Berth Lengths for Albin Vega, Rawson 30, Alberg 30 and the like?

[KetoNomad]

Originally Posted by Captain Puget

One of the reasons I bought my Rawson 30 pilot house was headroom. At 6'3' I have standing headroom (mostly). All bunks are 6'6' and the quarter berth could be expanded if you are willing to give up a little storage. Very stoutly built.

Yeah I really like the Rawson 30, little floating tanks Nice to look at too, I think. I gather the design calls for chain plates surrounded by teak, is that true? Have you found that to be a source of accelerated corrosion? It's the one thing I don't really get about the design but then, I'm not a naval architect by a long shot

Thank you for the info, sounds like this boat is in my number two spot of preferred designs. What's it like in light air and going upwind? How about that companionway door? Does it let water in at the bottom easily? Most photos I've seen seem to indicate a gap just about 2" off the cockpit sole is present when the door is closed. Do you think that would be difficult to remedy?

[KetoNomad]

Originally Posted by AmericanVagrant

As I'm reading this from my Vega, I decided to take measurements for you. The two longest berths (port side V-berth and starboard side cabin berth) measure 6'6" almost exactly. Your idea about closing in the gap on the v-berth is a good one, there is sufficient space for you to do this and come up with your extra height and then some.

For what it's worth, I'm 6'1" and have become accustomed to hunching over...pretty sure I'd be able to say the same thing if I were 7" taller. You'll feel particularly gigantic when emerging from the forward berth area, but in time you'd get used to it. A taller boat would be nice, but something of comparable design, build, capability and cost while also offering substantially more clearance is going to be difficult to come by.

Ahh thank you for that much needed info, I had a feeling someone with a Vega would read this and take pity on me, haha. I am thrilled to hear it's possible to fit in one, too and I agree it should be manageable to live with below decks. maybe I will get lucky and shrink as I get older, one can only hope.

Any advice for me as far as looking for Vegas is concerned? Have you modified your mast support at all? What have you got for power and galley amenities? I don't need a big stove, just something that can fry steaks and single pan meals but a freezer is huge on my list of wants as I prefer to eat meat and fat and i don't think that'll be too easy to do without a freezer. Even in BC in the winter a cooler full of ice will only last a week at most.

Someone mentioned Vega cockpits can get pretty full in a big following wave, has that been an issue for you? I gather the drains are very good at getting rid of water fast so I'm not worried. Every design's going to have it's drawbacks but the Vega seems like the perfect mix for me.

Saw a Vega just collecting algae the other day at a marina nearby, owner ostensibly using it as a residence/garbage dump and nothing more, what a shame. Nothing for sale closer than Ventura.

[Adelie]

Nothing closer than Ventura? Where are you based? Should be in your profile.

[clockwork orange]

Good call on the Columbia 34 Jim Cate, pretty cheap too.. I always liked the look of them and if I remember right they were advertised as having seven feet of headroom through the saloon. I used to own Macgregor 36 catamaran that had 2 berths that were 11' long but very low headroom. I would think that there would be quite a few boats with quarter berths where you could cut a hole through the bulkhead into the lazarette and build a platform to lengthen the berth.

Steve.

[clockwork orange]

I have an old Lindenberg 26 that has very large quarter berths that could possibly be lengthened but the settee berths could also be lengthened into the galley cabinets aft or through the bulkhead fwd into the hanging lockers. No vee berths. It has 5'11" headroom throughout the cabin so you would still be stooping. This is a 1977 boat with more interior space than any other boat I have been on in the same size range, 9'6"beam, 20" side decks, a large foredeck for a dinghy and a phrf rating of 168, yep, that's 1 minute 18 seconds per mile faster than an Albin Vega and they go upwind well. Theres one for sale on ebay now that I would buy in a heartbeat if I didn't already have too many boats. I didn't notice if it had a trailer but I towed mine about 500 miles with a cradle on a borrowed 7500 lb flatbed trailer behind a 96 Chevy Tahoe.


Steve.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by KetoNomad

Ahh thank you for that much needed info, I had a feeling someone with a Vega would read this and take pity on me, haha. I am thrilled to hear it's possible to fit in one, too and I agree it should be manageable to live with below decks. maybe I will get lucky and shrink as I get older, one can only hope.

Any advice for me as far as looking for Vegas is concerned? Have you modified your mast support at all? What have you got for power and galley amenities? I don't need a big stove, just something that can fry steaks and single pan meals but a freezer is huge on my list of wants as I prefer to eat meat and fat and i don't think that'll be too easy to do without a freezer. Even in BC in the winter a cooler full of ice will only last a week at most.

Someone mentioned Vega cockpits can get pretty full in a big following wave, has that been an issue for you? I gather the drains are very good at getting rid of water fast so I'm not worried. Every design's going to have it's drawbacks but the Vega seems like the perfect mix for me.

Saw a Vega just collecting algae the other day at a marina nearby, owner ostensibly using it as a residence/garbage dump and nothing more, what a shame. Nothing for sale closer than Ventura.

Sounds like your heart is set on a Vega? That's ok, it's a nice little torpedo if you are ok with its smallness. I bet the owner of the one you spied will accept a reasonable offer if you get a hold of him/her even if there is no for sale sign on her.

[KetoNomad]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Nothing closer than Ventura? Where are you based? Should be in your profile.

Vancouver Island, British Columbia in Canada

I've seen a few project boats but even if I had the time for that I wouldn't bother. I want to sail, not spend months or years fixing stuff.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by KetoNomad

Vancouver Island, British Columbia in Canada

I've seen a few project boats but even if I had the time for that I wouldn't bother. I want to sail, not spend months or years fixing stuff.

There is actually one in a yard here ( near Ventura) but it is already on a trailer. Shall I investigate it for you?

[KetoNomad]

Originally Posted by Don C L

There is actually one in a yard here ( near Ventura) but it is already on a trailer. Shall I investigate it for you?

No website info on it? I don't want to put you out. That's a very kind offer, by the way, thank you

is it this one https://images.craigslist.org/00C0C_...L_1200x900.jpg ? Cause if so then I'm not even going to bother.

[clockwork orange]

If you are 6'8" I'm guessing you probably have big feet too. Many boats in the size range we are talking here are fairly narrow and have very narrow side decks which makes going forward difficult even for smaller folks like myself so something to consider. Also few have enough space anywhere on deck to carry a dinghy of any type so you are stuck with towing or deflating. A lot of the smaller cult boats such as the Vega and Contessa 26 fall into this category and also are low on freeboard, (particularly the Contessa) so that when they are loaded for live aboard and cruising they are wet and even slower than their phrf would suggest. Most have cored decks and if its balsa or plywood (which most are) it can be very problematic. Foam cored decks are a better choice but it is uncommon in any price range. They can still get wet with the usual poor maintainance but don't rot out. The Albin Vega has well known weak points which are just the same as many other coastal cruiser/racers of the same vintage that need rectifying if not already done.
I'm going to make one more plug for the Lindenberg 26 since there is actually a nice one currently on ebay (no affiliation) because to me they would make a much better live aboard pocket cruiser than any of the usual suspects for the following reasons 1/ very long waterline at 23ft 2/ big freeboard so less affected by loading for cruising 3/solid glass below the waterline, foam cored above and deck. 4/ wide beam and narrow cabin trunk give very wide side decks, about 20" alongside the trunk cabin. 5/ large foredeck, big enough for a small hard dinghy. 6/ no vee berth so the main bulkhead is further forward making the cabin as long as an Erickson 35 so a large feel down below 7/ huge quarter berths. 8/ fast, fast ,fast. (phrf 168) that's over a minute a mile faster than the Albin. 9/ 5'11" headroom throughout the cabin.10/ Good upwind performance, a very powerful boat for its size. The biggest faults would be not the greatest cockpit and only one small deck locker.

Steve.

[Pizzazz]

Have a look at the Hunter 31, 1983-87 vintage. The aft double berth is 8' in length. I'm 6'4" myself and she was the only small size boat I could imagine sleeping in.

[jpendoley]

I lived and cruised on a Pearson Vanguard. Only 32 feet LOA, but 6'4" head room. Pretty heavily built and sails ok given the era it was built in. Good sea boat. there were two layouts-traditional aft galley and dinette. The dinette layout was awesome at anchor, less so at sea, but not terrible either.
Mine has a rebuilt A4, beta makes a drop in diesel replacement many like. Inexpensive to buy and can be refurbed to your hearts content. Rhodes design with a good pedigree. One of the virtues is they were so simply constructed on the interior that they could be a blank canvas.
I tore out the hull lining and laid on closed cell foam and ribbing and vboard strakes. Made the boat warm and dry in the winter, cool in the summer.
won't point high, think 50degree TWA, but I seemed to average 5.5 knots with crew of two adults and two children.

Added a propane Dickensen heater, hot water, converted the old alcohol stovetop and oven to propane.
And its a Rhodes design so its a conservative CCA era design. Never felt unsafe on the boat in any conditions. Dead simple to sail and one of the prettier boats in any harbor.

[jpendoley]

Forgot to mention, I am 6"1". My vanguard had dual quarterberths, plenty long enough for me and wide enough too. vberth is also wide and comfortable

[jongleur]

My Catalina 30 has a quarterberth with
plenty of diagonal length. You could also
sleep in the saloon with the table down
or in the Vberth. Mine's for sale by
Classic Yachts in Washington. It's
got a fin keel and balanced rudder with
a tiller, but I haven't heard any bad
stories of C30s losing their rudders.
Headroom is about 6'3" Just about the
most popular cruising design ever.
With the huge companionway hatch
open, you could easily stand in the galley
or at the nav station with clear headroom.

[AmericanVagrant]

Originally Posted by KetoNomad

Ahh thank you for that much needed info, I had a feeling someone with a Vega would read this and take pity on me, haha. I am thrilled to hear it's possible to fit in one, too and I agree it should be manageable to live with below decks. maybe I will get lucky and shrink as I get older, one can only hope.

Any advice for me as far as looking for Vegas is concerned? Have you modified your mast support at all? What have you got for power and galley amenities? I don't need a big stove, just something that can fry steaks and single pan meals but a freezer is huge on my list of wants as I prefer to eat meat and fat and i don't think that'll be too easy to do without a freezer. Even in BC in the winter a cooler full of ice will only last a week at most.

Someone mentioned Vega cockpits can get pretty full in a big following wave, has that been an issue for you? I gather the drains are very good at getting rid of water fast so I'm not worried. Every design's going to have it's drawbacks but the Vega seems like the perfect mix for me.

Saw a Vega just collecting algae the other day at a marina nearby, owner ostensibly using it as a residence/garbage dump and nothing more, what a shame. Nothing for sale closer than Ventura.

The first Vega I found was via Craigslist, and the second was a man that I had come to know due to our mutual interest in Vegas. The four primary sources you should use are:

- Craigslist
- Albin Vega Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/169639133073151/)
- Albin Vega Yahoo Group (https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AlbinVega/info)
- YachtWorld

I recommend becoming members of both the Yahoo group and Facebook group, then make a post on each explaining what you're looking for (the Yahoo group especially), how far you're willing to travel and for how much. As with anything, there are bound to be people who have been sitting on their Vega, ready to sell but without the motivation to do so. You might be able to shake some capitalism out of them.

Regarding modifications to my boat, check out my page here: Blue Water Albin Vega | American Vagrant

It will explain most of what has been done. You can also see my "To Do list" for what's in the plans. The mast support was modified on both of my Vegas, easy and relatively inexpensive project. I'm using a remote control outboard, so used the space where the inboard once was for my Engel fridge/freezer (by far my favorite modification). If you end up with an inboard, it's still possible to install an Engel top-loading fridge/freezer into the location of the galley ice box.

For more info on this process, see: S/V Blue Max

You can contact Ric, he's a very nice guy.

Regarding the cockpit size, the stock drains are very large, but apparently someone felt the need to supplement them, as mine has an additional 1.5" drain added. I had read that the stock drainage was adequate.