New Alpha 42 to be Built in the US

[MIRELOS]

I can see that he is in good hands.
We will be in the Baltimore area this summer cruising, hopefully will cross wakes and I'll see your beautiful new cat

[cruisingkrol]

Thanks. We'll look for you. I hope you'll sail south of the Bay Bridge because some of the prettiest anchorages and most charming old towns are off the Eastern Bay and the Choptank. Our home port is on the West River, a bit south of Annapolis, an easy sail to those destinations.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by cruisingkrol

The Rottweiler is also an ancient breed thought to be developed by the Romans for herding/protecting their cattle.

Our boy is quite old for his breed mix, 108 in dog years, so we have some concerns about his ability to continue to sail with us. Summer before last he was having a difficult time making the big step - sometimes jump - from dock to the stern of our Lavezzi; negotiating the steps to the swim platform was a challenge. He's had a whole year off from sailing. Fortunately, the Alpha has a wide side gate so we will be able to use a gangplank - yet to be designed - to enable him to board. Getting him into the dinghy will be much more difficult as the Alpha steps are steeper than the Lavezzi's and lack the very large bottom step, the swim platform.

Any serious practical ideas out there?

Perhaps get the dog into the dinghy while it's still on the stern, or bring the dinghy back up so the dog can step into it with minimal effort.

I have a 10 yr old female Rottie who thinks she owns the house, including me. 100 lbs of big baby lap dog that has such a deep bark people jump off the lawn when she starts up! LOL

[monte]

Ours is 9 and manages climbing the swim ladder with ease still. Hopefully he will stay fit for a long long time. We were concerned bout him boarding from marinas as well and planned a landing platform to be supported from the transom, but so far we've managed with a plank when berthed stern to, or lifting him on if side to. He could jump but our cat has no side gate so negotiating the lifelines would be a bit tricky. Sometimes things just work out as you go along (usually Balrog works it out before us) so hopefully yours will find a good system that suits him as well. It might be worth getting a dinghy with a foreword locker that acts as a step as well. The distance from the hull to the top of the floats, plus the slippery angled hull floor can make for a bit of effort in and out for a dog as well.

[cruisingkrol]

Oh these Rotties: so intimidating; such cuddlepups. Sooo opinionated.

Socaldmax, I know what you mean about Big Barks. We live on the hillside of a stream valley so when Max barks it echoes through the wooded valley. One of the neighbors commented that when he hears that bark he always thinks of the Hound of the Baskervilles.

Handsome Shepherd, Monte. Max has never been very athletic, we think that's because of his very limited activity as a young dog. He loves to play in the water and he can swim but really really prefers not to, so no experience climbing a swim ladder.

Yep, the new dinghy has a forward locker just like the old one. His favorite dinghy position was standing on rear legs with front paws over the forward pontoon. Hmmm, don't think he'll be able to maintain that position for long, given his back end.

The "teak" decking goes on our Alpha 42 today. That should give Max decent traction; hope it holds up to his nails.

[cruisingkrol]

Sigh. It's been a while so I thought I'd post an update in case anyone's still interested in the Alpha 42.

We now expect to sail Platypuss (ss because she's a cat) home the last week in June. Electronics are ready to be installed; marine electricians on LI at this time of year apparently are hard to find. Why one has to be found rather than being in-house is a long story.

The next couple of Alphas are well along and should be launched over the summer.

[Red Herring]

Thanks for updating. I have been following this as the 42 is one of the boats my wife and I are interested in.

[cruisingkrol]

Hey Red Herring - If you're anywhere on/near the Chesapeake, come see our Alpha this summer. We'll be sailing the length of The Bay.

[cruisingkrol]

Woowee!!!! Our Alpha 42 is now in her home port of Galesville MD at Hartge's Yacht Harbor. More about the cat and the trip when my brain figures out that it is ashore.

Come visit and have a look!

[deckofficer]

Look forward to hearing about the boat, trip, and of course some pictures. Congrats on your patience.

[cruisingkrol]

Thanks, deckofficer, it's been a long hard slog, that's for sure.

Since we had wind on the nose all the way from Patchogue to Galesville, we haven't had enough experience to make a judgement of her as a sailing vessel. I can say that the Alpha sure is a comfortable ride with very comfortable living spaces. The cockpit is a real Gin Palace. Some folks on the forum don't like Gregor's design, but we've sure had lots of folks at marinas exclaiming over her looks. And, quite a few boats on the Chesapeake sailed over for a long look.

Pics as soon I catch up with the land chores.

[MIRELOS]

hope to cross wakes with you (in Baltimore at the moment).
I trust Gregor's eye, so I'm sure she's a looker

[meatservo]

Why no more updates on the Alpha 42?

[ZipTie]

meatservo,

Not much to report.
Hull #1 lost at sea.
A few hulls built since, but still expensive compared to production boats.
They have a lot of growing pains.
Wish them the best, but will take some time to get that ball rolling.

[Southern Star]

I'm sure the strengthening of the USD as against other currencies since they started this laudable project hasn't helped. I wish them well.