 |
 |
|||||||||||
|
Albin Vega nr. 1672 RebellionRebellion specsBig problems Small problems Purchase Renovation Watertightness Insulation Outboard storage Renovation work in Buenos Aires General:The Albin Vega yacht is quite popular: around 3450 of them were build, all of those in Sweden. Build in mahogony after a 1964 design by Per Brohall, the prototype was tested and found well. The rest were build in polyester. Production seazed in 1979. The Vega is a nicely old-fashioned little boat: very solid. Semi S-curved (not over the full length of the boat) and relatively less wet surface area than full S-curved yachts. The flat underwatership allows good surfing of waves. Steady tracking and easy to sail. Worldwide many Vega owners have united in national clubs. In the Netherlands there's a Vega unity class with organised racing. That's a good way to learn to get maximum results out of your Vega. Unfortunately I never got a chance to compete since the races are all from May untill September and that's the time I'm usually cruising somewhere. In my opinion, people better race in winter times, as more people have some time then.  Rebellion specs:Type: Albin Vega nr. 1672 Year: 1972 Length o.a.: 8.23 m Beam: 2.48 m Depth: 1.20 m Unloaded weight: 2300 kg Motor: Yamaha Enduro, 2stroke, 8 pk longtail Sailplan: Sloop, masttop, Sparcraft mast and boom, 6mm stay's Winches: Lewmar 3x en Anderson 3x Watertank: 60 litres (additional jerrycans) Petroltank: 20 litres  Sails:
Extra's:
The Albin Vega has a good reputation for seaworthiness. Not all proven unfortunately. But some long journeys were undertaken with Vega's. Perhaps the best known are:
All three wrote a book about their journeys. But not all sailors write books. Some circumnavigations were made and many ocean crossings. All sailors have had to change their yacht beforehand or have damaged their ship during sailing. The problems are easily solved. With a good pair of two right-hands the Albin Vega is, in my opinion, the best long distance cruiser in it's price range! How many ten-thousand euro boats can be sailed anywhere without a problem? Okay, tell me the problems! 
I laminated 15mm multiplex on foam with 6cm fat beams to keep it all up. Pulpit: also much too weak. 
Kees Smit (another Vegasailor) knows a guy and he welds a new plate on the pulpit. Windows: only fitted with some rubber, a breaker will definetely knock it out! 
I constructed a lexane overwindow. Because plastics leak quickly I leave the old window as it is. Small problems:
All in all it's quite good!! As long as you know what to expect all of the above mentioned problems can be easily and quickly solved. I'll show you below with pictures what I have changed on my yacht. On top of this there are some points that cannot be solved. Personnally, if I had the time and the money, I would rebuild the whole deck. The gangways are too small to walk to the foredeck fast and safely. On top of that the bend in the deck makes it difficult to lead all ropes backward without friction. Also I would make the interior out of one piece from wood and epoxy, and fill the empty holes with foam. But we'll do this the next time I'll buy a boat... One other disadvantage of the Vega is the small motor-compartment. This makes engine maintenance a big nuisance. And off course the fact that the propellor is behind the rudder. Manoeuvering with a Vega on engine is a real art. At least for me! When sailing this is no problem off course, but when limited to lakes and inshore waters with lots of locks and bridges this really sucks.  Early 2001 I bought the Silba from Mr. Poppema in Haren, Groningen, the Netherlands (of all places). I sailed the boat to Stellendam, where I docked it. The next year I moved it to Hellevoetsluis. the year after that I was in Amsterdam and the last two years in Hellevoetsluis again. 
Baring the hull and sanding it. 
Painting. 
Rekitting the hull-deck joint. 
“If u can't Duc it, fuck it” 
Interior in white and glossy green, fresh and light, feeling of space. 
Head. 
Mastbase: During first journey to Norway the mast breaks in a storm. Completely new rig: mastbase is now aluminium. I renovated the deck because it has a larger size. Watertightness. 
Replacing the hatch. 
 New door. 
Bilgedrain: laminated with epoxy. 
Location of instrumentpanel: relocated to portside. Watertank: foamed, also works as insulation. Nuts: Loctite has made them self-locking. Rudder: not changed, but I did make a hole through the uppermost corner to put in place emergency steering. On top of that, a 10mm bungeecord should take the shocks from big waves when hove to in a storm. Insulation: 
Because I am planning to cruise Patagonia in winter and because at the moment the boat cannot contain the warmth inside I have glued 1 cm thick insulation material on the inside. Also I sandwiched the deckstructure with 2 layers of epoxy and glassfibre. I hope it makes a difference, because it was a lot of work. Genoarail: new Harken rail with new car. When I come back to Buenos Aires there is more work: new sprayhood, removable forestay, roller, gennakerboom, new traveller for the mainsheet, etc etc etc. Outboard storage: The most terrible job ever done: imagine yourself laying upside down, in 35°C, sanding glassfibre and working epoxy. Everything drips down. Itching for three full months. A hell of a job, but I'm satisfied with the result. 
Cutting a hole through the hull. I have already bought the new Yamaha for fitting, this way I'll know the exact sizes. 
Not funny to mutilate your hull this way. The cutaway piece is stored to serve as a closing lid later on. 
With 10mm multiplex I form the storage compartment, this is the tunnel. 
Upperview. 
The rest of the compartment. Fitting everything, glueing things together. 
No sharp edges: everything is faired. Also, there should not be any water anywhere. 
Laminating, layer after layer. In between grinding and sanding to leave no air in the layers. 
Inside was the toughest job, because I could hardly reach it. On top of it this is where the strength comes from. About 10 layers of glassfibre. 
After three months: finally done. The bottom of the compartment has a lid to reduce resistance in the water. This is not watertight, but the water will just seek it's own level. The propellor of the Yamaha can turn around 360°, making this the most maneouvrable Albin Vega in the world. I saved more than 100 kgs of weight compared to the inboard, plus I gained a lot of space.
Renovation work in Buenos Aires
Fuel compartment: Since I'm carrying around gasoline instead of diesel, and don't want any explosive gases on board, I've made an airtight fuelcompartment.
Sprayhood: The old one was too big to go around it safely, and pretty much rotten too. Hence this new super-strong wood-epoxy hood.
Bowsprit: In order to give the 'Gennaker' more space. And because it looks so damn cool, I've made mine of carbon fibre.
|
