The Ballad Exchange

You've got yourself some beautiful sails, Mark! I used the Genoa 1 which the boat came with just once and then gave it to a friend for his Anderson 30. The winds in the Aegean are very finicky; they can go from 15 knots to 30 within minutes and such a big sail is a handful. Even a No. 2 can be too b...

Hi to all: At nearly 14 years old, my cross-cut Genoa 3--my workhorse sail that's permanently on the furler--had started to really show its age. So I bit the bullet and had a new one made. This time, I decided to go a bit more exotic and after talking to the people of Quantum Greece, we decided on a...

Hi guys: Sorry for the reaaaaaaaally late reply. I just became active again. Not only would I have given you permission to post the photos, I'm actually flattered that you did. Within the next couple of days, I'll post a slight alteration I've made to the dinette which allows it to be converted to a...

Hi Mark: Great to touch base again. I don't know if anybody has taken a look at the truss. The boat has been sailed hard in the past (I've met two of the previous owners) but has had no damage from leaks around the chainplates or anywhere else. When I had gutted the boat during the electrical/plumbi...

Well, I can't tell what Albin had done over the years regarding the mast step. A Swedish friend's 1976 Ballad has had no issues whatsoever. It has also been argued that in warmer climates, where there's very little humidity--and when things get wet they dry off very quickly--problems of that nature ...

Hi there guys: I'm Nicholas, owner of "Moments of Clarity" hull No. 334. I used to be very active on the Ballad Exchange but have been mute over the past couple of years. I've been following Mark's articles in PBO and the Mast step truss thread over here. It's an issue that I want to addre...

One of the original handrails snapped under use so I've replaced mine with 30mm stainless steel tubing and chrome bronze bases. They're a lot more solid and I've through-bolted them to the wooden handrails in the cabin (the original bronze screws can fail). This photo is far from ideal but I don't h...