AU$159,000
1988 Alden 46 “Arctic Loon”
NZ$198,000
A rare opportunity to own one of only six Alden 46’s with extensive offshore equipment, substantial documented maintenance and upgrades, and the potential to transfer the existing 15m Nelson Marina berth to the purchaser. Arctic Loon is a particularly handsome and capable Alden 46 designed by the highly regarded American naval architect Niels Helleberg and built by Alden Providence, Rhode Island in 1988. Arctic Loon is #2 out of only 6, making this a genuinely uncommon yacht. She was conceived as a performance-oriented offshore racer/cruiser built to the higest standards. The hull is solid fibreglass 25mm thick, deck is cored balsa 18mm thick. She has a 4m long solid lead fin keel bolted to the solid glass keel stub with 13X12mm stainless bolts. A hollow fibreglass NACA foil centerboard hydraulically piviots into a slot in the bottom of the keel for efficient upwind sailing. Draft: board up 1.8m, board down 3m. She is now established in Nelson and is being offered by her meticulous 4th owner after four years of ownership and approximately NZ$31,400 of documented maintenance and upgrades. There is a substantial difference between an older yacht that has simply accumulated equipment over the years and one that has been systematically upgraded and meticulously maintained. Arctic Loon has benefited from considerable ongoing work, including:
Nanni N4.85 turbo diesel, installed in 2013 Scheduled engine servicing and maintenance MaxProp 19" three-blade feathering propeller + complete spare prop MaxProp serviced/rebuilt -2024 New cutlass bearing -2024 All fresh and salt water piping replaced, diesel fuel piping replaced, fuel transfer pump/manifold added to transfer fuel between 3 tanks. -2021 All original bronze seacocks replaced with heavy duty glass-reinforced nylon valves -2021 Navtec hydraulic backstay cylinders rebuilt and hydraulic reservoir serviced -2024 Recent sail inventory 2024 #2 jib and 2025 staysail Extensive cruising and safety equipment All new electronics: Furuno GPS, Icom SSB, Icom AIS, Furuno hydraulic autopilot, Icom VHF, large Garmin chartplotter (NZ, Tonga, Fiji, Vauatu charts), Garmin radar, Garmin saiing instruments, NEMA 2000 backbone, -2018 Laptop with TimeZero and Opencpn navigation programs and full NZ charts -2025 630Ah house battery bank, 6 X Trojan T-105 -2021 Solar 250W and Rutland wind turbine -2022 Maxwell anchor windlass with 100m of 11mm anchor chain in self stowing chain locker 28kg Manson main anchor plus spare anchors 2019 Aquapro 710SLR tender and 3.6hp Parsun outboard -2021 Diesel heater -Webasto with a vent in each cabin -2022 Monitor windvane -new bearings and sheeves 2024 Bimini and dodger with large windows + full clear cockpit enclosure -2021 Extensive documented maintenance history and ful specifications available to prospective purchasers
Major deck upgrade One of the most significant improvements to Arctic Loon is less obvious from a conventional equipment list. The original Alden 46s were built with teak decking bonded over the fibreglass/balsa-cored deck. On Arctic Loon, the heavily worn original teak was removed in 2020. The underlying deck was found to be in excellent condition and was then refinished with a new layer of fibreglass with an attractive, durable sheet-type non-skid system. The original alloy toerail was also replaced with a custom stainless-steel toerail with large built-in mooring cleats and roller fairleads. The result is an attractive, low-maintenance deck that avoids the considerable future maintenance and potential moisture concerns associated with an ageing teak deck over a cored structure. The work also gives the yacht a particularly clean and purposeful offshore appearance. This is not a yacht whose bluewater capability exists only on a specification sheet. Arctic Loon has a substantial sailing history:
Built in 1988 for her original owner Competed in the 1989 and 1991 Marion-Bermuda Races Caribbean owner-operator multi-day charter service from 1994–2006 Sailed to New Zealand in 2007 and fully imported in 2011 Cruising to Tonga/Fiji 6 times between 2009–2021
She is an excellent proposition for an experienced sailor looking for a yacht capable of serious coastal or offshore cruising without starting with a decades-long refit project. Excellent short-handed sailing platform
The Alden 46 combines a powerful cutter rig with a relatively moderate displacement, substantial 42%ballast/displacement ratio giving an easy ride, and a well-developed offshore cutter rig configuration for short-handed sailing. Her sailing equipment includes Navtec System 5 hydraulic backstays, vang, and centreboard controls, furling jib and staysail, 13 Barient self-tailing winches including Barient 36 2-speed electric primaries, hydraulic autopilot, Monitor windvane, and extensive electronics. Self-sufficient cruising systems
The yacht has been set up for extended cruising with:
580L diesel capacity 680L water capacity 120L holding tank 630Ah nominal house battery bank Solar 350W Rutland wind generator Inverter 300W Refrigeration 12vdc holding plate reefer and separate freezer Hot water -engine or 240vac Multiple manual and electric bilge pumps GPS SSB radio VHF radio AIS Autopilot Chartplotter/GPS Comprehensive safety equipment EPIRB Offshore flare equipment Liferaft Ditch bag Lifejackets and harnesses
Nelson Marina berth is available to the purchaser
The purchaser can take over the leasing contract for Arctic Loon's 15m Nelson Marina berth. This is NOT a live-aboard berth; owners can stay aboard 3 nights/month. There is currently a substantial waiting list for 15m berths, and Nelson Marina berthage is comparatively economical by New Zealand standards. For someone looking for a 46 foot yacht already established in Nelson, this provides an unusually convenient ownership proposition. Specifications Designer: Niels Helleberg Builder: Alden Providence, Rhode Island Year: 1988 Model: Alden 46 Hull: #2 of 6 built LOA:13.89m 45’ 7” LWL:11.3m 37’ 1” Beam:4.14m 13’7” Draft: 1.8m–3m (centreboard down) Displacement: 15,750kg / 34,650lb Ballast: 13,000lb Engine: Nanni N4.85 85hp turbocharged diesel installed 2013, currently 3,000 hrs on meter Drive train: 32mm propshaft direct to Aquadrive double thrust bearing then viashaft with CV joints to ZF Hurth hydraulic transmission, this allows soft engine mounts for low vibration Propeller: MaxProp 19" three-blade feathering Fuel: 580L in 3 alloy tanks Water: 680L in 2 alloy tanks Holding Tank: 120L Included cruising inventory
The sale includes the extensive equipment and inventory aboard the yacht, including:
Main full batten, 3 reefs #2 jib -2024 #3 jib Staysail -2025 Storm staysail Storm trysail Cruising Spinnaker/ATM snuffer Full boat cover 100m x 11mm anchor chain 28kg Manson anchor Spare anchors Aquapro 710SLR tender -2019 Parsun 3.6hp outboard -2019 Liferaft -2022 EPIRB Deck jacklines and extensive safety equipment Extensive cruising inventory and spares
Why buy Arctic Loon?
There are plenty of newer production yachts available at around this price point. What they generally cannot offer is what Arctic Loon represents: a limited-production American performance yacht designed by a respected naval architect, with genuine offshore pedigree, a substantial equipment inventory, a newer-generation non-common rail diesel installation, extensive documented maintenance and the character of a semi-custom sailing yacht with a true offshore interior layout. For the experienced sailor who values sailing performance, offshore capability and individuality over simply having the newest “hotel style” interior layout, this is a very different proposition from a typical production cruiser. Documentation
A comprehensive maintenance history is available to prospective purchasers, documentation of the substantial work undertaken over recent years, and a full specification document with all systems fully described -the result of the owner’s 4 year’s experience maintaining and cruising Arctic Loon. Viewing in Nelson by appointment. Serious enquiries welcome. Price: NZ$198,000