Intro video for s/v Natalie B YouTube channel

The Trailer for Natalie B

So I needed a highway legal trailer to accommodate a 30'3" long, 8'-9" wide sailboat weighing 9000 lbs. with a 4'3" cutaway full keel. I wanted to be able to pull it with a Chevy Suburban so it also needed to be a bumper tow trailer rather than a goose-neck for a 5th wheel. I also was hoping for the option of ramp launching, but that was low on the priority list. There aren't too many trailers that meet all of my criteria, but I was able to find one that came close enough.

 It is a homemade trailer I found online. It is 27' overall, with a sailboat cradle welded to the top. The cradle supports include telescoping inserts and screw jacks (not pictured above). This was perfect since I would have no time to modify the trailer when I picked up the boat. I was told by the seller that he was told it was built for a capacity of 14,000 lbs. I figured I would need to rebuild the brake system, replace the tires,  and add a bow support. So I made the trip to southern California for the purchase. In my haste, I forgot to confirm the details the seller had told me. When I returned to Utah I started working on the brakes and I learned I had been duped, perhaps unintentionally, but caveat emptor. The seller implied that the two axles were 7000 lb axles, thus the 14,000 lb "rating". Since the trailer is homemade, the only official rating stamped anywhere on it is on the receiver, 12,000 lbs. Since that  met my needs, I figured I was good. Unfortunately the axles were only 3500 lb axles.

          

  









So I had the axles replaced, I added fenders and I reinforced an area between the axles and the receiver where there was a butt joint weld in the 5" C channel frame.

I replaced the tires, added two spares, replaced the 2x12 that the keel rests on and gave it a paint job. I was happy with the results.

 

 
Knowing that the A30 is bow heavy I also had a bow support added. There were screw jacks with pads for each of the four main supports (removed for travel in the picture above), but I needed to create one for the bow support. I figured a scaffold screw jack leg with swivel foot would work. So I bought one and built a pad for it.

             

                          








The final addition was a weight distribution system with dual cam sway bar control.

I initially didn't use the weight distribution system and sway bars as they needed to be properly adjusted once the boat was loaded onto the trailer. Since I had never used this kind of system I wasn't comfortable making the adjustments myself. We found a trailer service center that wasn't far away and was along our route. I was pleasantly surprised with how well the trailer towed without the weight distribution and sway bars, even at 55 mph.  Once the service center adjusted the system, I was comfortably able to keep up with traffic and I felt I had much better control. However, several hundred miles later, I discovered the trailer frame wasn't up to the added stress caused by the weight distribution system. I didn't think to take pictures at the time, but the original 5" C channel was buckling at the point where the reinforcement ended.

In the picture above, the blue indicates the original frame, the red shows the added reinforcement. Notice the added reinforcement ends at the point where the original frame curves/narrows towards the receiver. I didn't get any pictures, but the frame was bending at that curve and the deflection was approximately 6" over the 6 to 7 feet to the receiver. The trailer at that curve was noticeably closer to the ground. Scary.

At this point in our journey, on a gloomy Saturday morning, we found ourselves at a gas station in Charleston, West Virginia. There was a local biker at the pump next to us who offered to make a few calls to help us find a local welder that might be open on a Saturday morning. Fortunately, with biker Randell's help, we found Joe, a truly master welder willing to make our repairs, even on the weekend. Unfortunately the materials needed would not be available until Monday morning.

What were we to do in Charleston, WV for three days while suffering from a severe head cold?

  

Apparently, the thing to do, is self medicate and go bowling. 

First thing Monday morning, Joe got the necessary materials and set out to straighten and reinforce our trailer, while the 9000 lb boat remained in place. He continued the previously added frame reinforcement all the way to the receiver, overlapping with the receiver mounting plate minimizing the redirected stress at that point (left & blue arrows), added stiffeners to the original frame under the cradle (center arrow), added plates at the curve of the original frame and the added reinforcement (right arrow).

 

As you can see, the final repairs worked great, with no further mishaps along the remaining 1900 miles home.

Natalie B Purchase & crane to trailer

Natalie B National (road) Tour

A road trip of epic proportions. The plan, drive 5800 miles round trip to retrieve our newly acquired Alberg 30 sailboat. Due to side adventures including a wedding in the Florida panhandle, meeting family/friends in Tampa, and a few trips between Philadelphia PA (more family) & Oxford PA (location of the boat), we ended up logging ~6400 miles total. The first 4100 miles with an empty trailer in tow, the last 2300 miles with the Alberg 30 loaded trailer.

We traveled through 21 states, 17 of which I had never visited before.
We dodged tornadoes & flooding in Texas.

We got to spend a little time relaxing in Destin FL where we attended the wedding of a close family friend on the beach.

We surely overstayed our welcome in Oxford PA trying to get the boat on the trailer (thanks Howard & Ann and Bob's Crane Company). A video is forthcoming.

  

We were helped out with some spare lumber & screws by a nice family in Valley Fork, WV (Thanks Diana, Anthony, Emma & Lance). We were helped out by a biker on his way to a BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse) charity ride (Thanks Randell). We were rescued from certain trailer failure by a master welder in Charleston WV (Thanks Joe).

We drove through some beautiful, yet eerie Kentucky countryside.

We stayed at the fantastic French Quarter Inn in Maysville KY with a beautiful view overlooking the Ohio river.

We were several days past our original scheduled completion date, so we plowed through the remaining, long yet uneventful days.

Finally arriving home, four days late, but safe and sound.

Home at last.

So, thank you to our friends and family for their love and support through such a crazy adventure, especially my mom who kept us up-to-date with her weather and tornado watch along our route.

There will be more posts to follow, detailing the various aspects our trip, including info about the tow vehicle, the trailer (including its mishaps and many modifications), getting the boat onto the trailer, and the complications of obtaining oversize permits.

Refit considerations & priorities

Last night we did a little informal research (Youtube videos) into composting toilets which got me thinking about what our priorities will/should be when we start the refit of s/v Natalie B. The admiral is very particular about certain comforts so there are a few things not commonly found on an Alberg 30 that I need to consider.

(in no particular order)
- non-messy/non-smelly head (toilet)
- Heater
- shower with hot water
- stove/oven
- storage for blankets/cozy clothing
- dodger & bimini (preferably with enclosure)

Without the boat available to me at the moment to measure and mock up, I am simply relying on my imagination and what I recall from other A30 refits I've seen online. Here are my thoughts about the what, where & how for the items in the list above:

- Head (toilet) - Natures Head or Airhead composting toilet - existing head area

- Heater - Dickenson Newport - propane - port side bulkhead

- Hot water - not sure yet, but could it be as simple as this small on demand propane powered unit? For $150 each, two units could be installed, one for the shower and one for the galley sink.

- Shower - see hot water above - propane - curtain  enclosure with added sump box in the walk through head/hanging locker area (what's the proper name for that area? just head?)

- Stove/oven - not sure yet, probably Dickenson (or similar) two or three burner stove with oven on a gimbal - propane - starboard, directly forward of the existing galley sink. The existing stove would be removed to enlarge the existing sink. The Starboard settee would become shorter, but by cutting a hole in the bulkhead, "foot space" could be extended into the hanging locker keeping the berth a similar length as the existing berth.

- Storage for Blankets etc. - without an inboard engine or a holding tank, I imagine there will be much more space for storage then the boat was originally designed. - I'll keep you posted on this.

- Dodger & Bimini - our boat includes frames for a dodger and a bimini - I'll need to evaluate the placement/effectiveness and investigate the enclosure option once I have the boat on site.


Those are my ideas, for now. I'll keep you posted as the research continues. I'd also love to hear your input, suggestions, experience and advise.

Until next time .... fair winds & following seas.

s/v Natalie B

In January we paid a deposit on a 1971 Alberg 30 sailboat, designed by Carl Alberg, built by Whitby Boat Works in Ontario.

She is currently in southern Pennsylvania waiting for us to pick her up in May. She was rescued from a boatyard crusher by a nice man who couldn't bare to see a classic sailboat destroyed.

The interior is in very rough shape and will need a great deal of elbow and wallet grease. The engine was removed at some point and not re-installed. At this point I don't plan to replace the inboard. Instead, I'll convert the lazarette into a motor well for an outboard motor as done by James Baldwin of AtomVoyages.com on an Alberg 30 and a few other similarly designed boats. 

Although I have not had the chance to personally inspect the boat, my sources tell me that the hull and deck are in good shape, the sails are crisp and the rigging all seems to be accounted for. She seems like the perfect project boat for me to work on for the next 5+ years and someday serve as our cruising getaway.

Perdida means Lost. I'm not convinced that is a great name for a boat. I'd include it on the list of "bad things to name your boat", along with Titanic, Minnow, Lusitania and Unsinkable. Why tempt Neptune like that. Once we have completed the restoration, she will be renamed Natalie B in a proper renaming ceremony.

How far can curiosity take you?

today I was listening to an old podcast of the TED Radio Hour from September 2014, titled James Cameron: How Far Can Curiosity Take You?  Link 
Much of what James Cameron had to say reflects my drive to explore places I've never been,  especially places only (or most easily)  accessible by water. Which is what has inspired me to restore and dream of eventually cruising our own sailboat.

"Curiosity, it's the most powerful thing you own.  Imagination is a force that can actually manifest a reality. "  -  James Cameron

40 hour dash

I spent most of Saturday and all of Sunday driving to Tehachapi,  CA and back to get a trailer for Natalie B. The trailer will need a little work before it is ready to carry the 9000 lb Alberg 30 2500 miles,  but we are now one step closer to bringing her home.

Introduction

Introducing "The Adventures of Natalie B,  from Purchase to Paradise".  A blog about our adventures finding,  retrieving,  restoring,  launching and eventually cruising a 1971 Carl Alberg designed,  Whitby Boat Works built,  Alberg 30, Hull #456.