty of room for daysailing hordes. Cockpit coamings are teak, and really look nice when varnished. The standard tiller takes up a lot of cockpit space, but most boats weve looked at have the optional pedestal wheel steering.

Big port and starboard cockpit lockers have poor locking arrangements, and drain straight to the bilge. Give a lot of thought to what will happen if the boat is pooped by a following sea, then go to work at improving hatch sealing and fastening.

Sail-handling equipment on these boats is likely to be primitive. The old Merriman No. 5 genoa winches and No. 2 mainsheet and jib halyard winches date from the time when trimming and setting sails was expected to be a lot of work. Wed replace them all with modern, powerful, self-tailing winches if anything other than daysailing is contemplated.

Likewise, there was originally no mainsheet traveler. On a narrow boat like this, with the mainsheet led aft, there really isn’t that much advantage to a traveler; it simply operates over too small a range of the booms arc to offer much benefit. If the mainsheet were re-led so that you could put a traveler on the bridgedeck, just in front of the steering pedestal, a traveler would be worthwhile. This, of course, would mean getting rid of the roller-reefing main, but in our opinion, thats a good idea anyway.

Wheel steering was an option, but youll find it on a lot of Alberg 35s-a plus, in our opinion.

Construction Details

Today, many A35s are used for offshore cruising. Plain, rugged construction is one reason why. The hull is a heavy, uncored layup, not particularly stiff or strong for its weight, but easy to repair and relatively foolproof.

Rudder construction is a holdover from the days of wooden boats. It consists of a wooden rudder blade bolted to a heavy bronze rod, formed to the shape of the aft edge of the prop aperture. The rudder of any Alberg 35 should be examined carefully, not because this type of construction is poor, but simply because the rudders are getting old. The rudders may have been damaged in groundings, or the stock bolts may be corroded.

One advantage of rudder construction is that it is very easy to change the rudder design. We suggest getting rid of the original barn-door rudder blade and replacing it with a more modern design with a straight trailing edge and more area near the bottom of the rudder.

This Constellation-type profile became pretty much standard with the last long-keel CCA boats designed before the Intrepid-type skeg and rudder of the late 1960s. The bottom of the new rudder could be angled up slightly to reduce the chance of damage in groundings.

Two aspects of the boats construction have caused some problems for owners. First, the ballast casting is a single chunk of lead which is dropped into the hollow fiberglass keel molding.

Along the bottom of the keel, some boats have a void between the lead casting and the fiberglass shell, making the shell vulnerable to damage in groundings or even when hauling and launching the boat. A surveyor should carefully evaluate this area for voids by sounding with a mallet. Voids can be fairly easily filled by injecting epoxy resin into the cavity.

The other problem could be more difficult to solve. The decks on early fiberglass boats like the A35 were frequently built using edge-grain rather than endgrain balsa wood. Edge-grain lacks the stiffness or compression strength of a modern end-grain balsa sandwich. Flexing of decks cored this way can break the bond between the fiberglass skins and balsa core. If the deck feels mushy, it likely is at least partially delaminated.

Repair-assuming the core is dry-involves drilling an extensive network of holes through the deck skin and core, being careful to reach but not penetrate the inner skin. Epoxy resin is then injected in each hole until it runs out of adjacent holes. The deck should be braced upward from below and weighted down from above until the resin cures.

This method works well with small areas of delamination, but is a tedious job in larger areas. At best, you end up with a deck sandwich that is somewhat stronger than the original that failed. Major refinishing of the deck will then be required. Extensive deck softness is cause for rejecting any boat, regardless of age.

You will find a variety of tankage arrangements in boats of different vintages. According to one owner, early boats have galvanized fuel and water tanks, which will eventually rust through. Another owner had a huge built-in fiberglass fuel tank forward, which developed a leak and was replaced by a monel tank in the same location. Design specifications for late boats in the production run call for an integral, 48-gallon, fiberglass water tank located in the bilge under the main cabin sole, plus a 23-gallon monel fuel tank under the cockpit sole.

The advantage of the monel fuel tank is that it will not have to be replaced if a diesel engine is installed: Simply flush it thoroughly with diesel fuel to remove any traces of gasoline, and youre in business. Monel is absolutely the best material for either fuel or water tanks, but it is prohibitively expensive for most.

Like most sailboats of this vintage, you may find extensive gelcoat crazing and fading on both the hull and deck. This is a cosmetic problem up to the point where crazing allows water to migrate into the laminate, at which time it can become a structural problem. If the gelcoat has begun to buckle and peel, its best to avoid the boat unless youre looking for a boat at a rock-bottom price for offshore sailing. Cosmetic repair of superficial crazing is labor-intensive, involving sanding, multiple coats of high-build epoxy primer, and complete refinishing, preferably with polyurethane. To have this done professionally would be quite expensive.

The deck gear, standing rigging, and spars on these boats are getting old. Many of the boats have high mileage, since a large percentage are used for long-distance offshore cruising. Be prepared to do relatively simple jobs like removing and rebedding stanchions and deck fittings, installing backing plates, and replacing a lot of rigging. Sails more than five years old-other than storm sails that have seen little or no use-are candidates for replacement.

All Alberg 35s were powered by the ubiquitous Atomic Four gasoline engine. If youre thinking about keeping an A35 for five or more years, think about replacing the engine-preferably with a diesel.

Of course, a lot of owners have already retrofitted their boats with diesels, but the installations will obviously vary dramatically in quality.

The pluses and minuses of replacing an old Atomic Four with a diesel are still debated at length online, although the tenor is more subdued these days. Certainly, a boat with a smooth running Atomic Four will serve its owner well, but in our view, the scales are pretty heavily tilted toward a diesel conversion. Finding a boat with a defunct Atomic Four and putting a diesel in it is a sure way to increase the value, although as with most boats of this age-even classics like the Alberg 35-you cannot expect that you will ever get out of the boat what you invest in it financially, should you decide to sell. The big benefits for switching to diesel are safety and the fact that the cruising range under power roughly doubles-a big plus in light-wind areas.

Westerbeke, which bought the Atomic Four line from the original manufacturer, makes three- and four-cylinder replacements. Betamarine advertises itself as the only manufacturer dedicated to supplying diesel engine replacements for the Atomic Four. Whichever replacement you choose, don’t assume a drop-in replacement. You will have to double-check all your measurements. In many cases, an upgrade to diesel from an Atomic Four means youll need to get a new prop as well.

Like most boats with the rudder mounted well forward and the prop fitted in an aperture, the Alberg 35 backs down poorly. This is simply a fact of life, so you have to get used to it. Steering ahead, the boat handles fine. The Atomic Four provides perfectly adequate power for the A35, giving a cruising speed of about 6 knots in calm water.

Because the Alberg 35 is narrow, it will seem cramped to those accustomed to the condo-like interiors of modern 35-footers. The arrangement, though, is pretty good.

Two interiors were built: One is the traditional interior of practically every boat built in the last 50 years, the other is a dinette arrangement, which became popular when people started looking for more workable galleys about 30 years ago. Both boats have large forward cabins with V-berths, a hanging locker, a bureau, and drawers under the berths. This is one reason the boat appeals to a lot of minimum-budget liveaboards. The forward cabin can be a real owners stateroom, even though it lacks a double berth. If you were handy, you could rip out the V-berths and build a good-sized diagonal double along either side of the cabin, building in additional storage opposite. The cabin is large enough that this wouldnt totally destroy standing space.

There are two bronze-framed opening ports and a hatch for ventilation in the forward cabin.

The head is aft of the forward cabin, and runs the full width of the boat-a good arrangement on a boat this narrow. With the doors to the main cabin and forward cabin shut, this creates a head compartment with a lot of elbow room. For daysailing, you only need to shut the door to the main cabin to get privacy-no worse than shutting the head door on any boat.

Ventilation is provided in the head via two opening ports plus a pair of cowl vents in Dorade boxes.

The Alberg 35 was one of the first boats of this size to be built with standard hot and cold, pressurized water, plus a shower. It was a big selling point back then; now it is taken for granted on a 35-foot boat.

The main cabin will have either the conventional arrangement of settee berths on each side with a fold-down table between, or the galley along one side with a U-shaped dinette opposite.

The dinette arrangement is a decidedly mixed blessing. By lowering the dining table, the dinette converts to a double berth. The original stove well in the dinette arrangement was big enough for a three-burner gimballed stove with oven, while the conventional aft galley has the rinky-dink two-burner alcohol stove that was standard equipment on most boats for many years.

With the dinette, there are two quarterberths aft that extend under the cockpit, and they are reasonable sea berths. In the conventional arrangement, you would use the main cabin settees as sea berths, which is also fine.

Quarterberths can be stuffy in tropical climates, and they tend to end up as inefficient catch-all spaces for anything that is too big or awkward to stow in lockers or drawers.

But the aft galley is no prize. The galley counters are quite low due to the boats low freeboard. There is a small single sink, plus the aforementioned instrument of torture in place of a stove, and an icebox whose top must perform double duty as galley work space and a rudimentary chart table. With the dinette arrangement, the dining table will probably double as the nav station, although wed be tempted to sacrifice one of the quarterberths to build in storage space plus a usable, stand-up nav station.

Its no wonder that at least one owner reports tearing out the entire aft galley and starting from scratch.

Ventilation in the main cabin is non-existent, except for the main companionway hatch. Because of the step in the cabin profile, fitting a ventilation hatch over this cabin is tricky, but it can be done.

Interior decor is very period, and the early 1960s were perhaps the nadir of interior design in sailboats. Low maintenance fever was at its peak, and wood-grain plastic laminate ran rampant.

Fortunately, this is nothing that a little painting can’t cure, or if youre really handy, you can laminate nice, clean, solid-color Formica over the old stuff on the counters and bulkheads, then varnish the wood trim. The improvement in interior appearance and apparent space would be amazing.

Conclusions

Weve presented a pretty intimidating list of drawbacks to the Alberg 35. Now lets look at the positive side. This is a sturdy, ruggedly built boat whose design and construction are suited for serious offshore sailing, with the caveat that you go through the boat from one end to the other, replacing every piece of gear thats tired, and reinforcing and repairing as necessary.

There are not too many boats that you can buy for this kind of money and then head off to Tahiti in reasonable security.

Built without the full-length molded fiberglass pans and liners that interfere with even modest modification, the Alberg 35 is stick built-a tinkerers dream. You may not be ready to build a boat from scratch, but you can do modifications on the Alberg 35 to your hearts content without going broke or destroying your investment.

The boat is really good-looking, especially compared to a lot of modern, high-sided tubs. If youre a fanatic, you can clean up, paint, and refinish the boat to look almost as good as a Hinckley Pilot-almost.

Some Alberg 35s have been meticulously maintained, and are in beautiful condition. Others have been beat to pieces by owners going cruising on the cheap. Wed look for a nice one, or one that had only cosmetic problems. The trick is figuring out which problems are only cosmetic.

A liveaboard couple can be comfortable on this boat, having much more elbow room than on a smaller modern live aboard cruiser for which youd pay more money.

You want a decent-sized boat for serious cruising, while spending about the same money as you would for a newer 27-footer? Consider the Alberg 35. Buy it, and be off for warmer places.

• Alberg Owners Love Their A35s, Warts and All

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• Sailboat Guide

1965 30' Alberg 30

• Description

Seller's Description

Alberg 30 built in 1965 with hull/sail number 65.

Length (LOA) is 30 feet, with waterline length (LWL) 21’8”. Beam is 8’9”. Its a full-keel boat with draft of 4’3”, ballast of 3,300 lbs, and displacement of 9,000 lbs.

Aside from mainsail there is a 170 (No.1) Genoa, 140 (No. 2) Genoa, a working jib, and a spinnaker. In very high winds, the Alberg 30 is a champ sailing with headsail only.

Canvas, aside from mainsail cover, includes dodger onboard in cabin storage compartment with awning extension, custom-made windscoop for forward hatch, and a custom bimini top for hot sunny summer days (see photo).

Some other facts: Graymarine engine (rebuilt with new short block); new bottom with multiple barrier coats; Datamarine depthsounder; compass; Standard Horizon GPS GX1700 radio; Origo alcohol stove; custom-fabricated stainless steel holding tank; Danforth fluke anchor with chain and rode aplenty; extra smaller anchor; boat hook, plenty of extra lines in cockpit compartment.

Great stable sailing vessel with lots of enjoyable times to be had.

Equipment: See description.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

From BlueWaterBoats.org :

“A legend in it’s own time”, that’s the description John Vigor made about the Alberg 30 in his book Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere . And indeed the Alberg 30 has garnered a huge following with an active community of owners in North America. It’s an unmistakably traditional boat with long overhangs, a narrow beam, and a full cutaway keel-attached rudder, a design harkening back to the early 60s that’s forgiving to sail and seaworthy enough to cross oceans. This 30-footer has many circumnavigations to its credit, perhaps the most notable being that of Yves Gelinas, who made an award winning film of his circumnavigation in Jean du Sud .

The Alberg 30 story began, when in 1961, a bunch of Scandinavian style folkboat owners from Toronto’s National Yacht Club got together and approached Whitby Boat Works to design and build them a boat that was bigger. For the design, Whitby Boat Works in turn approached Carl Alberg (1900 – 1986), at that time one of America’s leading yacht designers.

The brief that was given to Alberg was for a boat built from fiberglass that would sleep four. The configuration had to have a full keel, a practical cockpit, and an interior that had full standing headroom interior and a decent galley. The boat that resulted was the Alberg 30 which was introduced in the following year of 1962.

While the boats were being built a group of sailors from Washington DC inspected the Alberg 30 at Whitby Boat Works and left with firm orders for 15. Another group from Annapolis left with orders for 12, the production run continued into what has become a one of the longest runs on record tallying over 750 boats through a 22 year period. Today Alberg 30s can be found scattered over all parts of the world, but mainly concentrating around North America and particularly in Chesapeake Bay where a vibrant owners association has approximately 250 members.

Boat Configuration

The Alberg 30 is classic design from the 1960s period when many boats were transitioning from wood to fiberglass construction. Narrow beam, low freeboard, large overhangs, and a full keel with a cutaway on the forefoot and a rudder directly attached were the order of the day. When looking at the history of how the boat came to be, it’s not surprising the design is heavily influenced by the Scandinavian folkboat style, Carl Alberg himself being a Swedish born American.

By modern standards the boat’s narrow beam and low freeboard means the insides will seem extremely small and cramped however this traditional approach to seaworthiness pays dividends in rough seas with a hull that is ultimately stable and seakindly.

Berths accommodating a crew of four are divided into two areas, two in the v-berth, and two in the main saloon area. In between is the head.

The galley is situated in the well vented space at the back of the saloon below the companionway where the cook can be a part of the social happenings outside in the cockpit when under anchor.

Construction

The boats are solidly built. It was a time when fiberglass was the new wonder material and pioneering a new material meant construction was pretty conservative. That translated into lots of glass fiber and lots of resin. The fiberglass was hand laid and polyester resin was used. Early decks were cored with Masonite , which gave way in favor of balsa after 1970.

The mast is deck-stepped and supported originally by a laminated wooden beam on early boats, which over the years have proven to be a weak point. Boats produced from 1970 changed over to an aluminum beam encased with fiberglass. It’s not uncommon to find early boats to have been retrofitted with aluminum supporting beam.

Though the original design by Alberg called for lead ballast, the boats were instead produced with iron ballast encapsulated inside the keel cavity. This resulted in early boats being quite tender and more ballast was added to subsequent production to correct for this.

The Alberg 30 has been described as a forgiving boat to sail. In its day it would have been considered a relatively quick boat, being designed to be raced under the Cruising Club of America racing rules, but don’t expect modern day performance. The boat will not point particularly high to windward, the best point of sail is reported to be a beam reach to close reach. Expect some amount of hobby-horsing.

As conditions get rougher, the Alberg 30’s seaworthiness starts to shine, with its narrow beam the boat tends to slice through the waves where modern designs which favor beaminess and high freeboard will get thrown around. In more extreme conditions, the classically seaworthy design is well suited for heaving-to or laying ahull without complications.

Buyers Notes

Advice can be sought from the active community of owner associations. Particular areas for inspection are listed below:

• Check the support under the deck-stepped mast for signs of delamination. Pre-1970 models were of laminated wood, check for signs of cracking.
• Its been reported the forward lower shroud chainplates are not well supported and should be inspected closely for signs of movement or stress.
• Check the deck for delamination as well as signs of rot in the coring (creaking sounds).
• On older boats, the heel fitting on the rudder may be worn.
• The rudders on the earliest boats were reported not to be strong enough with the internal reinforcing parting from the fiberglass.

As of 2010, the asking price of Alberg 30s generally range from $15k-$30k USD depending on their condition as much as their year of build. There are the odd examples that are asking much higher prices having undergone very extensive rebuilds and presenting themselves in “as new” condition.

Links, References and Further Reading

• Sailing Magazine, Apr 2002, Used Boat Notebook
• BoatUS,  Alberg 30 review by Jack Horner
• The Alberg 30 Association,  Information, reviews, photos and more
• Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere by John Vigor , (Ch1, p1-6) an in depth look at the Alberg 30. ISBN:978-0939837328

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