euros the discovery of an unknown sailboat
May 2021, Louis-Marie and two friends are looking for a boat to buy in co-ownership. If this is his first unit as an owner, Louis-Marie - a maintenance engineer in the military nautical industry - regularly maintains sailing boats for others: Edel 5, First 22, Oceanis 390euros
Via LeBonCoin, they chose a Sangria, an 8-meter sailboat produced by Jeanneau in the early 1970s. But it is finally another model suggested by the second-hand sales site that attracts their attention: an Aloa 29 negotiated for 5,500 euros that they renamed "Sans Pression".
"It's a 1975 Mediterranean-style sailboat, which I had never heard of. It is a discovery. The first visit pleasantly surprised me. The boat being stored in a dry yard, we were able to check the hull and even start the engine in boardeuros. In the end, this Aloa 29 model was more to everyone's liking. It is 36 years old and the hull is healthy. There is no trace of osmosis and I have not found any such problem on these models by searching the Internet", says Louis-Marie.
A closed cockpit and an attractive sail plan
The Aloa 29 has an overall length of 8.70 m for a beam of 3.10 m and a light weight of 3 tons. Its double hull with reserves of buoyancy allows it to enter the category of the sailing ships known as unsinkable. Its cast iron keel requires however a little maintenance. Its cockpit is closed with a simple rear swim ladder. Some have been modified to receive a skirt. There are two benches, with storage on the aft side and a large locker on the starboard side to store ropes or sails. The tiller is in the center. The sail plan euros original sloop rigging is composed of a 16 m2 mainsail, a furling genoa and a symmetrical spinnaker on spinnaker pole. A Yanmar engine of 18 hp was installed by a former owner to replace the original engine, less powerful.
"On the bad side, we dismasted at the end of August 2021 due to a negligent check of the chainplates and the age of the standing rigging. The boat is in a yard in La Seyne-sur-Mer to receive a used J92 mast that will replace the old one. We are also taking the opportunity to install an automatic reefing system from the cockpit", adds Louis-Marie.
An interior design worthy of the greats
But it is its interior design that is of real interest, with a headroom of 1.80 m.
"Its layout could make some 30-footers green with envy. When you go inside, you don't feel like you're in a 29-footer with the way it's laid out. You can easily sleep 5 people and sail comfortably with 5 or 6 over several days", explains Louis-Marie.
There is a Breton bed in the front with a small toilet area and a closet. The table in the saloon slides down along the sponge to create a sleeping area for two people. Finally, a coffin berth on the port side can accommodate another person for the night, or even two small people depending on the owner. A sink unit and a double gas stove on gimbal equip the kitchen. Tanks of 100 L for the kitchen and 50 L for the toilet sink at the front allow autonomous navigation. A porthole on the back at the level of the coffin berth associated with the one at the front allows to create a good air current to avoid being too hot in the saloon or to eliminate condensation.
"Everything was in good condition, but our manic side made us do some work. The fridge was almost out of order. We replaced it with a refrigerated cooler that runs on 12 volts. We changed the lighting by LED to reduce the load on the batteries. We also changed the dies and two broken candlesticks. The problem is that they are screwed into the deck and we can no longer find this model. We had to reattach bases on the locations to install more common stanchions". Overall, inside, not much was changed. It was relatively clean. We found a first aid kit with vials of peppermint alcohol for pain and life jackets dating from 1980, laughs Louis-Marie.
A project of offshore navigation
Based in Toulon, in the old dock, Louis-Marie was able to take advantage of the summer to take control of his Aloa 29. For the moment, he uses his boat mainly for coastal sailing, especially during weekends between Toulon and Porquerolles, often with a night at anchor. As soon as the boat will be equipped for offshore sailing, Louis-Marie has the project to cross to Corsica. The group of friends is also thinking about making the boat more maneuverable for solo sailing. They still need to change the old Raymarine ST1000 autopilot, which no longer works, and to equip it with at least one 100-watt solar panel for more autonomy in ocean cruising.
" We are in the phase of getting used to it and we are going to adapt it as we go along for the various and varied projects that we have. It is a boat that we will use regularly, especially in the evening, after work. It's an easy way to get some fresh air", says Louis-Marie.
A marine behaviour in all conditions
From his first navigations, Louis-Marie has many positive points.
"It's a boat that behaves very well in light and heavy weather. It is quite safe in that sense. She has good abilities in light airs. With 6/7 knots of wind on a reach, we are making 6/7 knots. It's a great ratio. It's a very pleasant boat. A very good surprise", says Louis-Marie.
Nevertheless, the young man reproaches some defects, fortunately filled by his marine qualities.
"It's downwind. At first it's quite surprising. Especially when there's not much wind. It's a bit restrictive for people who don't have the sea legs concludes Louis-Marie.
