Alden Baby Malabar Schooner "Wanderlure II"

[Jay Greer]

To Don Z,
It took me a while to get this information for you but here it is.
The design number for the 36' Alden Schooner "Wanderlure II" as listed in the Alden Designs Book is #273 A. Several boats were built to this design that were yawls and ketches. "Wanderlure II" was built in 1926 at City Island NY. The schooner "Medley", sister ship to Wanderlure was built by Dr. John G. Langton and his father during WWII in Los Angeles CA. Since the Langton family owned a lumber yard, the boat was built of the best of materials that they had on hand. However, Dr. Langton told me, during an interview, that Mr. Alden had made modifications in the bow sections of the design that he felt would improve performance. And, "Medley" was built to that modified design. Unfortunatly Alden's speculation of added speed did not prove to be the case as "Wanderlure II" is faster than Medley. I have skippered both boats in off shore races and must affirm a previous statement that,
"Wanderlure II" is the fastest 36' schooner that I have ever sailed!
Although the design #273 A is listed in the Alden design book, no pictures of either of the two boats were published. I do have many shots of both boats and a full set of plans in my own archives however.
I trust that this information is of some use to you.
Fair Winds,
Jay Greer

[Don Z.]

Awesome! Thanks!

[PeterSibley]

I know its none of my business, but I have to toss my favourite 36 foot Alden schooner into the ring

Number 335 "Tyehee" ,she was lost about 20 years ago on the NE coast ? Lovely, lovely boat .

[Lucky Luke]

Jay,
Would you be so nice as to post a few pics of that boat then?
I investigated using the web search engines, but Wanderlure II or Medley are perfectely inknown.
Since you say so much good about this "baby Malkabar", I (and probably many) would really like to know more...or at least have a little idea of what this boat's like...
Thanks

[Jay Greer]

I would be happy to post some pictures of "Wanderlure II" as soon as I return home from the boat job I am doing in another state.
Jay

[Don Z.]

Jay,
Just curious, while we're waiting for whatever pictures you have. Before I call the Alden office, can you tell me what the original intent of the boat was? Malabar II was basically a cruiser that was very fast. Another option I was thinking about was a Crowninshield design: either Fame or Heron. I like both of those boats, but they were both very much racers, with not much below decks. Fame could best be described as a very large Dark Harbor. I considered Tyhee as a good cruiser, but the previous owner described her as "very fast on a reach, not quite as fast on a beat, and not moving at all in a chop". A lot of the areas I'd sail would be more "choppy" than "rolly", so I ventured away from Tyhee. I guess what I'm asking for is a general idea of the accomodation plan for Wanderlure II.

[Jay Greer]

Hi Don,
"Wanderlure II" was designed for the owner of "Wanderlure I" which was a slightly smaller boat. I last saw #1 in Port Townsend WA several years ago. I believe #1 was built in 1924.
#2 was built as a cruiser for the owner and his family. The boat has a very easy motion and is also very dry in a chop. Happily she also proved to be extreamly fast and seaworthy. This was proved during the Hurricane of 1939 in S. California when the owner brought the boat and his family back from Catalina Island to LA Harbor in 100kt. winds with no damage to life, limb or boat. I have sailed her so hard that we laid the spreaders and sails flat in the water once. I also brought her up from San Diego in an extreme Santa Ana that sank several other boats and sent the 60' Schooner "Kelpie" into Ocean Side Harbor in a nearly sinking condition. We just had some beers and potato chips and enjoyed the ride.

Her layout is as follows. Abaft of the chain locker, there is a private cabin with a V birth that has a filler piece to make the forepeak births into a double. Next comes the fwd bulkhead with A hanging locker to stb. and an enclosed head to port. The head has a folding pullman sink and storage shelves and a mirror on the door. The door to the head swings to close off the fwd. area from the main cabin. In the main cabin are two double births located port and starb. partially in the way of the main mast. A wet locker for foulies is on the stb. side aft of the bunk with a nice fiddled shelf on top. The galley once had a wood burning Shipmate Stove but is now set up with a propane stove, with oven and gimbled on the port side. There is a sink and built in top loading ice chest to stb. With a teak cutting board counter. There is also room for a quarter berth that was never installed. Six persons can comfortably sleep on "Wanderlure II". Add an awning over the cockpit and you can handle two more plus a kid on the bridge deck.

The boat was iron ballasted and iron clinch nail fastened as well as fully sealed with a T&G subdeck with full 1 1/8" teak decking layed over it. The decking is layed fore and aft and not sprung, the staves being nibbed into the covering boards, old schooner style. The boat was converted from a gaff fore back in the fifties and re-rigged as a staysail schooner. In my opinion this is one of the secrets of her superior speed. In the sail locker was an arsenal of light kites and storm sails as well. We could put up a horrendous amount of canvas in light airs by setting a gollaker, balloon staysail, blooper, spinnaker and tallboy. During one Ensenada race we came up on a new production fiber glass schooner about our size and sailed through her lee and then up her weather side and through her lee again. We commented on how pretty she looked and shot a lot of pictures of the new boat which we promised to give them if they ever got to Ensenada!
The boat was powered with a 40hp Perkins Diesel that always ran no matter what.
I hope this info is of some use to you.
I am sorry but it will be late in July before I will be able to send pictures.
Fair Winds,
Jay Greer

[Don Z.]

Jay,
That is awesome, thanks. I'll probably be calling Alden this week for study plans...

[Jay Greer]

Don,
It is well worth the effort!
Jay

[Lucky Luke]

I wish I just could call Alden for study plans! Trouble is Jay maight b back and posting pics by the time I get them!
So, let's wait!
Still, I am quite surprised when you say, Jay, that this schooner became faster probably by being converted into a staylail schooner.
Having sailed on Pen Duick III, (which is not a staysail schooner) I know that we can have number of combination between the masts (+spinnakers, big boy, aso...), and on this old racer we had lots of sails to play with...and we did! But besides that the main was efficient only in strong winds, when we had the small, narrow, fully battened foresail. It's by using the huge gollywobbler kind of "wall of canvas" and it's nuisance wishbone combined with genoa or reaching spinnaker that we could set up the maximum (efficient) sail area, and then she would move with little wind.
Compared to that racer, my old "Morwena" would never have been able to compete, sure, but a hell of fast boat she was with her big main, foresail, forestaysail and jib in medium winds. Then, I only had a small topsail for my main, and no fisherman or anything else to rig between masts. With little wind, she was not very fast!
I don't mean that I do not like staysail schooners . I shall always remembe a race where, while racing on Corialan( 55' Dick Carter racing sloop) beating to windward in near gale condition, we were made ridiculous by (non racing)-much bigger) boat: the old Vagrant, that had been converted into staysail schooner. She was under staysail and forestaysail only, perfectely equilibrated, and her speed and power were awsome. I saw her later in Porto Cervo: she had aluminum masts, big deck gear... I loved it! In those days, I liked seing old boats converted into modern ones...I have changed a lot since!

Mariette (her near sistership, still gaff fore and aft) was not in the condition she is now, but it would be interesting, if Vagrant still carries this rig (no idea where she is now an din which condition?), to see these two racing together. Mariette is impressive too, and well handled by her crew of ...20...sometimes more when racing. That would be a good comparison of the merits of both rigs (as far a s sped is concerned.

[Jay Greer]

There is an awsome model of "Mariette" at:
http://www.yachtmodels.com/additiona.../current1.html
We often saw twelve knots when broad reaching "Wanderlure II".
She would slice off down the face of a long swell spraying rainbows of spume as high as the main spreaders. At the bottom of the trough the boat would compress down to the point of having the rail caps almost level with the surface. Then it was up and over the next long roller for another wild bit of surfing. Those were wild rides! What a sweet heart she is!
Jay

[Lucky Luke]

Twelve knows on a 36' LOA ????? and not a planing hull ! Sound like a LOT!
I wont deny what you say, and that makes me even more curious about this boat, how she was designed and rigged.
From your replies to some Gvido's post, I understand that his version of a "Malabar Jr." was originally intended for racing . The same for "Wanderlure II" I'd guess!
So, Wanderlure (when you sailed her) had been converted into a stysail schooner. Are you sure she then faster (or any other qualities/ defects) than with original fore and aft gaff rig? How is "Medley" rigged?

[Jay Greer]

While there are formulas for theroetic hull speed, some boats have an amazing ability to push the envelope. The Herreshoff high speed commuter steam launches were an example of this phenominom. Nathaniel designed an odd coke bottle shape to the water lines that allowed the vessles to exceed their hull speeds easlily without squatting, planing or leaving a rolling wake. My own 28' Common Sense Sloop "Red Witch" has been clocked at 8knts. by the Newport Harbor Dept. Patrol Boat. We were told that if we slowed to six we would not be cited! The Herreshoff Ketch "Tichonderoga" is another displacment hull that side steps the confines of theroy. This is a boat that also regularily exceeds theroetic hull speed. I remember how Grant Hoag described the Kenyon that was pinned at fifteen knts. ( He estimated they were hitting 18!)during her record setting Transpac run. Fifteen minutes on the helm was the limit anyone could take at that speed!
JG

[John B]

I've sailed on Arcturus and sailed an awful lot of races against her now . She out performs her appearance. In the Carrick book they refer to her as homely (and they might even be more critical than that) but she goes just fine despite her full lines.
Shes a 390.

[Russ Kaye]

This thread piqued my curiousity so I contacted Alden Design and this is what I received:

Hi Russell,

Attached are the design and plan list files for Wanderlure II, our design no. 0274A. We have records of 9 boats being built to this design, 5 schooners and 4 ketches. Wanderlure II is located in Washington state recorded as being restored in 2004.
We do not have construction specifications for 0274A but we have for the ketch version and the construction scantlings are given on the construction plan. Neither do we have the Block & Fittings list for the marconi main version but we have for the gaff main version.
A set of study plans consisting of the construction, cabin and sail plans in same scale as drawn cost $50 and I have attached an order form in case you want to pay with a credit card.
Regards,

Niels

Niels C Helleberg [aldendesign@worldnet.att.net]

[Jay Greer]

I suppose I should contact Alden because I have a full set of drawings for "Wanderlure II", the Schooner rig version of Alden design # 274 A.
JG

[Russ Kaye]

This is the plans list that Neils sent me. I edited it out of my last post because it was in a table and when I pasted it in here it got all jumbled up.
Russ

Plan ID---Design#--Dwg#---Description
0274011---0274A----09-----Lofting - Table of Offsets
0274010---0274A----10-----Lofting – Lines
0274012---0274A----12I----Lofting - Keel,Iron 8.000 lbs
------------------------------------Inside,2.000 lbs
0274A20---0274A----20-----Construction - Hull& Deck
0274A80---0274A----80-----Cabin & Port Elevation
0274A98---0274A----98MG---Sail plan,Marconi Main- Gaff F.
------------------------------------Schooner

[Don Z.]

I phoned Alden yesterday to order a set of study plans. Quote from Alden: "You know, you're the second or third guy that asked me about this boat this week! What's going on?"...

[Jay Greer]

If any of you decide to build "Wanderlure II" I will be happy to work with you as a consultant for details that may not be evident on the plans. On viewing the sail and sheer plan one thing to remember, when you see the gaff rigged fore, is that the Staysail rig has a slightly higher foremast which allows for setting a bigger "Golliker" down wind.
Jay Greer