Preview: Marty Loken’s RAVEN – A John Alden Motorsailer

49 Responses So Far to “Marty Loken’s RAVEN – A John Alden Motorsailer”

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  Brent Williams says:

  Wow Marty, such a beautiful boat, great work. You did an excellent job in utilizing the space. Really really beautiful.

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    Marty Loken says:

    Brent – Sincere thanks for the nice comments—much appreciated! – Marty

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  Karl Bischoff says:

  What a great boat, Marty. Are you going to be at the PT Boat festival this year? After 12 years I finally launch BISH (Murray Peterson SUSAN) and will be at the show (rigging went up last week). Hope to see you there.

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    Marty Loken says:

    Karl – As much as I look forward to seeing your Murray Peterson beauty, we’ll still be out cruising…planning to return around the end of September, or when we’re driven home by bad weather. – Marty

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  Heidi Roy says:

  My camping days come to mind when I see your interior, housing 5 in a homemade delivery truck we knew how to utilize every inch of space. You and your wife did an amazing job……and bring kitty too :)

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    Marty Loken says:

    Thanks for the note, Heidi. Scout has turned out to be a terrific Boat Cat. (We were nervous about that because she wasn’t introduced to liveaboard life until after her 12th birthday, but she’s adapted nicely and of course we’ll apparently do almost anything to keep her happy. – Marty

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  John Pearson says:

  Hi Marty – For sure, Raven is a sleek and timeless stunner. Your interior work on her is so well thought! But I feel like Raven’s dinghy deserves a little attention from her fans too! I’d love to hear some of the details.
  Cheers – John P

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    Marty Loken says:

    John – Happy to tell you about our 10.5’ dinghy, designed by Walter Simmons of Maine, who took her lines off of a 1913 yacht tender. The design name is “Sunshine,” and our hull was built with glued-lapstrake planks so there are no traditional frames—the three thwarts provide stiffness, and the epoxied planks have never flexed or leaked. If I was building one of Walt’s Sunshine tenders today I’d consider using 6mm Okoume planks rather than the 9mm on our dinghy, but the boat rows wonderfully, carries well between strokes and of course is fine with three large adults aboard…or two adults and a dog…or just a happy solo rower. Finally, she tows like a dream, so it’s a great design. (We painted ours to match the mothership, with Raven Blue, a custom color mixed by our friend Peter Marshall of Marshalls Cove Marine Paints, and his Light Gray Hi-Hide for the sheerstrake…the same color we have on the decks and cabintops of RAVEN.

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      John Swansey says:

      Thanks for this additional detail – was curious myself.

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  Ted says:

  Marty,
  You were hauling the anchor in by hand, but I thought I saw a winch of some sort. I’m asking because I’m hauling a similar sized anchor by hand but it would be nice to have mechanical assistance.

  Thanks,
  Ted

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    Marty Loken says:

    We have an older manual winch on the bow pulpit, which I use to break the anchor loose from the bottom, but once I’m just hauling weight of the anchor and chain it’s easy enough—and way faster—to just yard aboard by hand. (Not sure how many more years I’ll be doing that, but I like to imagine it’s good exercise.) As I recall, the Rocna Vulcan anchor weighs about 24 lbs, plus chain. – Marty

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      Ted says:

      Thanks for the additional information.

      Safe Travels,
      Ted

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  Dave Mitchell says:

  We have just sold our boat after ten years aboard and it’s time for a new adventure.
  I am continually drawn to boats for sale in the Pacific North West! What a cruising ground on your doorstep. Raven looks perfect for it, and economical to boot.
  Beautiful fit out, thanks for sharing. Cheers, Dave.

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    Marty Loken says:

    Dave – It’s funny because while you’re right about the number of cool old boats to be found in the Northwest, we soggy old Left Coasters spend a lot of time oogling beautiful old boats in Maine and other NE states. – Marty

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      Dave Mitchell says:

      Ahh, the grass is always greener theory.

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      Dave Mitchell says:

      The day before I saw your video Marty I was debating wether to sell a couple of gimballed candle holders with horrible lenses. I will now repurpose them with leds and new glass similar to yours, they look great!

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        Marty Loken says:

        Dave – Check with Dr. LED; they have everything you’ll need. (For instance, we wanted warm LEDs everywhere in the boat—not easy to find from other sources—and they came through.)

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          Marty Loken says:

          Dave – Just one other thought on LED conversions: Davey & Co., London, has wiring kits for those converting old fixtures to LED.

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            Dave Mitchell says:

            Many thanks Marty!

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  Philip Watson says:

  Thanks, Marty. Beautiful boat with some great solutions. What is the make and model of the cooling stove shown in the video?

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    Marty Loken says:

    Philip – Thanks for the nice comments. The butane stove is an Iwatani, Model EPR-1. – Marty

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  Alan Houghton says:

  I first spotted Raven in one of Nate Rooks blogs, during his recent extended summer cruise, I immediately screen grabbed the image and filed it under ‘cool boats’. So to now get a full tour is a big up – many thanks Marty for sharing Raven with us.

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    Marty Loken says:

    Alan – We were honored to share Raven with fellow Off Center Harbor supporters; glad you enjoyed the video. – Marty

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  Ron Dreher says:

  Love it! A classic boat optimized for warmth, convenience and comfort.

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    Marty Loken says:

    Ron – Thanks so much! – Marty

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  David Dickson says:

  Gorgeous boat Marty, & a comfortable PNW liveaboard as well.
  I just noticed the chainplates for the sailing rig & hope to see future photos of her under sail.
  Also, have to mention those baskets your wife made. Those are awesome and a great addition to the overall warm ambience of the cabin.

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    Marty Loken says:

    David – Tina thanks you for the comment about her cedar-bark weaving. We have Raven’s sailing rig—spars, rigging and sails—so the plan is to complete reinstallation before the next cruising season. – Marty

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  William Schleuse says:

  Wonderful job of making a classic your own.
  I laughed out loud at your clever handling of the litter box, especially the ventilation–I’m sure that $100 fan was money well spent! Reminded me of the cabinet work we did in our retirement apartment to accommodate our tabby Fro-Fro’s litter box. And many of the clever features on RAVEN reminded me of features I loved and a few issues I didn’t love on our LIBERTY, a Duffy 31 I owned for 15 years.
  I also came from sail, would love to see more of RAVEN with the sail rig.
  Thanks, Bill

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    Marty Loken says:

    Many thanks, Bill. (We laughed out loud, too, when the saga of kitty’s litter box was highlighted.) – Marty

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  greg mclaughlin says:

  What a beautiful boat and layout.Makes me wish my interest in boats had begun 80 years ago.
  You must be very proud.

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    Marty Loken says:

    Thanks, Greg…I’ll be 80 in a few months so I’m very happy that we found Raven in time. – Marty

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  Marty Loken says:

  Comment from Marty Loken – Just a few additional “specification” notes for those who might be interested: The 30hp Yanmar is ideal power for RAVEN’s easily-driven hull, burning only half a gallon per hour at our typical cruising speed of 5-6 knots. Restoration of the boat included replacement of the cranky old mechanical steering system with hydraulic steering; we added 30-gallon water and holding tanks; we love the Wallas diesel cabin heater that delivers warm, fan-blown air to registers in three areas of the boat—pilothouse, main cabin and head…and burns only one cup of fuel per hour; the new galley counter and pilothouse dinette table are surfaced with 3/4” clear vertical-grain Doug Fir, tongue-and-groove, which has held up well; all interior surfaces are varnished with Epifanes Matte, which we love for vintage cabin interiors; varnish on the outside teak is Epifanes Gloss; the antique marine toilet is a “Spedit” model by A.B. Sands & Sons of New York, a company that was acquired by Wilcox Crittenden in 1930. Like most heavy-duty vintage toilets, it pumps great and can still be rebuilt using WC kits. If anyone has any other tech questions, I’ll try to respond. – Marty

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    Marty Loken says:

    Oh, yes, just a few other things that were part of our restoration project: We added the new bow pulpit earlier this year, along with the manual windlass, and built a new hardtop over the stern cockpit—an addition we really appreciate…mostly for UV protection but also, of course, to keep rain out of the otherwise open cockpit area. (This Fall we’ll have Sunbrella side and stern panels made for full cockpit protection, including some vinyl windows.) – Marty

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  David Stewart says:

  Marty, your boat is a beauty! Congratulations!
  Samantha and Dave

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    Marty Loken says:

    Dave and Sam – Thanks! (And how’s your boat project coming along?) – Marty

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  Eugene Bellows says:

  The boat I was always looking for

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    Marty Loken says:

    …As so were we, Eugene. Many thanks for the comment. – Marty

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  JOHN SHOUREAS says:

  Beautiful boat Marty. What was the design name or plan number that Alden gave it ?

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    Marty Loken says:

    John – Thanks for the compliment and question. RAVEN was built from Alden’s design #494, which didn’t have a name. As far as anyone can tell, only one other hull was built to the design, and it was an East Coast workboat…probably long gone. The original motorsailer design featured just the smaller cuddy cabin forward, and a large open cockpit with motor box in the middle. In the early 1960’s, a previous owner of our boat added the pilothouse and modified the sailing rig a bit so that the boom would clear the taller profile. We have the motorsailer rig—spars, rigging and sails—and plan to get the rig back on the boat for the 2023 season. – Marty

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      David Wiegand says:

      Ah, yes – this addresses my question of whether or not you have taken advantage of the motorsailer aspect of this configuration at all. Any clue how stabile she’d be under sail? And I presume it’s optimal point of sail would be a gentle broad reach or a not too rambunctious downwind (very modest mast staying, as far as I can tell). Nice refit, Marty!

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        Marty Loken says:

        David – We’ll reinstall a somewhat shortened version of the original mast next Spring, along with the boom and all rigging. Considering our modest sailing expectations, and reduced size of the rig, we’re sure the hull will be stable (enough), and that we’ll be thrilled with the broadest of reaches and occasional downwind drifts. Also, most of the summer months around here feature pretty light winds, so we’ll just be another motorsailer that’s motoring 95% of the time, while looking the part of a sailboat. – Marty

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  John Fuller says:

  The character in older wooden yachts cannot be achieved in any kind of new fibreglass models. The quietness of their cutting through the water and the richness of the wood are so relaxing to they eye and calming to the spirit. This is truly a beauty. I would love to have it on the Great Lakes to enjoy travelling on the fresh water trails and taking in the magnificent scenery they have to offer. This yacht would be the perfect choice.

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    Marty Loken says:

    Thanks, John, and you’re sure right about the character and quiet beauty of vintage motorboats…cutting through the water rather than running pell-mell, making the biggest possible wake. – Marty

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    Kit Laughlin says:

    Don’t forget the smell of a wooden boat, compared to fibreglass. This is a massive aspect on a day-to-day basis. Lovely boat, Marty.

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      Marty Loken says:

      While we’ve had a few nice, classic-looking fiberglass boats, you’re absolutely right about not just the look and feel of a wooden boat, but also the smell. (Especially appreciated when we’re living aboard!) Thanks for the comment, Kit.

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  stephen santoro says:

  Absolutely beautiful boat and a great job restoring. Good luck cruising

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    Marty Loken says:

    Thanks for your generous comment, Stephen. – Marty

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  Earl Hall says:

  Elegant outside and innovative layout inside Marty! The cat must believe it has real status.
  Has Oyster gone to a new owner or has your fleet enlarged? Wish I could meet up in the San Juans or Gulf Islands but my present boat is too small and I am no longer part of the Lower Mainland Yacht Cooperative (Knotfree – a Hartley TS 16) has a new owner.)
  The recent weather here has been magnificent for cruisng in such a vessel. Have a swell time.
  – Earl Hall-

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    Marty Loken says:

    Many thanks, Earl…and no, Scout (the cat) will never believe she’s been granted enough status, or credit, or food, but she’s otherwise been a great boat kitty. Oyster was sold three years ago to a friend and she continues to live on a trailer during the off-season—one of the things I loved about that pilothouse sloop. – Marty