Plastic Classic Forum

I currently sail Triton#662, but have embarked upon a new folly. I recently purchased a 38ft 1961 Alden Challenger "Kittiwake" I plan to have it shipped from FL to my house in VA. I will keep sailing the Triton during the Challenger restoration.

Jimmy Small

Cool!

Love to see more pics when you get the chance!

oh you DOG you!!!!!!!

That is one seriously admirable vessel. Keep us posted.

I played history detective, and tracked down the daughters of the original owner. They were wonderful, emailing me stories about their memories of Kittiwake. This is one of the pictures they sent me of the boat in the 60's
Jimmy Small

Oh drool, drool....

Don't know if you're aware of this, but there's a guy named Tom Young who lives in Maine and painstakingly restored a Challenger yawl. He used to frequent the CWBB board. He's had several articles in Good Old Boat magazine - about varnishing and such - in which his Challenger is featured.

Seems like a really nice guy and I'm sure he'd be happy to talk Challenger, if you wanted to. His boat's name is "Christmas."

Majorly cool boat. Does yours have the corner fireplace?

--- Rachel

Those are great looking boats. Looks like a fun project...hope you keep all us project junkies informed as you go along with the process! I'd love to see more photos.

Another Triton owner makes the leap to a classic yawl...

Jimmy,

Tom Young - the guy I mentioned who has a beautifully-restored Challenger - just so happened to post a Maine cruise photo-report on the Cruising World bulletin board this morning. There are a number of nice photos of his Challenger, including this one, apparently taken at Merchant's row:




Here's a link to his report, in case you'd like to read it and/or make contact with him.

http://phpbb.worldpub.net/viewtopic.php?t=40838

Please do send more photos of yours!

--- Rachel

Thanks Rachel, that was a neat set of pictures. Tom Young's write up about Christmas in Good Old Boat, first introduced me to the Alden Challenger. I have also read his posts at the Alden Challenger Forum:
http://949.reno2.com/index.php
Most Challengers, as far as I can tell, had Mahogany cabins/deckhouses. Kittiwake was ordered with teak cabinsides. This, I'm told by the original owners family, caused a year long delay as Molich in Denmark looked for one log to make both cabin sides(there are matching knots on both sides) It seems that though gray with neglect the wood on the boat (deck and hull are fiberglass) is in good shape.
Here is another picture of Kittiwake in her glory days.
Jimmy Small

What a great photo! That just captures the whole thing, doesn't it? It's really neat that you've been able to contact early owners of your boat.

--- R.

One log from which to cut both cabin sides.... yikes.

There's a Challenger at a marina nearby. I'd assumed that the cabin sides were veneered. This particular boat is in the middle of a somewhat questionable restoration. Big bronze winches and other hardware mounted on big stainless steel bracketry. Mishmash standing rigging.

For all that, though, she's an absolute stunner.

There are several more of these Aldens scattered about Maine. This year, I saw one in Bucks Harbor, plus we anchored near Christmas in Blue Hill. And there was one more somewhere, but I forget where exactly.



There was a gorgeous black-hulled one in Tenants Harbor a few years ago when we were there. I searched my photos, thinking I must of taken a picture, but alas it appears not.

I found it through the Alden Challenger site. I'll be going through the site as all these classic plastic boats and their restoring owners are of great interest to me. We all have alot of overlap between the many designs and I'm sure I'll find help here for my ongoing restoration.

Thanks Rachael for mentioning Christmas. And Tim, thanks for putting this together. I read your post and went back through my photos of just a week or so ago when we were in Blue Hill. If that was you in the blue Triton, I wish you had come over to say hi. I've stumbled onto your site over the last few years and really enjoy it. Your accounts of sailing this area are especially interesting and your restoration stuff looks top notch. Is this your Triton?

Yup, that's me! Caught red-handed...

Welcome to the forum, Tom!