Alden 46
- Thread starter ArcticLoon
- Start date
Congrats, and welcome to SBO. You have joined an outstanding forum for sailboat owners of all makes and models.
Holy cripes! (My Yankee sister-in-law taught me to say that.) Thats a beautiful boat!!!
Hello, I'm now the current owner of Arctic Loon. I bought her from Geoff Robson in 2022. She is still berthed at the Nelson Marina in Nelson, New Zealand. AL is a fantastic yacht, the best of my 5 previous yachts. My GF Sara and I will be sailing her around NZ. I've already spent 35 years cruising in 3 of my previous yachts and have around 75,000NM of offshore experience, both ocean racing and cruising.
I have AL set up for short-handed sailing. She's got big 2-speed electric primaries, slab reefing on the main, roller furling jib and staysail. All the gear is top quality: 12 Barients, Navtec hydraulics on the backstay, vang, and centerboard. With the board down she draws 3m, and that makes a big difference to her upwind performance. The original 55hp Perkins was replaced by the 2nd owner with a Nani 85hp turbo. The Nani drives a 19" 3 blade Maxprop through an Aquadrive doble thrust bearing which takes all the force of the prop.85hp is good to have in reserve when maneuvering a 20ton yacht under power. She's a real "classic" proper sailing yacht. Below decks she's like a fine piece of furniture and set up for comfort and safety when sailing offshore.
sailing.
I have AL set up for short-handed sailing. She's got big 2-speed electric primaries, slab reefing on the main, roller furling jib and staysail. All the gear is top quality: 12 Barients, Navtec hydraulics on the backstay, vang, and centerboard. With the board down she draws 3m, and that makes a big difference to her upwind performance. The original 55hp Perkins was replaced by the 2nd owner with a Nani 85hp turbo. The Nani drives a 19" 3 blade Maxprop through an Aquadrive doble thrust bearing which takes all the force of the prop.85hp is good to have in reserve when maneuvering a 20ton yacht under power. She's a real "classic" proper sailing yacht. Below decks she's like a fine piece of furniture and set up for comfort and safety when sailing offshore.
Beautiful! Thanks for the interior pics. It looks like a great layout. I love the lip and stainless on the counter with the sink
The double deep sinks on the centerline are a great feature. The "U" shaped galley is very secure for the cook. The salon table had removable fiddles to keep dishes secure. Plenty of hand holds as you move around the interior. I very much appreciate the traditional and usable nav station with room to spread a real chart. The cabin sole is made of solid teak and holly panels, not ply with a thin veneer! The Nani diesel is located under the galley "island" and has removable panels on all 4 sides for easy access. Unlike many "modern" yachts with flat under-bodies, there is a deep bilge so there is no chance of bilge water slopping over the cabin sole when heeled in a seaway. The hull entry is "V" shaped, unlike many "modern" yachts with "U" shaped entry. This means she doesn't pound going up wind in a seaway. On deck at the bow is a proper deep fore-peak/chain locker totally separate from the accommodation by a semi-watertight bulkhead. This is accessed by large Lewmar hatch and a built-in ladder. There is room for all necessary mooring lines, extra bow anchor, 6 large fenders, etc, so no clutter on deck when at sea. My only design complaint is that there is no bridge deck between the cockpit and the companionway. At sea, we keep the lower hatch-board in place.