1950 Abeking & Rasmussen 71 for sale

1950 Abeking & Rasmussen 71 boat for sale

Built in 1950 by Abeking & Rasmussen at their Bremershaven yard. Designed with classic New England lines for Drayton Cochran of New York by the Eldridge & McInnis firm of Boston in the style of a Maine sardine carrier, but with appointments of a dedicated ocean capable yacht. Little Vigilant was cruised by Cochran throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, and northern Africa. The Ketch rig of Little Vigilant was designed to allow its masts to step down to deck level, accommodating transit of fixed bridges throughout its then cruising grounds. 

Sold in 1961 Little Vigilant was lost to indoor storage in the UK for forty years before being found by its next dedicated steward. Between 2005 and 2019 that owner passionately restored, refit, and personally utilized Little Vigilant. Upgrades like air conditioning made comfortable cruising in the Caribbean for this classic yacht and opening the galley gave the layout below decks a more modern feel. Repowered, the addition of a bow thruster, and modern ground tackle controls for the original hydraulic windlass creates an ocean capable vessel that is a knack to handle in coastal waters and marinas.

Systems and Upgrades

Propulsion 

-John Deere 6081 (new 2010)

-Twin disk marine gear (3:5:1 reduction) with hydraulic power take off

-Custom prop shaft with spare included

-Newly remanufactured hydraulic control unit powering both Vetus Bow thruster (new as of 2023, old remanufactured and included as spare) and H. Kalkowski windlass (original to vessel)

Fuel: port and starboard tank in engine room with total capacity of 2000 gallons

              -Dual Racor fuel scrubber between port and starboard tanks

              -Dual Racor primary filter to main engine

              -Single Racor primary filter to genset

Electrical

Shore power:

-50 amp 240VAC full ship supply

-30 amp 120VAC auxiliary battery charger only

Generator:

-Northern Lights 12KW genset 240VAC full ship supply

Chargers and Inverters:

-Mastervolt MASS 24/100-C charger (full ship supply)

-Mastervolt Mass SINE 24/2500 inverter (house to salon panel)

-Victron SKYLLA-TG 24-100 charger (aux from 30 amp shore supply)

Batteries:

-House: Six (6) Lifeline AGM GPL-8DL in parallel-series 24VDC

-Main Engine Start: Two (2) Lifeline AGM GPL-4DL in series 24VDC

-Genset Start: Two (2) Lifeline sealed liquid acid in parallel 12VDC

Distribution:

-Main DC selector switch panel in engine room

-Main AC/DC distribution panel (240VAC 120VAC 24VDC) in engine room

-Domestic supply sub panel (120VAC [shore, genset, or inverter]) in salon

-Navigation supply sub panel (24VDC with stepdown to 12VDC) in pilot house

-All AC (120V) and DC (24V) lighting throughout vessel was replaced with LED circa 2018  

Domestic water

-150 gallon potable water tank under salon sole

-CAT three stage high pressure pump for bespoke reverse osmosis desalination

-240VAC Headhunter M5 domestic water pump

-24VDC Headhunter XRS Domestic water pump

-Grey water sumps located under companionway between salon and master cabin. Galley and crew quarters serviced by forward, master head serviced by aft.

Hot Water:

-Water heater loop off Main Engine

-Atlantic Marine Supply T30E 240VAC domestic water heater

-Hurricane II Diesel or AC domestic water heater

-All above plumbed to Master Head sink, tub/shower, and Royal Flush head. Galley sink. Crew Quarters sink, shower, and Royal Flush head.

-Black water Holding tank under master cabin sole. Dual discharge pumps under Genset with remote operation from pilot house possible.

Heating and Air conditioning

-Each of seven (7) zones have an independent air handler (crew, galley, salon, guest, master, engine room, pilot house). Each air handler can supply electric heat, or be serviced by one of two air conditioning chillers in engine room.

-Cruisair MTC30C chiller x2

-Hurricane II diesel heater can supply radiant heat loop throughout bilge and baseboard heat

-Two (2) Soapstone and Bronze coal stoves located below decks are original to vessel  

Galley

-Force 10 LPG three burner stove

              Tank on deck to starboard of forward companionway on bespoke cradle

-Refrigerator and freezer serviced by independent Seafrost units on freshwater loop

Deck Hardware

-Naval style anchor through starboard hawse

-Forfjord anchor on rail cat to port

-Original to vessel H. Kalkowski hydraulic windlass

-Windlass remote in forward companionway

-Deck and anchor wash (both salt and fresh) at forward companionway

-50amp inlet on starboard forward of pilot house

-30amp inlet on port aft engine room cabin house

-Freshwater shower outlet on starboard aft of dog house

-Teak table and chairs for six (6) with attachment to mid ships deck

Sailing Rig

-All hardware included to rig suit of sails.

              Clubbed staysail

              Gaff rigged main sail

              Fisherman's staysail

              Marconi mizzen sail

Navigation

-All house loads are 24VDC with exception of navigation instruments in pilot house with independent stepdown 24VDC from house to 12VDC for navigation instrument loads

-Icom VHF

-Garmin VHF

-Furuno depth sounder

-Garmin chart plotter with independent radar

-Simrad chart plotter with independent radar

-Garmin AIS

-Analog gimbaled compass and bespoke box (original to vessel)

-US naval deck clock

-Chelsea Barometer

Recent maintenance and upgrades to Little Vigilant

Spring 2025:

-New Fireboy discharge head and control valve

Tanks removed and pressure tested.

Winter 2024-2025:

-New fuel lift pump for generator

-Rig removed and fully stripped to wood and refinished

-Hydraulic control unit for windlass and bow thruster out and remanufactured

              All lines and reservoir drained, cleaned, fluid replaced, and bled

-Dog house canvas replaced in kind

Winter 2023-2024:

-Forward deck woodwork stripped to wood and refinished

-Bottom fully stripped, primed, painted (non-ablative, 3 coats) by Hornblower Marine at Bridgeport facility

-New zincs installed by Hornblower Marine at Bridgeport facility

Winter 2022-2023:

-Bow thruster drive unit out and replaced with new

              Old remanufactured for spare

-New injector pump and injectors for generator