Alden Boothbay Explorer Sailboats for Sale & Market Overview

Drawing Diagram

Builder drawing

Hull type

Monohull · full

Rig

Ketch

LOA

58.58' · 17.86 m

Displ.

53,300 lbs · 24,176 kg

First year

1971

The Alden Boothbay Explorer, identified as Design No. 949 in the legendary designer’s archives, represents a refined intersection of Maine’s rugged commercial lobster boat heritage and the sophisticated requirements of midcentury yachting. Primarily constructed during the late 1950s and early 1960s, these 33foot express cruisers were largely the product of a collaboration between John G. Alden’s Boston office and the renowned Goudy & Stevens shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine. The vessel was designed to offer a "seagoing" experience that prioritized stability and comfort in the unpredictable waters of the North Atlantic, a hallmark of the MIT Museum’s Hart Nautical Collection which preserves the original drawings and specifications for this specific design. While the early hulls were crafted from traditional cedar on oak, later iterations moved toward the nascent technology of fiberglass, making the Boothbay Explorer a transitional icon in the evolution of Down East powerboats.