"Prion" Alden Challenger

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
Anyone know more about this one: http://aldenchallenger.blogspot.com

Low profle house like "Tarna" (949XX), with dog house added.

When compling the listing I had a "Prion" as 949U/1960-61/Yawl/Halmatic[#?]/LeComte[#?] at one time based in Wales.

But this site refers to her as 1964 finished boat... Is there more than one "Prion"?
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Nice work Iain. I wish I could help. Can you tell me how many Challengers have been identified? I wonder if at some point we'll begin to identify those which are now gone? How about Caravelles, are they all accounted for?

This is not an easy process.
 

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
Below is an extract from my list, of Challengers, Zephyrs, Mistrals and Caravelles not accounted for during the life of this forum.

I look forward to intelligence from afar.

Iain

Not accounted for in summary:

Challenger: 23 of 54(?) built
Zephyr: 5 of 11-12 built
Mistral: 5 of 11-12 built
Caravelle: 4 of 18 built (thanks to the good work of Caravelle coordinator Scott Kraft)

I have a hunch that:
949M = "ALLIANCE"
949SS maybe = "PRION"
992Q or 992R = SARASEA (on Jordan Yachts brokerage list 2002)

... and it would be hard to believe that the owner of 949AA isn't aware that he/she owns Tristan Jones's Barbara...

ALDEN CHALLENGER

23, of 54(?) built, not accounted for during lifetime of this forum:

949A/1961/Yawl/Halmatic/Molich/Windsong/Serena/Evanston,IL(2002)
949B/1960/Yawl/Halmatic/Field/Penobscot/Dog Watch/(orig.Boston,MA)
949D/1960/Yawl/Halmatic/Molich/Aylette/Marcie III/(orig.Glendale,OH)
949E/1960/Yawl/Halmatic/Molich/Tyo/(orig.Lancing,MI)
949K/196?/Yawl/Halmatic/Molich/Carillon/(orig.Burlington,VT)
949M/1961/Yawl/Halmatic/Derecktor/Carina III/Keewaydin/(orig.Arlington, MA)
949S/1960/Yawl/Halmatic/LeComte/White Wing/Dealer’s Choice/(orig.Boston,MA)
949V/1960/Yawl/Halmatic/LeComte/Sara/Snark/(orig.New York,NY)
949AA/1961/Yawl/Halmatic/Palmer Johnson/Peleia/Barbara(Tristan Jones?)/Reverie/orig.Naperville,IL)
949CC/1962/Yawl/Halmatic/LeComte/Nimbus/Unicorn/(orig.New York,NY)
949DD/1961/Yawl/Halmatic/Field/Scylla/Meridian of Greenwich/(orig North Wales,U.K.)
949FF/1961/Yawl/Halmatic/LeComte/Lorelei/(orig.New Orleans,LA)
949GG/1963/Yawl/Halmatic[#1098]/Field/Mimiverre/(orig. Hamble,England)
949MM/1962/Yawl/Halmatic/Molich/Twilight/Insurgent/Greystoke/Palaemon/(orig.Providence, RI)
949OO/1963?-71/Sloop/(Halmatic[#1148]/Wade/”Mock Turtle”/(orig. England)/now Argentina? Scotland?
949PP/1963/Yawl/Halmatic/Molich/Tupsi Da/Cu Mara/(orig. New Britain,CT)
949RR/1963/Yawl/Halmatic/Molich/”?”/(orig. Chicago,IL)
949SS/1963/Ketch/Halmatic/MacLachlan/Steinvora/(orig. Kingston, Ont., Canada)
949TT/1963/Yawl/Halmatic/Molich/Snowflake/(orig. Belvedere,CA)
949YY/196?/Yawl/Halmatic/Molich/Blue Magic /(orig. Bay Head,NJ)
949BBB/1964/Yawl+Cutter/Halmatic/Field+Island/Ocean Pelican*/(Orig. Plymouth England [Ocean Youth Club])
949CCC/1965/Yawl/Halmatic/Molich/Serenata*/San Francisco,CA
949DDD/1966/Yawl/Halmatic[#1203]/Souter/Petard*/Kiel,Germany[R. Engineers YC](1980)

Total Built = 54?

ALDEN ZEPHYR

7, of 10 built, not accounted for during lifetime of this forum:

959A /1961/Sloop/Halmatic/Field/Tadpole/Irondequoit III/(orig.Duxbury,MA)
959B/1961/Sloop/Halmatic/Halmatic-Field/Zephyr/Fanny/Maven/(orig.Niagara Falls,NY)
959D/1961/Yawl/Halmatic/Derecktor/Serendipity/(orig.Corpus Christi,TX)
959E/1961/Sloop/Halmatic/Halmatic-Field/Zephyr/(orig.Miami,FL)
959H/1962/Sloop/Halmatic/Molich/Vanity/(orig. Copenhagen, Denmark)
959J/1962/Sloop/Halmatic/Field/Black Magic/(orig. Kalundborg, Denmark)
959K/1963/Sloop/Halmatic/Halmatic-Field/Wahoo/Istar/Bandito/Felicity/orig.St. Louis,MU)

Total built = 10

ALDEN MISTRAL

5, of 11-12 built, not accounted for during lifetime of this forum:

981C/1965/Sloop/Halmatic/Field/Galliard/Makai/(orig.Hartford,CT)
981F/1966/Sloop/Halmatic/Moody/Sonsie/(Orig. Hamble,England)
981G/1965/Sloop/Halmatic/Field/Ti(Halmatic demo. boat, orig.England)
981H/1966/Sloop/Halmatic/Field/Vedra K/True North/orig. England/Halifax.N.S.(1980)
[?981(M)/1968/Sloop/Halmatic/Halmatic or Field/?/?]

Total built = 11? or 12?

ALDEN CARAVELLE

4, of 18, built not accounted for during lifetime of this forum:

992K/1967/Sloop/Halmatic/Halmatic/Trotolla/(orig. Italy)
992N/1971/Yawl/Hodgdon/Hodgdon [#4201]/Chaser
992Q/1973/Sloop/Hodgdon/Hodgdon [#4204]/Lady Alice
992R/1973/Sloop/Hodgdon/Hodgdon [#4205]/Chic

Total built = 18

ALDEN CARAVELLE NAME ONLY (not yet connected to an Alden #)

SARASEA/197?/Sloop/Hodgdon/Hodgdon [#420?]/FL(Jordan Yacht, 2002)
 
Mar 8, 2009
1
Hi Ian,

My wife and I (Marina and Norris Eaton) are the owners of a 1963 Alden Challenger called "PRION" - we bought it in 2005 from a gentleman in Nova Scotia. He found the boat in Ontario in 1986, stripped it to the bare hull and deck and did a complete rebuild, finishing in 1990. With his wife, they cruised for 2 years, traveling from Nova Scotia to the Azores, Spain, Med (Italy for the winter), then on to South America before returning to Nova Scotia. I believe this was his 3rd boat (and 4th long term cruise with his wife), spanning the 60's to the 90's.

When we bought PRION she was in immaculate condition and very well equipped. Pictures of the boat show some of the changes made when it was rebuilt (paste following link to your browser).

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?u ... feat=email

Within a week of purchasing Prion, we on our way south, leaving Chester, Nova Scotia in late August (05). We spent the year working our way to the Exumas and Cuba, then back to our home in Newfoundland by the following August (06). For our next trip we hope to add a few upgrades, specifically a chart plotter and radar, and possibly a new Yanmar with a Vari-prop.

Regards,
Norris
(Pasadena, Newfoundland)

p.s. If you cannot access the pictures with the above link, please send me your e-mail address and I will send you an invite that way. My e-mail address is norris.eaton@gmail.com.
 

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
Wow! Nice to hear from you Norris. Prion is a fascinating evolution; I think many will be amazed at the subtly done but significant interior differences from the majority of Challengers. And she gets away with raised freeboard in an elegant, Laurent Giles sort of way.

Sounds as if you don’t know much about her story pre 1986? I feel sure that she must be Alden design number 949SS: moulded by Halmatic in England, finished by MacLachlan Lumber Co., Kingston, Ontario, and launched in 1963 as “Steinvora”.

A Google search for “MacLachlan Lumber Co” comes up with a suitably lively obituary for larger than life character Alexander (Sandy) MacLachlan, who we can presume must have been her first owner, and finisher.