First Year Review - 1963 35 ft Pearson Alberg

Last month was the first year anniversary of owning my 2nd boat - a 1963 35 ft. Pearson Alberg.

After one year living aboard her, here are a few of my thoughts and reflections on the choice of this particular boat.

My current idea of the ideal boat continues to be a Hans Christian 43 - however, my more modest budget warranted tempering my desire with a modicum of reasonableness.

The 35 ft. Pearson Alberg is a good boat - and a reasonable compromise.  A few words that come to mind when I think of my boat: Salty, Seaworthy, Blue-water Capable, Hardy, Robust, Resilient, Strong, Safe,  Workable.

Living aboard again, after a hiatus of almost 5 years without a boat has been an easy readjustment - given that I do not have a need for much space or material things.

For my professional client work, I have leased a small office (two suites, ~650 sq ft for $750/month)  in the marina complex - which allows me to keep all of my books and clothes in a storage area within the office.  When I am in-between client engagements, I plan on putting everything into a storage facility to further reduce my monthly overhead - and to allow me to spend weeks or months cruising along the coast.

During the winter I purchased a small personal space heater at Target (about $9) - and it kept the v-berth toasty warm most nights.

During June, a few nights were quite muggy - and so I purchased a small personal/desktop style oscillating fan at Target (about $16) - which provided welcome air flow to cool down during a few particularly hot and muggy nights


The Good:

• Comfortable for live-aboard
• Seaworthy
• Good value for the price I paid
• Very pleased with my current marina's facilities and location (paying about $724/month:  For example, last month's marina bill: $449 for 35' slip, $240 live-aboard fees for 2, $24 storage locker, $12.48 electric)
• Very pleased with the electronics that came with the boat (integrated chart plotter with depth/sonar, radar,and gps)

Needs Work / Needs Fixing:
[I'll get to these over the next few months]

• The auto-pilot grips the wheel too tight, even when disengaged
• External brightwork needs to be re-varnished
• Port navigation light is out [not urgent, since the tri-light at the mast head meets requirement]
• Sail Repair: Tear at bottom of main sail [from my voyage last year down the coast]
• Stern coaming has a split in the board at the stern end [likely damaged when I was thrown across the cockpit by the strike to the head by the boom during my voyage last year down the coast]
• Stop-guards for the port-side of the traveler and port-side jib track line were somehow sheared off during last year's voyage.
• A better Digital TV antennae would be nice

Things I Would Change:

• Better (easier) access to where the batteries are kept
• Some way to put a zinc on the prop shaft (there i no room to do so externally)
• The boom is carried too low - and can be dangerous in a confused seaway, as it can swing wildly

Future Boat Projects:

• New running rigging
• Secure the hard dinghy to the deck (possibly on wooden chocks?)
• Run a line at the outer edges of the mast-steps (from top-to-bottom) so that the halyards cannot become snared/caught in the mast steps
• High-Gain WiFi antennea
• Add Solar Panels
• Add Wind Generator
• Add Wind Vane (for backup to Autopilot)
• Add Water-Maker
• Replace mixed chain-and-line rode with all chain