Hi, we have an Albin Viggen 23 and I've removed some of the cupboard in the entrance to the bow sleeping area. Partly because a lot of the ply was rotten and also, hopefully, to redesign it for more leg space given that we are both quite tall. After looking at online photos of other Albin Viggens I've realised that what was in our boat was not the original fitting. I'm trying to understand why it was modified in the past. The photo I've posted shows the arched ceiling area under the foot of the mast. I pulled off four pieces of 6mm ply that where laminated together to accommodate the curve in the ceiling. This piece of ply was badly glued on and supported by a piece of 3x1 running down to the floor on each side of the door way. If anyone knows Albin Viggens I would be grateful for an opinion as to why someone put the ply there and should it be replaced or if there is no problem with removing the cupboard area for more leg room. I've attached a photo of our boat after gut out and an online photo that has no ply on the ceiling and no extra uprights for comparison. Thanks in advance.
Modifications to an Albin Viggen
- Thread starter TonyJo&JillBob
- Start date
Apparently this is a deck-stepped mast and my first guess would be that the plywood was a retro-fit solution for a soft deck. The arch has to be strong enough to support the mast without flexing the coach roof. I would tap the area of the coach roof around the mast to check for delamination of core material under the mast. You may find flexing just by standing on the roof.
It appears to me that the beam and the bulkhead underneath the beam is structural support that is intended to transfer deck load to the hull. The closet features don't appear to be floor-to-ceiling, but, that said the walls may contribute to stiffness. I'd be hesitant to remove all of that material, but if it's rotted, you have no choice. I think I would be selective and careful not to remove anything that is tabbed into the hull for stiffness.
It appears to me that the beam and the bulkhead underneath the beam is structural support that is intended to transfer deck load to the hull. The closet features don't appear to be floor-to-ceiling, but, that said the walls may contribute to stiffness. I'd be hesitant to remove all of that material, but if it's rotted, you have no choice. I think I would be selective and careful not to remove anything that is tabbed into the hull for stiffness.
Hi,
the Viggens do have a deck-stepped mast (VIGGEN 23 (ALBIN) - sailboatdata), which i can attest from my own 1973 Viggen MINOR (Nokkala/Espoo/Finland). Mine looks a lot like the second picture that you posted, except it does not (yet) have/need the bolts that run horizontally across the beam above the walkthrough to the salon. This bolting is a very common solution for the bigger sibling of the Viggen, the Albin Vega. For that one you can find beam supports made of steel which can be inserted into or onto the beam, and then bolted fast, to prevent further sagging of the beam. It is a common problem for the Vega due to the slightly heaver deck-stepped mast. For my Viggen, the previous owner (age 65+, very seasoned) told me to tighten the shrouds in spring only carefully, so that "the tension is equally distributed and the mast does not bend under load - but absolutely no further, because it would push the mast into the deck". This is true for all Viggens and perhaps also the Vegas. For your boat, i agree with Scott that "soft deck" may be an additional issue.
I drilled into my boat's deck for routing antenna wiring below deck. This runs along the wiring for the mast light, atop the horizontal beam, in a canal. You could consider removing mast base and/or the wiring base for the mast light, in order to gain visual and haptic access to the sandwich deck. Let me know if you need photos of my deck's sandwich. Is yours a Karlskrona Viggen (1966- ~1971) or an Albin Viggen (after that)?
Cheers,
Joc
the Viggens do have a deck-stepped mast (VIGGEN 23 (ALBIN) - sailboatdata), which i can attest from my own 1973 Viggen MINOR (Nokkala/Espoo/Finland). Mine looks a lot like the second picture that you posted, except it does not (yet) have/need the bolts that run horizontally across the beam above the walkthrough to the salon. This bolting is a very common solution for the bigger sibling of the Viggen, the Albin Vega. For that one you can find beam supports made of steel which can be inserted into or onto the beam, and then bolted fast, to prevent further sagging of the beam. It is a common problem for the Vega due to the slightly heaver deck-stepped mast. For my Viggen, the previous owner (age 65+, very seasoned) told me to tighten the shrouds in spring only carefully, so that "the tension is equally distributed and the mast does not bend under load - but absolutely no further, because it would push the mast into the deck". This is true for all Viggens and perhaps also the Vegas. For your boat, i agree with Scott that "soft deck" may be an additional issue.
I drilled into my boat's deck for routing antenna wiring below deck. This runs along the wiring for the mast light, atop the horizontal beam, in a canal. You could consider removing mast base and/or the wiring base for the mast light, in order to gain visual and haptic access to the sandwich deck. Let me know if you need photos of my deck's sandwich. Is yours a Karlskrona Viggen (1966- ~1971) or an Albin Viggen (after that)?
Cheers,
Joc