Pearson Alberg 35 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Pearson Alberg 35 means chasing a Carl Alberg long-keel cruiser built by Pearson Yachts from 1961 to 1967, with roughly 280 examples launched. These are early-1960s ocean-labeled boats that have circulated in private hands for decades, so the used fleet is a mix of original and owner-modified sloops and yawls rather than a uniform modern production run.
Layouts on the Used Market
Two interior plans appear in the used pool: the traditional arrangement and the dinette version. Both share a full-beam head aft of the forward cabin, V-berths in the bow, and dressers in each cabin, but the dinette layout adds a table that drops to a double and quarterberths running under the cockpit. Early boats may still have galvanized tanks; late-build boats should carry an integral fiberglass water tank in the bilge and a monel fuel tank under the cockpit. The cockpit is long, with teak coamings and big side lockers, and the standard tiller often gives way to a wheel-steering pedestal on boats you will actually find for sale.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
A self-tacking jib, spinnaker, and autopilot are commonly fitted across the fleet, supporting short-handed sailing and downwind passage work without demanding a full crew. Beyond those, the most consequential upgrades buyers meet are propulsion and rig changes: the original Atomic 4 gasoline engine is universal in the class, but many boats have been opened to a Universal diesel bolt-in, and several owners have added bowsprits to convert the masthead sloop to a cutter with yankee and staysail. There was no mainsheet traveler originally, so a fitted traveler is a useful owner addition rather than factory spec.
What to Inspect
The deck coring under the mast is a known weak point—several owners report the coring has crushed and compressed the cabin top—so check for sag or softness around the mast step. Early decks built with edge-grain rather than end-grain balsa can suffer broken bonds between skins and core from flexing, and the big cockpit lockers drain straight to the bilge with poor latches, a flooding path worth tracing. Some keels show a void between lead and shell at the bottom, leaving the glass vulnerable on grounding. Confirm tank material by hull era: early galvanized tanks rust through in time, while late boats should have the fiberglass and monel integral tanks.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Alberg 35 is a used-market boat found in the United States. When viewing a candidate, check the mast-deck coring for compression, verify locker drainage and keel-shell bonding, confirm tank type against build era, and prefer a diesel-converted or cutter-rigged example only if the work is sound. A clean traditional or dinette interior with intact balsa and no bilge-fed locker leaks makes the best cruising buy.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Pearson Alberg 35. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25 | 2 | $24,500 | — |
| Jan 26 | 2 | $18,000 | -26.5% |
Where they're listed
Pearson Alberg 35 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 4.
Country view
4 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $24,500 | 4 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dufour 35 | 35.25' | $ 30,000 | 26 | 1 |
| Moody 35 | 34.5' | $ 65,265 | 25 | 3 |
| Pearson 35 | 35' | $ 19,000 | 17 | 7 |
| Nicholson Nicholson 35 | 35.25' | $ 39,429 | 10 | 2 |
| Bristol 35 | 34.65' | $ 23,200 | 7 | 2 |
| Pearson Alberg 35You are here | — | $ 24,500 | 4 | 0 |