Any information on Arden 4 Clansmen 24ft?

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ripple

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I,m thinking of buying an arden 4, but i can,t find any information about them anywhere.Can anyone enlighten me.Are they a good sailing boat?
 
I've never sailed one, and I had thought, perhaps mistakenly, that an Arden 4 and an Arden Clansman were different models, although they have the same dimensions and look similar.

PBO said of the Clansman
FOR: Tough, stable cruiser with reassuring 'big boat' feel and predictable handling under power or sail.
AGAINST: Poor forward visibility from cockpit; unimaginative decor and layout (some models had extra Vee berth forward).

Bristow's 1969 book of yachts has details of the Arden 4 Series 2, but no mention of Clansman.

Apparently they were designed and built by Arden Yachts and moulded by Rydgeway Marine, Lowestoft.
 
Yes had one for 4 years good rugged no nonesence traditional boat very strong, had good fun with her, thay were built on the Clyde.
 
I think the Clansman is the same moulding as the Arden 4 but modified and updated interior.

The Good Yacht Guide (late 80s early 90s) says:

Arden (Clansman) - A family cruiser which started life in wood in 1964/5 and switched to GRP soon after. The layout was changed from 2 cabin to a simple 4 berth open plan saloon with separate WC compartment forward and a small galley aft. Quite roomy , 5'9" headrooom. Well thought of".
 
My first yacht was an Arden 4 of circa 1968 vintage. Obviously any boat of that age will need a careful inspection but they are solidly built boats. They were built on the Clyde for charter purposes and there are a number of them around. George Hulley's at Dumbarton (Sandpoint Marina - I think) was part of the team that built them and will give you chapter & verse on them. He told me that he used to challange those that doubted this new fangled fibreglass material, by giving them a sledgehammer to see if they could break the side of the hull. They couldn't! I still see my old boat on the Clyde and she seems to be in good order. They are very seaworthy and I heard that one was sailed to Russia by an elderley woman. Not the fastest boat, as you would expect but safe. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions and I will try to answer them for you.
 
I still see my old boat on the Clyde and she seems to be in good order. They are very seaworthy and I heard that one was sailed to Russia by an elderley woman. Not the fastest boat, as you would expect but safe. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions and I will try to answer them for you.[/QUOTE]

Hi, What was your sail number for the Arden? My brother has just purchased an Arden and is now back on the clyde again, the sail number is 1450C.
 
Arden 4

I've sailed an Arden 4 out of Tayport for the last 10 years and am very happy with her. the 52% ballast to weight ratio means they are very stable and safe, and though not the fastest boat in the world they are able to shift along in a decent wind. Very solidly constructed, with lots of lay-ups when being moulded because the material was new and the builders, Hulley Marine took the view better safe than sorry! I've had one or two blisters to remove and fill on the hull, but very few considering Iona was built in 1966. Many had Vire petrol engines which when old, can be a nightmare. I replaced mine with a Yanmar 1GM10 which fits well into the engine compartment. There are two Ardens in Tayport and I believe 92 were built. Yachting Life awarded it the title of cruising yacht of the year in 1960 something. If you get one - enjoy!
 
DerekM said:
I've sailed an Arden 4 out of Tayport for the last 10 years and am very happy with her. the 52% ballast to weight ratio means they are very stable and safe, and though not the fastest boat in the world they are able to shift along in a decent wind. Very solidly constructed, with lots of lay-ups when being moulded because the material was new and the builders, Hulley Marine took the view better safe than sorry! I've had one or two blisters to remove and fill on the hull, but very few considering Iona was built in 1966. Many had Vire petrol engines which when old, can be a nightmare. I replaced mine with a Yanmar 1GM10 which fits well into the engine compartment. There are two Ardens in Tayport and I believe 92 were built. Yachting Life awarded it the title of cruising yacht of the year in 1960 something. If you get one - enjoy!
Click to expand...

Hi, Ours is already fitted with a 1GM which i suppose maybe replaced the original Vire? How can we find out the year of the boat? It has the straight edge to the gunwhale rather than the raised edge of the later boats which maybe suggests 1960s? R.
 
ripple said:
I,m thinking of buying an arden 4, but i can,t find any information about them anywhere.Can anyone enlighten me.Are they a good sailing boat?
Click to expand...

Lovely looking things, in my opinion. My father wanted to buy one couldn't find one so he bought a second hand Jouster - now mine - instead. From Arden Yachts, as it happened, who by then (1980) didn't build boats any more but did buy and sell them.
 
I have had an Arden 4 based in the Holy Loch for the past 6 years - still got its original Volvo MD1 engine.

The earlier boats had round portholes in the 'galley' and forward cabin, no pronounced toerail and the tiller extends into the cockpit through a recess in the coaming - the tiller on later boats exits through the aft deck.

George Hulley at Hulley Marine Dumbarton built the boats when he was at Arden Yachts - he has a book with all the sail numbers and dates of manufacture - if you give him a call he should be able to help.

Drop me a line if you want any info. - I have the original brochure.
Have also replaced sails, rigging, roller forestay,upholstery etc so can give you comparitive costs if you are thinking of any of these upgrades.

Gavin
 
What kind of speeds to you get from your Yanmar - I will have to replace the Volvo when it eventually dies.

Also, has anyone suffered from deflection of the coachroof at the mast step?

Many thanks.


Gavin
 
Yes. I opened up the grp and dug out masses of soggy plywood/timber. I also replaced the forward deck beam with mahogany and fitted a mahogany mast step, all enclosed with epoxy and rovings.
 
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