Jeanneau Attalia

[Stephane99]

About your rudder, I had a similar problem when I purchased my 1986 Attalia. Mine was such that the rudder was full of water The surveyor noted that my rudder was full of water and the insurance company would not let the boat back in the water until it was fixed, that means that I did not get to sail the boat for the rest of the season, very frustrating.

I hired someone to fix it but can share what I've learned from the process.

First, it was difficult to get the rudder out, my boat sits on a cradle and there was not enough clearance to get the rudder post out, they had to "block" the cradle and dig the dirt down under a bit to get the rudder out.

Once the rudder was out, the person took it to its workshop, cut the rudder sideways and open it in two halves and let it dry out for several weeks. Please note that the inside of the rudder was wood, which surprised him. Once it was all dried, he put it back together.

Since I had the rudder out, I replaced the cutlass bearing on the propeller shaft, it was easy to take the shaft out with no rudder.

This was done over the winter (I am on the great lakes) when the boat was out.

[JensK]

Dear Bconant
Another interesting Attalia site: Attalia le voilier.
You will have plenty of joy from your Attalia.
Best regards
Jens

[BConant]

Thank you Jensk.. I love my 1985 'Bon Ami'

[BConant]

My rudder is also made of wood, glassed over. I seperated the delaminated trailing edge with a couple of screw drivers and injected some West Systems thickened two part epoxy, then clamped the rudder with several clamps and blocks of wood to distribute the pressure.

Once the epoxy was hardened, I sanded the excess, had the rudder stripped down then coated with several coats of Interprotect 2000, followed by two coats of VC 17.

The boat was sailed all last season, many times very aggressively in high winds/weather helm. Surprisingly, when the boat was pulled out at the end of the season, the ruder looked as good as it did when the repair was completed.

Total cost of repair was under $400.00 with the paint being nearly 100% of the cost. A tube of Six 10 Thickened epoxy is around $20.00 u.s. and I have over 3/4 of the tube left.

[fodao]

I also have an Attalia '86. I love the boat! It sails very well and it is very roomy for its size. All my sailor friends were impressed.
A downside is that the bilge is very flat. Waters gets trapped in some places and I have to constantly lift the floor to soak it up. I'm also having a fresh water leak that I still have to solve.
I've also noticed that there are 2 bilge pumps in the head. One is for the bilge and the sump. There is a valve that swithces between the two. The other pump is a bit of a mystery. It is connected to the holding tank but it is not clear to me what it does. Does anyone else have a similar issue?
Another thing: I could not pump out my holding tank. The pump pressure is not strong enough to suck up the water. I would need a smaller hose to go all the way inside the holding tank to pump, but this is not a common feature in my marina. Has anyone had this problem?

[blt2ski]

fodao,

not sure if some of your issues are normal or not, you might also try the question at www.jeanneau-owners.com and go to that forum to see if other attalia owners will pipe up. I do not have the issues you describe with my 2' smaller 85 Arcadia. But it is a different designer etc.

marty

[ClioOwner]

Hello Fodao and other Attalia fans.
I am delighted to find this thread even if it is getting a bit old!

I have an 84 Attalia which I bought in 08 and is based in the Greek Aegean. She is a former flotilla boat and was much modified by the company before I bought her.They did an extensive refit in 2004 which included new Volvo 2020A 18hp, new plumbing and electrics, new windows, headlining, deck gear including Harken 2 speed ST winches and Lewmar hatches. The Volvo pushes her well at up to 6 knots.

They cut away about 60% of the chart table and extended the heads forward so that there is now a separate shower and loo space on the heads (appreciated by Admirals!) and the sink is set across the aft locker bulkhead. The chart table is now really a shelf with a few lockers below but it doesn't bother me as there is adequate space to store charts below and I use the table for navigation. Also with plotters these days there is less need for a dedicated chart table.

I too had problems with water under the the cabin sole and eventually found where it was coming from. I keep a few plastic sponges in each underfloor area and this helps to keep small amounts of water from sloshing about. My boat has hot water via a calorifier heated by the engine. There is an electric shower pumpout under the sink in the heads and the boat has a black water holding tank. This is a gravity type which is emptied offshore. There is no provision to pump it out ashore. The boat also has an electric and a manual bilge pump. She also has an electric anchor windlass which can be controlled from the cockpit.

Since buying her I have added a autopilot, liferaft, EPIRB, plotter, AIS and a DSC radio (these three are interfaced).

I am retired so I spend 4 months each year aboard (Apr,May, Sep and Oct). I avoid the hot, busy times! I bought her in Corfu and have since cruised the Ionian, Gulf of Corinth, around the Peloponnese and last year the Cyclades. This year I am headed across to Turkey.

I am delighted with her performance. As you may know the Attalia is a 'cruiserised' version of the 1981 Half Ton winner 'Ar Bigouden' which was designed by Joubert Nivelt. By 'cruiserising' I mean higher topsides for volume, masthead rig instead of fractional, iron keel instead of lead and full interior fitout etc. I find that even with dacron cruising sails and furling genoa she is quicker than many modern equivalents such as Beneteau 323, Sun Odessey 32 etc. especially to windward where she points well and has a very light feel to the helm. I have just bought an assymetrical cruising chute which I am looking forward to trying this year.

Cheers

J

[JensK]

Dear J
Welcome to the group. It seems that you got a good bargain with a lot of improvements in your Attalia. Smart trick with the sponges in the bilge.
If you need photographs or drawings you can go to my websiteAttalia 31 32 Trud jenskondrup.dk
Good sailing for your in the season to come.
Jens

[blt2ski]

J,

Do you have any pics of the interior? sounds like a neat conversion.

Marty

[Kfrank]

Hi,

I am considering buying an 1987 Attalia 32. The main drawback is that it is tiller steering while I really would like a wheel. Has anyone attempted such a conversion?

I'm not allowed to post links apperently, but you can see her if you search google for 'yachtworld attalia cyprus'

Any comments? Do youthink the price (asking 34000 Euros) is reasonable?

Thanks

K