Summary
Renaissance is a keel up rebuild of a John Alden designed Off Soundings class cutter yawl launched in 1997. The Off Soundings class was first introduced by the Alden office in 1938 and 18 boats were constructed to the basic design although each build showed slight changes to beam and ballast weight. Renaissance is believed to be the only remaining vessel of this class. The original boat was acquired by master shipwright Paul Rollins of York Maine as salvage. Paul stripped out the original hardware and spars and proceeded to construct a new hull on the original ballast keel. The current owner acquired the unfinished hull and had Paul construct the deck, cabin trunk, bulwarks and cap rail. The boat was then trucked to the current owners home where he completed the hatches, grab rails deck boxes, cockpit boxes and all interior cabinet work and systems installations. The original design was modified slightly with a stepped cabin trunk to increase headroom below.
Alden designs are robust boats built to a very sea kindly design. Renaissance is built with a white oak keel, fully kerfed oak frames, locust carlins and corner posts and oak deck beams. The cedar planking is fastened with copper rivets. The garboard planks and sheer strake are iroko. The deck is ¾ teak plywood covered with two layers of 10 oz.cloth set in epoxy resin resulting in a super strong, watertight deck. The original fir main mast was replaced with a new sitka spruce mast with larger dimensions than the fir mast to eliminate the need for running backstays. All new stainless steel rigging with Norseman fittings was installed. The solid mizzen mast was cut open and reglued as a hollow box mast to save weight and hide the radar cables. The cabin trunk, bulwarks and cap rail and all deck furniture is lovingly crafted Honduras mahogany.
Renaissance has always been stored indoors since constructed and has received superior annual maintenance by the current owner including stripping the entire hull in 2020 and the spars in 2022. The addition of new sails in 2021 in “Egyptian” (off white) Dacron, constructed to the original design of narrow panels and miter cut jib and jib topsail, make this boat appear just as her oldest sistership did when first launched in 1939. As Alden intended, the club footed jib makes her a joy to tack upwind, singlehanded into the tightest anchorage imaginable. Although Renaissance is fully capable of serious offshore passages she has been gently cruised on the coast of Maine since her launching 1997.The current owner is now ready to pass this beauty to the next generation who appreciates the elegant combination of form and function of a classic design from the storied drawingboard of John Alden.
Asking $125,000