Hello,
I own SPRING TIDES, a Challenger which my parents purchased in the 1960's. The kept the boat in Newport, RI in the summer, and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in the winter, with twenty four round trips via the Intra-Coastal Waterway.
Following my mother's death in 1992, the boat wasn't maintained, and in 1995, my father decided to sell her. She was in such poor shape that he couldn't find a buyer, so I had the boat trucked to Guilford, Connecticut, and thought I'd fix her up somewhat, and then sell her.
I have zero technical ability, but a lot of persistence. For a number of years, I and my family worked on the boat. Then I hired a family friend to finish the effort, who turned out to be mentally ill, and the restoration effort sufferred dramatic damage. I finally moved the boat to a small yard in Noank, where the work has been slow and very expensive, but of good quality.
My father observed the restoration effort with amusement, love, and concern for my bank account. He saw us relaunch SPRING TIDES last fall, but died this past December before sailing her again.
In any event, SPRING TIDES is in the water, almost fully restored. I love the boat, and expect to be actively sailing this summer. If this forum existed ten years ago, I know I would have been saved a ton of money, and years of time. I hope you will be happy to know that another Alden Challenger exists, and is healthy, hopefully almost as good as new.
Bo Huhn
I own SPRING TIDES, a Challenger which my parents purchased in the 1960's. The kept the boat in Newport, RI in the summer, and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in the winter, with twenty four round trips via the Intra-Coastal Waterway.
Following my mother's death in 1992, the boat wasn't maintained, and in 1995, my father decided to sell her. She was in such poor shape that he couldn't find a buyer, so I had the boat trucked to Guilford, Connecticut, and thought I'd fix her up somewhat, and then sell her.
I have zero technical ability, but a lot of persistence. For a number of years, I and my family worked on the boat. Then I hired a family friend to finish the effort, who turned out to be mentally ill, and the restoration effort sufferred dramatic damage. I finally moved the boat to a small yard in Noank, where the work has been slow and very expensive, but of good quality.
My father observed the restoration effort with amusement, love, and concern for my bank account. He saw us relaunch SPRING TIDES last fall, but died this past December before sailing her again.
In any event, SPRING TIDES is in the water, almost fully restored. I love the boat, and expect to be actively sailing this summer. If this forum existed ten years ago, I know I would have been saved a ton of money, and years of time. I hope you will be happy to know that another Alden Challenger exists, and is healthy, hopefully almost as good as new.
Bo Huhn
