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Just Bought a 1967 35 Alberg Ericson Sloop

29K views 58 replies 26 participants last post by  smurphny 
#1 ·
The boat is in mint condition, except for the bulk heads are shot, I got a real deal on the Boat. The yard people say they can't tell how deep the damage of the bulk heads go's, that they need to cut some fiberglass away to see, and it's going to be $2000.00 to $5000.00 to fix. Does this seem to be a proper price for something like this?
 
#2 ·
Sweet boat. Having owned an Alberg I think you have yourself a good boat worth spending a few dollars on.

Was it a good deal? Even you do not know that as you do not know who much work needs to be done. If you were doing the work I would be quicker to say you got a good deal but yard work is expensive.

$2 to $5G expensive? Maybe. It depends on what is done. Do they need to remove/install the bulkhead (I can only recall one main bulkhead, I guess there are a couple either side of the companionway).

Or does most of the interior need to be repaired or replaced?

$5G sounds cheap if they are pulling out lots of the interior and installing marine grade plywood or it sounds expensive if they are just using epoxy to patch up a rotten section, but then I rarely have much yard work done so I'm not sure.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the Replys, I Didn't have her Surveyed, Im going to do most of that myself before I hand over the rest of the Cash. She's Old but a good looking boat, and I got her for Dirt Cheap, So im not worried about, putting some money in her.
 
#10 ·
One may set oneself up for a rude financial experience to think one can buy a yacht so cheap there's no risk in doing so. The cheaper the boat, and the bigger it is, the larger the dollar hole will be.

I'd guess that if a buyer is very, very expert and very, very careful, one could find a "good" deal that is not a hosing waiting to happen. But for the rest of us....
 
#9 · (Edited)
Just sayin'



When did almost 10K become dirt cheap? Zounds. :)

More seriously, it does sound like a *lot* of money to spend on a boat without spending another 350-400 bucks on a survey. Especially since you are already looking at another $5K for a repair.

Not to tell you how to spend your money, but try to think of the survey as the first money you're willing to put into her. A few hundred bucks on a good surveyor may well prove one of the best investments you can make in a 43 year old boat.
 
#11 ·
Leave the guy alone. So what he bought a 10K boat without a survey...

Enjoy her.

What is the damage to the bulkheads anyway? Is it from water intrusion? Check your decks and make sure they don't seem soft or spongy. I'm not sure if the Ericson/Alberg has a cored deck or not but if the decks are in good shape and the rest of the mechanicals checked out then you got a pretty sweet deal on that thing.

Beautiful boat.
 
#12 ·
Yeah it had a leaky water hose, and they old owners didn't realise it, and it messed up the bulkhead. The Decks are stiff nothing soft in them. When I get the pics of the bulkhead I will Post them. The motor was re-built in 2006, and has 180 hours on it. The wind generator needs new brushes. The Electrical was rebuilt in 2006, with all new wireing, and a new panel. New Hotwater Heater in 2006 too. And you bet Im going to enjoy her all the way down to the Rio Dulce :)
 
#14 ·
Your insurance company will probably insist on a survey.

"You can pay now, or you can pay later."
 
#16 ·
LOL JEFF H Hates Alberg's I wouldn't ask him. He was already saying the 35 Alberg is a submarine with a mast. Her Sails are all redone. She is in pretty good shape, I will fix what is left to be done, and have a sweet live-aboard Boat. She will take me, and the wife to Belize so the way I look at it I did good. I just bought her a generator 3000 watt Honda today :) For my back up power. I need to put new brushes in her wind Generator, and Im going to buy 2 Solar panels for her also, And im looking to get a SSB radio, and a Dingy. Im Just going to let the Yard do the Work, and fix the Bulk Heads. With my Parrot, Westie, and wife on board it would be to hard for me to do that big of a job on her so I will let them do it.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Yeah I just paid the boat off. The Repairs, where not as bad as first thought, they will run about $1500.00 from the yard, or way less if I do it myself. I got an awesome deal on this boat. If you guys are looking to buy a sailboat you should check Spectrum Yachts in Savannah, GA. Ask For Jim Bulluck he is a real nice guy, and Way better than any Broker I have ever met before :) Spectrum Yachts
 
#22 ·
If you guys are looking to buy a sailboat you should check Spectrum Yachts in Savannah, GA. Ask For Jim Bulluck he is a real nice guy, and Way better than any Broker I have ever met before :) Spectrum Yachts
I put $ down on a 1979 Hunter 33 today brokered by Jim. Very nice guy. Thanks for the tip
 
#19 ·
Hmmm. After looking at the photos, I'm not so sure you did poorly.
Since your insurance company, and likely any boat movers, are going to want a survey anyway, you might as well swing for that.
But presuming everything checks out, you should be one happy clam.
Congratulations on a really pretty boat!
 
#20 ·
Dear Mike,

Looked at the photos and ya done good! She wouldn't have lasted this long if she wasn't a well found ship. Your "survey" for insurance will probably never get her out of the slings and give you a chance to check the cutlass bearing and thru hulls. They really don't make 'em like they used to.
 
#30 ·
Exactly, this is what happened to me a month after I bought my new to me boat. Now here it is almost the end of June, and the gulf is basically off limits to recreational boats. Thank god for Lake Ponchartrain or sailing and boating would both be off limits.
 
#25 ·
I bought an A35 last year and have done much work to her, including replacing a forward bulkhead. It CAN be done but you will have interior damage to repair. Here's what worked well: 1. Remove as much of the rotten plywood as you can by hand/chisel/scraper, etc., leaving the fiberglass "pocket" in place. You can accomplish final clean out of the pocket very well with a drill mounted 5/8" or 3/4" rasp on a LONG drill extension. This will really clear out any remaining wood and clean up the pocket's glass surfaces. 2. Cut a template of paper to fit the curvature of the hull by trial and error, taping on pieces to get it close. You can measure to some fixed point to create the first arc of the hull. This is pretty easy with some stiff paper, tape and a flashlight. 3. Cut a piece of 3/4" plywood using the template. Trial fit and grind plywood in places until it fits snugly. The hull side seems to taper in the last inch or so. Actually I think the original piece was not fitted very well and there was a void in places near the hull. Mark it so when you epoxy, it is in proper place. I pieced the plywood longitudinally and epoxied the inboard piece with biscuits to make fitting the piece against the hull easier. This worked out well because the business portion of the bulkhead where chainplates bolt is in the outboard piece. 4. Saturate the pocket with lightly thickened West epoxy. You want to use enough to fill voids but not so much that it creates blockage pressure. 5. Hammer the plywood in so that it is at your marks. 6.Put second piece in with epoxy and biscuits. 7. As it is impossible to clamp this, screw from both sides to make sure glass is tight against plywood 8. Clean up...it's a mess. Make sure you wear an appropriate breathing apparatus. The epoxy fumes are nasty in enclosed areas like this. I moved my chainplates outboard. There is no way to make the old chainplate deck penetrations permanently waterproof. With all the core rot I replaced, did not want to do it again. If you have a 40 year old boat, there is core rot.
 
#26 ·
Thank you for the help SMurphny, Our bulkheads after inspection were ok it's just a little piece of wood that rotted out under the bulk heads. My problem is not with bulk heads it's a piece of my deck has a soft spot on the starboard side which I am going to brace up with a piece of 2x4.
 
#27 ·
......What? I think you should inspect this further. Is the deck soft due to delamination or is it wet? Bracing it with a 2x4 sounds like something I might do for my garage but not my boat. What is this little piece of wood under the bulkhead? Is this trim? Is it floors? Stringers? Doesn't sound too serious but you should repair this properly.
 
#29 ·
Core rot

I would echo the above comment about core rot. My boat had extensive core rot as do many, if not most, boats of this vintage. It is a messy, expensive (West System, balsa core mat, roving, and cloth) job to replace the deck core and not for the faint of heart! If the decks feel soft under foot and you get a hollow sound when tapping around or if the stanchions move when you walk near them, there is core rot. Core rot under the steering pedestal is particularly critical.
 
#31 ·
Capt Mike

I too just purchased a 1967 Pearson- Alberg 35. To give some compairson. Mine had the hull redone (new glass, coating, etc) in 1996. Then over 4 years, the deck was replaced, interior completly redone, refirg (large one) added, and fainaly, a new westeblake 4 cy diesal. In 1998, while the deck was being record, the mast was replaced with a Hood in-mast furling system. Approximatly $55,000 was invested by a wealthly owner. (I have the receipts)

This boat is on Lake superior, At $4,500 to transport it to Rockport (Tx) and the purchase price of $25,000. WITH the 3 month old survey, I snaped it up.

Now, when compired to the Moody 30, which much like yours, I got for $7,700. I have spent at least $12,000 additional, (and thats doing the work myself) for a complere refit. So the $12K additional, and 1 1/2 years work to save $9,600 seems a good deal if you can do the work, enjoy the work , AND HAVE THE TIME.

I wish you luck...but the problems can be hidden and a final survey is money well spent.

Joe
Boat no 6 "The Last One"
 
#53 ·
Capt Mike I too just purchased a 1967 Pearson- Alberg 35. To give some comparison. Mine had the hull redone (new glass, coating, etc) in 1996. Then over 4 years, the deck was replaced, interior completely redone, refirg (large one) added, and finely, a new westeblake 4 cy diesel. In 1998, while the deck was being record, the mast was replaced with a Hood in-mast furling system. Approximately $55,000 was invested by a wealthy owner.
I'm looking at a 1965 Alberg 35 Yawl with a tiller. The boat seems sound, though it does have some deck rot/delamination. The guy owned it for over a decade, and has done almost nothing to it. All cushions need replacement as do the toe rails (some major cracks), and interior woods needs refinishing. I think I would paint the Formica wood grain on the bulkheads white. Beside the tachometer, the only working instrument is the depth sounder, which he claims works, though, the "graph feature" no longer functions. Looks like this thing should be in the Smithsonian! (picture attached). On the positive side, the sails are good and he replaced the A4 with a Beta Marine 20 HP Diesel which has about 25 hours on it. If I go forward, I WILL get a survey BTW!
So, it seems that right now, this boat is a flotation device for a nice engine! Though, it could be more with a fair amount of cosmetic work and some deck work.
Questions:
Why was your hull "re glassed". Are we talking gel coat or something structural?
How has the boat worked out for you?
The mast step compression beam and supports seem sound, but show water stains. (Pictures attached). The cabin top doesn't sag under the mast, but the bulkhead door seems warped (closes, but doesn't latch). Is anyone aware of issues with this system on these boats? Hard to tell what lurks on a 45 year old boat with a glass coach top liner!
 

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