In 1968, it gave way to the Shaw-designed Pearson 35, a slightly larger, more modern successor. Even so, the Alberg’s traditional long-keel character has kept it active in cruising circles ever since.
Design and Construction
The Alberg 35 is a narrow, deep-bodied long-keel design with just about perfectly balanced long overhangs fore and aft. It has a low, rounded cabin trunk with a slightly raised doghouse and a handsome sheer. That sheer was considered fairly flat in its day, though it now looks old-fashioned and springy beside contemporary 35-footers.
The hull is a heavy, uncored fiberglass layup. It isn’t especially stiff or strong for its weight, but it is straightforward to repair. The fiberglass deck has a balsa core. Early boats frequently used edge-grain rather than end-grain balsa, and flexing can break the bond between the core and the fiberglass skins.
A single lead ballast casting sits inside the hollow fiberglass keel molding. On some boats, a void has developed between the lead and the fiberglass shell along the bottom of the keel, leaving the shell vulnerable to grounding damage.
The rudder is a wooden blade bolted to a heavy bronze rod shaped to the aft edge of the propeller aperture. The blade is canted well forward of the stern.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
Pearson built both sloop and yawl versions. Each used a simple, fairly heavy aluminum mast, stepped on deck above the forward cabin doorway. A varnished spruce roller-reefing main boom was standard. The masthead sloop rig carries a large, low-aspect-ratio mainsail, with a reported total sail area of 545 square feet. There was originally no mainsheet traveler.
Despite a 42-percent ballast-to-displacement ratio, the narrow, slack hull heels very quickly. Upwind in 15 knots of true breeze, the boat will sail at close to 30 degrees of heel.
Because the rudder sits well forward, holding course while reaching in a breeze can require a lot of helm. Yet owners report that the Alberg 35 tracks well, a quality absent from many newer designs. The forward rudder position and aperture-mounted propeller also make the boat poor at backing down.
The narrow, deep hull pays off at sea, where it provides an easy motion and about 135 degrees of positive stability. By current standards, however, the Alberg 35 is slow, with a typical PHRF rating of 198.
Accommodations
Pearson offered two interiors: a traditional arrangement and a dinette layout. Both feel cramped to sailors accustomed to modern, condo-style 35-foot interiors.
Each version has a large forward cabin with 6'5" V-berths, a hanging locker, a bureau, and drawers. Two bronze-framed opening ports and a hatch provide light and ventilation. Headroom is 6'0" forward and 6'4" in the main cabin. The standard six-berth arrangement includes 6'4" berths, while both cabins have dressers.
The full-beam head lies aft of the forward cabin. It has two opening ports and a pair of Dorade cowl vents. The Alberg 35 was one of the first boats of its size to include hot and cold pressure water and a shower as standard equipment.
Teak and mahogany trim warm the saloon, while numerous large lockers provide space for gear, sails, and oilskins. Main-cabin ventilation, however, comes only through the companionway hatch.
In the dinette version, the table lowers to make a double berth. Two quarterberths extend beneath the cockpit and serve as sea berths. The stove well was sized for a three-burner gimbaled stove with an oven. The conventional layout instead has an aft galley with a two-burner alcohol stove and a small single sink. Because of the boat’s modest freeboard, its counters are set low.
Cockpit, Machinery, and Tankage
The standard tiller takes up considerable cockpit space, although most surviving boats now have the optional pedestal wheel steering. Large cockpit lockers to port and starboard provide storage, but their locking arrangements are poor, and they drain directly into the bilge.
Every Alberg 35 left the factory with a 30 HP Atomic 4 gasoline engine. Universal Motors later built the Mini 4 diesel as a literal bolt-in replacement. The engine box beneath the companionway also provides ample room for fitting a new diesel.
Early boats had galvanized fuel and water tanks, which will eventually rust through. Late-production specifications list an integral 48-gallon fiberglass water tank in the bilge and a 23-gallon monel fuel tank beneath the cockpit sole.
Known Issues and Common Refits
Several owners responding to surveys have reported crushed deck coring beneath the mast, allowing the cabin top to compress. This is a hazard of the deck structure around the stepped mast. Early edge-grain balsa cores can also flex and delaminate, while the possible void between the ballast casting and the keel shell leaves some boats more exposed to grounding damage.
Several owners have added bowsprits and converted sloop-rigged boats to cutters carrying a yankee and staysail. Other common changes include pedestal wheel steering and diesel repowering.
The Verdict
The Alberg 35 is a genuine small ocean cruiser with an easy motion, commendable stability, and the composure of a boat that tracks well—something modern beamy designs often lack. It is slow by current standards and cramped below, while its deck construction and keel details call for a careful survey.
For sailors who want classic Carl Alberg long-keel character in a 35-foot package, few designs of the period offer the same pedigree.
Pros
- Easy motion and about 135 degrees of positive stability from the narrow, deep hull
- Tracks well and holds a course in the hands of a capable skipper
- One of the first 35-footers with standard pressure water and a shower
- A bolt-in diesel-repowering path from the Atomic 4 to the Universal Mini 4
Cons
- Heels quickly and requires considerable helm when reaching in a breeze
- Cockpit lockers have poor latches and drain into the bilge
- Edge-grain balsa decks on early boats can delaminate
- Cramped compared with modern 35-foot interiors, with weak main-cabin ventilation
