Big thanks to Bluenose, its all his fault

[ghostwriter247]

A big thanks to bluenose for posting up the pic of the alberg 35. If any one asks i'm blaming him for the following indiscretion. Its clearly all his fault. LOL

As predicted i did succumb and put in an offer on the A35 off of the classifieds. Should finish up the paperwork this morning, and then its all mine!

Gee now that the hard parts done all i have to do is ummm....ummm yeah dont even know where to start. LOL

But she looks like a worthy project. and the one thing we do have in iowa is the land to park and work on a boat. Empty high door barns are plentiful luckily enough. It was a serious acceleration in my timeline, but doable overall and i just couldnt pass it up.

Of course, the one place i knew i could put it on some land my family owns i forgot to factor in a bridge. I hadn't thought about it because it easily can handle the 10000 pounds on the thirty and under but i dont think the 15k or so of the 35 can go. It might though. Ive seen a pretty big combine go over it.

Looks like Im in a flurry to find a place, and arrange shipping and begin all the the fun joys of boat ownership.

[BALANCE]

Wonderful! Congratulations. It's so nice to know that another old gal will be brought back to life. I look forward to tracking your progress. Have fun!

[Bluenose]

Your Welcome.

I do, however, seem an odd choice for thanks what with my eclectic vision of sailing and all.

In any case my mooring neighbor was out again. And I am pretty sure you will need a constant dose of A35 pictures to help you through the long restoration process.



Cheers and Congrats,

Bill

[Chris Campbell]

Congratulations, indeed. You've got a big job ahead of you, but if you have the time, money, and stomach for it it is more than possible, and you'll triumph and enjoy yourself along the way. Not to mention having a boat which is truly yours, and which you'll be able to trust completely.

Keep us posted!

[cmartin]

Congratulations!

It sounds like a ton of work, take your time and enjoy the process.

[ghostwriter247]

Thanks for all encouragement. Yeah its gonna be a long process. I went back and forth on whether to get a project but at the end of the day, I would really like to go ground up. Just a quirk of me i guess, id rather just go ahead and spend more up front and know the systems and start out with things all restored.

There is no teacher like the experience of actually having taken it all apart and then back together, which will be invaluable. Im really excited but in the same respect, you get the momentary Oh my god what have i gotten myself into.

I've been looking forward to doing this for a long time, and the process is finally started. (and of course will last years, but shes worth it i think)

Its funny when i was in the keys there was no way i could have got into a project like this but here in the plains I have the opportunity and resources to do it. Life it seems is not without a sense of humor.

Cheers

[Drew]

Congratulations. Enjoy your project.

Drew

[One Way David]

Congrats ghostwriter247! I want one. Really.

On the abundance of big buildings in the mid-west, I hope you have better luck than I. My experience has been that until that old coot farmer (I'm one of those) knows that somebody wants something he has (an old tractor, truck or temporary space in his barn/building) it's just a worthless eyesore. But, once he finds out someone might have a use for it it becomes valuable or unavailable.

Of course, Kansas has a property tax on permanent building/structures. So if the roof almost don't leak, it has something stored in it. If there is nothing stored in it, it gets dozed down.

Yeah that A-35 is way up there on my list for the off shore cruiser project.

[Oscar]

Congratulations.... It sounds like what you want to do. Put 'er next to the house.

[ghostwriter247]

I would love to put her next to the house...only problem is i live in a loft on the downtown square! lol.

I called the local, (if you call 2 1/2 hours away local) sailing club to inquire about slips and yard fees so worst case scenario is there. Chicago actually is only 3, but im sure i can find something much closer than that if i look. But its always good to have a guarantee.

Luckily bob and the crew at bennetts cut me 60 days of yard time so i have time to find something instead of having to take the worst case scenario up front. Many kudos to bob! He made the process easy, and helped me out finding a haul quote up front, and were very flexible. Pretty amazing considering the price.

Nice thing is having friends in low places here. im sure one of them knows somebody who knows somebody, you know how the midwest is.

Heck i mean when you figure in gas and having to go back and forth, the ability to pay rent goes up. Im sure ill find something. Im still wondering whether it will go over the bridge on my parents place. Anybody know what a combine weighs? LOL

Now how to think about a cradle! One a hydralic truck could back into and drop the boat and maybe have articulated arms that could swing up? anybody got any cradle pictures? I figure since i dont have sailboat jacks, its one or the other since id have to buy either.

Any tips for extended storage on the hard?

[Rachel]

I hail from the Lake Superior area, where cradles are much loved; but on the East Coast I found that they were more-or-less despised, and many truckers/yards didn't want to deal with them at all. So it might pay to check with your hauler (and marina, and future haulers), and/or just to go the jack stand route (Brownell make nice ones).

It's nice if you can find a reasonably level site with firm ground, and then at minimum use plywood pads under the legs of the stands (if you're using stands). It's not good if any of the stands sink because it can then put unfair pressure on one part of the hull. Also, one should check and adjust the stands on a regular basis, especially when the ground is changing around, such as in freeze/thaw cycles.

Of course a cradle is less prone to the aforementioned problems, since it's more of a rigid unit, but you have the potential issues of storage and transport (such as can the hauler or yard handle it, and/or will you ever move the boat from one place to another via water, and then need the cradle to catch up - this last is much easier with stands since you can fit them into more vehicles).

If you do decide to go the stand route, note that while I have seen them crop up used for a good price, I have also seen them selling used for nearly the price of new. Sometimes you can buy them through a marina/yard cheaper than from Brownell directly if the yard is getting a bunch and can divvy up shipping charges, but it's always worth a call to Brownell directly (and you get to listen to their fabulous Massachusetts-shore accents :).

Exciting times!

Rachel

[Chris Campbell]

I would use jackstands in preference to a cradle. Should cost you about the same as the lumber for a cradle would, but can be sold when you're done with them (if you won't need them again). They're also easier to shuffle around to paint or work on the bottom, and you don't have to design anything up front and hope it works when the boat arrives.

Tips for long term storage on the hard: build a shed! Here's the plans, and here's mine - I love it, best investment I've made for working on the boat.

Cheers,

Chris

[ghostwriter247]

Yeah an inside place would be sweet! I got a name of someone who might have a big enough building keep her in so ill see where that goes.

Thanks for the tip on the stands. Would five be enough or would it take seven? She drafts 5'2 so i assume that up to 65 inches would work, plus the bow stand? Or do i even need them that high?

Josh

[Mario G]

Hey Josh not sure when you asked about 5 stands if your talking about the 5 on ebay for sale or not but there is 5 for auction at this time, Good Old Boat has a very nice write up on the Alberg35 in their latest issue( very sweet looking boat) Good luck with your project. You might want to check local storage lots for out door storage, seems to be alot cheaper then boat yards, My friend had no problem working on his with a generator at one here ( I think he paid off the attendent with a few pizza's)

[Rachel]

I think two per side would work, but I would prefer three myself*. That also makes it easier when it comes time to move them around when you're painting, or etc.

Brownell does have a guide on their website (I haven't looked in a while so don't remember what it would recommend for your boat).

*i.e. three stands per side, plus a bow stand, for seven total.

Rachel

[Bluenose]

I can't imagine only having two stands per side for Bolero, a skinny and light 30 footer. It seems like false economy to skimp here.

An Rachel's comment about bottom access is, of course, right on.

Bill

[ghostwriter247]

Thanks for the tips guys! Yeah five seemed a bit scary but i didnt really know so i figured i would ask.

Im actually hoping to find somebody with private land here that would be willing to rent me some space. Im sure something will turn up, Im now in a really rural town in iowa, so 40 acres of land is a small plot here Hopefully i can find somebody close.

Ive got lots of guaranteed places but there at least 45 minutes away so Im seeking other options.

Yeah i read the write up in Good old Boat. That interior looks sweet with the roomy head, and standing room in the vberth. Notice the owner of the alberg35 site singlehanding the boat?

Josh

[Oscar]

http://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/boa/1277487715.html

Maybe the transporter can pick these up on the way.

(Tip for those who don't know....to search Craigslist nationwide, do a Google search, with the item you are looking for and the word craigslist. You will also get some expireds and references to craigslist listings or discussions on fora (like this post), but it IS the way to find things there aren't a whole lot for sale of.)

[Drew]

5 stands are holding my Alberg 35 just fine.

Rachel does make a good point about bottom access though.

Drew

[Mario G]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Sailboat ... iesQ5fGear

these are the 5 stands I meantioned earlier , the bibs were only at $70 when I last looked I didn't know they cost so much. I think you could buy some and sell them after the boats in the water and not lose.

I built my cradle for under $100 and its worked out great for all the repairs so far, its just going to be tricky when it comes to bottom painting.

[ghostwriter247]

Thanks for the links guys. I'm gonna get in touch with bob and see if he carries the brownells and maybe dodge the shipping.

Drew,

What size stands are you using? Any chance you could should me a pic to show there placement?

So i ran across this online. it was the listing for the boat before the owner signed it over to bennetts for slip bills. Hopefully this stuff is still there.

Extensive Sail inventory. Mostly Hood brand sails. 1 new mainsail, 4 jibs and genoas (1 brand new), 2 spinakers. Dodger and Bimini in good condition.

The roller reefing boom will need some work. Boom is spruce, mast is aluminum.

There are no electronics on the boat.

Raritan Head, new sink, 2 20 gallon water tanks.

Rigging is 1/4" stainless and was redone in 2001.


Might have been a major score here!

[Bluenose]

Hey Ghost,

The age of the standing rigging is no guarantee. When I purchased Bolero she had "new" replace in 2000 standing rigging. Here is what Tim had say after the inspection.

I was disappointed in the rigging. The "new" (2000) mast and boom are in good shape, with no particular issues, so that's a plus. But the standing rigging is in only fair to poor condition, in my opinion, as is the running rigging. In addition, I was unimpressed with how the mast was stored on this boatyard rack; the storage was sloppy, with wires hanging all over, last summer's weedy vines wrapped all around the stags (the brown stuff in the photos), and just a general lack of attention and care. I say this only because it's clear to me that poor care and maintenance is responsible for the condition of the rigging today, not its relatively young age.

In bringing Bolero back to bristol condition very little of the original standing rigging (other than the mast and boom), running rigging, deck hardware, blocks, tracks or winches remained. Tim did reuse the two compasses and the original builders plate.

[ghostwriter247]

Yeah it was not so much the rigging, i liked but the sail inventory, and the dodger and bimini. Hopefully atleast some of that is still on the boat, however unlikely it may be. Bob said there were sails there but he wasnt sure and hadnt looked at them. Even having an old dodger and bimini to use as a pattern with the frameworks there is a big plus.

[Drew]

Drew,

What size stands are you using? Any chance you could should me a pic to show there placement?

I don't know what size they are. When I bought the boat the stands came with her.

I looked but I don't seem to have any good pictures with the boat being held up by 5 stands. I know it is though. I looked at some old pictures from when I first moved the boat to the boat yard and there were seven stands. Reminds me to ask the yard guys where are my other two stands. They moved me a few months ago and must have not put all the stands back.

If I were buying stands I would buy seven.

Drew