If I cruised into a crowded harbor in a 17-foot Cornish Crabber, I'd probably head straight for this 63-foot Alden and ask if I could raft up - especially if it were raining.

A photo of an Alden 63 sailboat resting at anchor.

An Alden 63 rests at anchor. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons



The hull is moderately proportioned with drawn-out, classic overhangs. There is a total of 14 feet, 9 inches of overhang in this design. The D/L is 234. The ballast-to-displacement ratio is 34 percent. Sailors tend to fixate on the "ideal" 40-percent ballast-to-displacement ratio, but I find that 34 percent is far more common with modern moderate-displacement boats. For this type of boat, 34 percent is appropriate. Modern keel configurations can result in excellent stability with this amount of ballast.

Note that the lower bearing is halfway down the stock to allow a "balanced" portion of the rudder blade. It's a shapely rudder blade, but to my eye, the shape is wrong. I prefer to see more effort made to reduce the tip chord in order to reduce drag from the tip vortex. Still, I do favor big rudders and this one has plenty of plan-form area. Low-speed maneuverability in this design will be assisted by a retractable Lewmar bow thruster.

We'd have to get pretty nitpicky to find fault with this interior layout. See that little centerline seat at the saloon dinette? I don't like these. You could offer additional seating for two more guests with stowable folding deck chairs. Eliminating the fixed centerline seat might tie the whole saloon area together more effectively for one big conversation area.

The aft staterooms are spacious and truly deserve the often-abused "stateroom" label. The galley is immense and this is partially a function of needing galley area to hide the engine that is tucked under the centerline counter. While this may not be the ideal location for the engine in terms of access, it is ideal for weight placement and keeps the prop well forward of the rudder blade, which will help this boat back up. It's a wonderful layout that shows a good understanding of the priorities of space allocation.

The SA/D of this classic design is 16.92. While high SA/Ds may be appropriate on boats that will sail with energetic crews ready to do the skipper's bidding, the cruising boat needs a rig that will first and foremost be forgiving for the cruising couple. We generally reef too late, and it can easily become a major effort to get the shortened main looking right. I think I can speak for all of us when I say trouble-free reefing is a dream. I'm speaking here of standard mainsails, not roller-furling mainsails. This 63-foot Alden should be capable of carrying a full mainsail in winds up to 26 knots apparent, and maybe more. The mast is carbon fiber. The downside of a short rig is less performance in light air, but that 120-horsepower Cummins diesel driving a 26-inch-diameter Max prop should provide plenty of light-air speed.

The sailplan depicts a beautiful yacht, although the sheerline appears to droop a little toward the stern. The broad side decks and sculpted cockpit coamings add to the eye candy of this already very classy-looking yacht. Hull and deck were built by Eric Goetz, and the finish work is by the Derecktor yard in Mamaroneck, New York. Delivery is scheduled for summer of 1998.

Classy cruiser with forgiving characteristics.
LOA62'9"
LWL48'
Beam16'6"
Draft8'
Displacement58,000 lbs. (half load)
Ballast20,000 lbs.
Sail Area 1585 sq. ft.
SA/D16.92
D/L234
L/B3.8
Auxiliary Cummins120-horsepower diesel
Fuel350 gals.
Water 300 gals.

SAILINGlogo-115This story originally appeared in Sailing Magazine, and is republished here by permission. Subscribe to Sailing.