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Ok I Admit, I Own An Alphacraft


tjg1677

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Hi Culcus,welcome to the forum. I own an Alpha 35 centre cockpit which I now have had for 24years and bought when she was 4 years old. Built as a private boat and has remained so since then with only 2 owners,the first person then myself. Sadly I dont and never will do facebook but hope your idea gets off the ground

Boycee

 

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Just been idly flicking through the forum topics and stumbled across this section about your boat etc.  Much to my surprise there was nothing under Alphacraft, so I thought I would start the ball rolling - does anyone else own one, what do you think, pros / cons, likes / dislikes, foibles, problems  etc etc. Cant beleive I am the only alphacraft owner on the forum - if I am then I own up and admit to having one.... lol.
For the record, mine is a 42 Lowliner, not the most popular of boats I know and not that many in private hands. So come on AC owners, please 'fess up and be counted :-) .
Trev
We have an alpha 35.Great boat

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

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  • 1 year later...

Hi Andrew As said Osmosis doesn't sink boats if your hull is constructed march on wards it is thought to be less pron to osmosis (they build the hull then stick it out side to cure while making next one) if warm/hot this allows the gel to cure quickly as against December,January, another reducing factor is to lift boat out over winter to allow hull to dry off, along with if the interior of hull is kept dry and or given a couple of coats of egg shell emulsion to seal inside of gel coat is another idea, i had a Princes that was constructed April and had the interior emulsioned which had no osmosis this tends to support this theory, if found it can be a way of reducing the price if the boat has osmosis so well worth a survey/lift out. John

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There are definitely some Alphacraft builds about which have had issues either with osmosis or even delamination of the layup.

Some of the major brokers are aware of particular boats and will refuse to list them, but others may exist.

Having said that, there can of course be decent examples from Alpha which will give no problems.

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  • 2 months later...
5 minutes ago, Jen2y said:

but can anyone make recommendations for osmosis treatment?

Do what your mother always said - it'll never get better if you pick it!

Seriously though, don't do anything, is best.  They say if a boat is going to get osmosis it will happen in the first 2 or 3 years of its life.  After that it won't get any worse.

One thing you must not do is leave the boat out of the water in winter.  If the bubbles freeze, they will burst and then you have problems!

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A good friend of mine purchased an old seamaster a few years past and his survey warned of severe osmosis , he has owned her now for twelve years and has monitored the hull and any deterioration, to date the osmosis has not worsened and with exception of antifoul every three years no other measures have been taken .

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Guest Trembler

My boat was surveyed and reported to have osmotic (if that is even a word) bubbles. I was also told by the surveyor (in layman's terms) to basically just leave it be, which I did except for antifouling, and always just continued to use her over the winter when others were having theirs put onto the hard...she hasn't even come close to sinking yet :default_biggrin:

G

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  • 3 weeks later...
36 minutes ago, Jen2y said:

thanks.  im not worried about sinking.

You got a discount when you bought the boat, expect to have to give a discount when you sell the boat.

Other then that don't worry about it. Happy boating.

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Mine has a nice spattering of small blisters all over the underside, what am I going to do about it? Sod all! Will it put me off going out to sea in it? Not a jot!

It's taken 40 years to get like that so it will likely outlive me and Greta Thunderpants will have a fatwa on my engine bay long before then anyway.

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On 12/11/2021 at 17:17, Jen2y said:

update

survey done and disappointingly had loads of small blisters.  got a discount eventually.  

we will put on hard yearly and monitor, but can anyone make recommendations for osmosis treatment?

many thanks

Andrew

Hi Andrew, Don't worry about it, your boat will outlive most of us on the forum!

Back in the 80's, I had a Sigma 33 yacht, which had osmosis small blisters, I enjoyed 100's of races with her and several holidays on the Dutch Lakes. I sold her 20 years later still in good racing condition.

I now have an Alpha 36 (single level type with access for and aft) and love her, they're great boats. Is yours the one I saw out of the water at Horning Pleasurecraft a couple of weeks ago, if so she looks great. There are 3 others moored in close proximity on the pontoon nearest the boat I think yours might be, which includes mine and my sister's.

Look forward to meeting you some time. Have you joined the Alphacraft Owners Group, a great bunch of people and it's free, see the facebook page. 

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As others have said, don't worry about osmosis. Almost all fibreglass boats of a certain age will have blisters. Mine did when I bought it, and had no worse when I sold it 20 years later. It wasn't mentioned as a bargaining point on sale either. It's expected. 

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Paul, 

Thanks for your reply.

Yes that's our Alpha.  Funnily enough we met your sister and the marina last week.  She was one that told us about the Alpha Owners club.  I googled it but couldn't find anything - and have just posted a question as a new topic.

Have now found it on facebook.

Hope to see you around in the summer.

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Lovejoy was blessed with the dreaded Osmopox. Quite a lot of it. I got to 150 bubbles and stopped counting. 

Some had previously been repaired badly. A perfect circle cut with a holes saw (sans pilot bit), filled with P38 and antifouling. 

Each bubble was popped and ground out to clean and dry(ish) material, left to dry out for a couple of weeks and then filled with posh epoxy filler. 

The grinding took a couple of very dusty days and filling about the same. 

In all honesty it had survived 50 years without my intervention and probably would have survived another 50. 

I feel better for doing it though. 

As mentioned above. Osmosis has not sunk a boat to my knowledge. 

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20 hours ago, Jen2y said:

Hi Paul, 

Thanks for your reply.

Yes that's our Alpha.  Funnily enough we met your sister and the marina last week.  She was one that told us about the Alpha Owners club.  I googled it but couldn't find anything - and have just posted a question as a new topic.

Have now found it on facebook.

Hope to see you around in the summer.

Hope I can get my sister to join as well!!

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  • 1 year later...
On 27/09/2016 at 09:29, boycee said:

We have got an Alpha 35 centre cockpit which I bought from a private owner in 1995. She was built in 1991 and is 25 years old now , but as good as ever. Wouldn't change Sandpiper for any other boat.

Boycee:party2:

Hello I’m guessing this maybe the beautiful boat my dad had built - lady rose? I’d love to see pics of her . Dad died 10 years ago and the boat had so many happy memories for me regards David 

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