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“The
principal philosophy in everything we do is to build good, straightforward
offshore boats,” says Alden Yachts president Dave MacFarlane, with
satisfaction in his voice and confidence in his body language. There’s
good reason for both his statement and demeanor, considering the boat
he’s speaking of is a custom 44-footer, available in both express
and flyingbridge models, that is moored at the dock outside his office.
“Secondly, we build boats that have a classic sense of proportion
in a traditional package that will stand the test of time,” he continues.
I am
at Alden Yachts’s Portsmouth, Rhode Island, yard where MacFarlane’s
office overlooks Narragansett Bay. I’ve just spent the better part
of the day on those waters aboard Tonic, an Alden Yachts 44 Flybridge
Express, with Ray Lavoie, the company’s production manager, and
Jim Ewing, the company’s operations manager.
The
44 FB EX joins seven other Alden yachts, including a 40, 44, 46, and 50/56
express; a 50/56 motoryacht; a 50/56 pilothouse; and a 60 tournament express.
And while each boat is different—every owner has great leeway on
layout and configuration—all share common traits: craftsmanship,
attention to detail, and the attention of the entire Alden Yachts staff.
“The owner works with the entire team from day one in the building
process,” explains MacFarlane. “There is a special relationship
that forms throughout, right up to the launch and christening. It’s
quite meaningful for everybody.”
The
44 that I’ve spent the day on exemplifies this and then some. “This
particular owner is rather tall, so, for example, we had the refrigerator
configured with a cabinet underneath to get the unit up as high as possible,”
says Ewing as we examine the port-side galley-down area prior to taking
Tonic out. “That’s the way he wanted it, so that’s how
we did it,” he adds as he opens the stowage space, which I notice
is quite deep and easily accessed. The rest of the galley provides a suitable
amount of Corian-topped counterspace, beautiful teak and holly sole, deep
stainless steel sink—its Grohe faucet with pull-out sprayer is an
option—three-burner electric stovetop, microwave, and plenty of
drawer and cabinet space. There is also a full-size pantry opposite the
galley.
Another
well-thought-out touch I notice involves garbage—actually the placement
of the ubiquitous galley garbage pail that usually takes up space on deck,
where it is constantly being knocked over. Beneath the middle of three
steps that lead from the saloon to the galley is a place where a pair
of garbage pails easily fit side by side, with room to spare. When they’re
full, the entire affair—all three steps—lifts up on hinges
with the help of a pair of gas-assisted rams for easy removal.
Why
do I bring up this seemingly small point? Because I believe that if the
Alden Yachts team took the time to devise this distinctive solution for
a mundane problem, there are no limits to what they’d do to make
this 44 special. One look around convinces me I was right.
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Alden Yachts 44 continued > Page 1, 2,
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