In the Running

Post by **Donya** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 2:39 pm

Hi all,
The Albin 28 TE is one of the boats that I am considering. Having owned both larger and presently smaller units it is large enough to have accommodations, but small enough to haul out on a trailer for maintenance and storage. I am interested in both pro and con comments and experiences.

Thanks,
Don

Post by **Mariner** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 8:44 pm

I've never been out on a 28TE, but they're very popular here. You're sure to get lots of input.

I can, however, comment somewhat on Albin boats as a whole.

I've found that their fit and finnish is not the best, but it is still rather good. I would say it's in the top 33% of manufacturers, but not the top 25%. However, unlike a lot of mass produced cheap boats, they do use high quality components and a lot of good old fashioned hand craftsmanship. They experiement a lot with new ideas, but the 28TE has been their bread and butter for quite a while now. They've gotten good at making that boat, and it shows.

As for the design of the 28TE, like I said, I've never been out on one, but my impression is that for a single hander or couple looking for a boat that is both a cruiser and a fishing/crabbing platform, it doesn't get much better than a 28TE with a hardtop and an Alaskan bulkhead. If the North Sound is your cruising ground, and you are either just a couple, or kids are still young, this is THE boat for you. It's seaworthy enough to handle Rosario Straight in the winter. It's fast enough to get you to Desolation Sound in reasonable time. It's large enough to spend a week in the San Juans. It's got enough creature comforts and equipment to keep you comfortable through our wet and windy winters. It's inexpensive enough to be attainable for the less than super-rich, while still maintaining a level of quality that ensures good resale when you eventually outgrow it.

jcollins · Post by **jcollins** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 3:12 pm

Hi Grumpy! Welcome to the board.
I have owned a T28 for one year. Compared to other boats I've owned there really isn't much I don't like about it. It's perfect for my wife, a few friends, and I to get around. I would not hesitate to recommend this boat at all. The only thing I don't like is relearning how to back into a slip. But, that is all part of the fun! You mentioned trailering in your post.
Here is a post from Mariner and others from April.

http://albinowners.net/aog/viewtopic.ph ... railerable

tomcat rio · Post by **tomcat rio** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:31 am

...doesn't have as much storage space as you might like....
having discovered this on my 28, i also discovered that i didn't really need to store much stuff on the boat anyway.
..
it really only sleeps two. the the real storage locker is disguised as a quarterberth.

.
...
its as big a boat as i would care to drive around with me being the only one with much boating experience aboard.
...
the fact that its still in production might mean that older boats retain resale value well.
...
if you have it surveyed, have the surveyer look really hard at all the hoses and he may recommend that the seller replace them prior to the sale.

jcollins · Post by **jcollins** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:05 pm

Tomcat,
You bring up some good points that have been discussed before.

I look at less room being better. I had so much "stuff" on my last boat it was ridiculous. Since this one is more compact, I don't bring nearly as much on board as I used to. I have also found that I don't really need all that extra weight.

Secondly, you mentioned resale. I forgot that I paid about 5k over book price. These boats really do have a good resale value.

Post by **Donya** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:25 am

Thanks for the replies.
Parties 8, feeds 4, and sleeps 2, perfect!!!
Most of the time it is just my wife and I plus 2 mini Schnauzers and too much stuff.....
Also have a land yacht and another boat to sell also.

We spend a lot of weekends in Puget Sound and are planning another trip up to Prince Rupert this coming year.

Don

Post by **Elizabeth Ann** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:26 am

Hi ya Grumpy,

I don't really know what to say, but I'm pretty sure everyone here loves their Albin's. I don't think you can go wrong with getting one.

What else have you had and what else are you considering?

Post by **chiefrcd** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:46 am

Grumpy, I'm going into my third season with a 1999 Albin TE 28 and I love the boat. I too have had other boats and when I began to look at the Albins I really thought I'd found the perfect boat, at least for me. I do little cruising but lots of fishing. It has a very good balance in that department. As stated it doesn't have a lot of storage, unless you count the quarter berth, but it has a great cockpit and the pilot house is perfect for early spring and late fall/winter fishing. The boat handles extremely well in rough water and I have been caught out in several severe thunderstorms and have never been concerned about how the boat would do. As with all boats, there always seems to be something to do regarding maintenance or repairs, but not really with the boat, more with the equipment. When I was looking for Albins I really wanted either the Yanmar or the Cummins engine, and I was avoiding the Peninsular Engine, but several folks here have that engine and seems to really like it. My concern was mostly founded in my lack of knowledge in the engines but I was familiar with Yanmars and with Cummins. If I was looking now, I don't think I'd be as concerned, based on what I've learned here about those particular engines. I sleep on my boat two to three nights a week year round here in Virginia and I've found that the boat is very comfortable ( I did change to a Winndom Mattress) and I have all the creature features of home. I'd highly recommend the boat to anyone unless you were planning lots of long term cruising and I'd probably go with something a little bigger. Make sure you get a good surveyor when you go to purchase the boat. These boats do have cored hulls. I have no problems with that and have never heard of a single Albin 28 with a problem...but you need to make sure that the hull/deck are dry and don't have any water penetration.

Post by **Veebyes2** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 4:45 pm

I always compared the 28 to my 27 aft cabin. I was very sorry to see the 27 discontinued in favour of the 28 in the early 90s. The 27 is slow but in many ways is a better cruising boat IMHO than the 28. Never did like the engine box & limited access of the early 28s. Overall the front cabin seems smaller too.

The 28 certainly has a good turn of speed & has earned itself quite a reputation as a sea boat.

For cruising & having a dash of speed when wanted I have no regrets 'jumping' past the 28 & gettng my 32.

Albin has been trying to capture the success of the 27 aft cabin with the stretched 28 aft cabin calling it a 30 family cruiser. As practical as it is I suspect it is not very successful. The North American market just can't get its head around something that looks so different from everything else no matter how good it is. A shame. That 30 would make a decent cruising boat for a couple. Sleep in the back. Use the front to eat. No making up the bed every day like you have to do with a conventional everything in the front cabin boat.

jcollins · Post by **jcollins** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 5:51 pm

Veebyes,
Your right! I didn't even think of the 30FC when replying to folks looking at the 28, but wanting a little more room. Hopefully Albin will give it a few years to catch on. The 27 was a great boat. There are still many of them out there.
When I mentioned to a friend that I was buying an Albin he said, "you mean one of those little trawlers with the split aft cabin"?

tomcat rio · Post by **tomcat rio** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 10:26 am

http://boatdiesel.com/index.cfm?&CFApp= ... 5072847468
...
slide down to "Repower of Albin 27 - 'Ebb Tide'"

jcollins · Post by **jcollins** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 6:20 pm

Veebyes2 wrote:I always compared the 28 to my 27 aft cabin. I was very sorry to see the 27 discontinued in favour of the 28 in the early 90s. The 27 is slow but in many ways is a better cruising boat IMHO than the 28. Never did like the engine box & limited access of the early 28s. Overall the front cabin seems smaller too.

The 28 certainly has a good turn of speed & has earned itself quite a reputation as a sea boat.

For cruising & having a dash of speed when wanted I have no regrets 'jumping' past the 28 & gettng my 32.

Albin has been trying to capture the success of the 27 aft cabin with the stretched 28 aft cabin calling it a 30 family cruiser. As practical as it is I suspect it is not very successful. The North American market just can't get its head around something that looks so different from everything else no matter how good it is. A shame. That 30 would make a decent cruising boat for a couple. Sleep in the back. Use the front to eat. No making up the bed every day like you have to do with a conventional everything in the front cabin boat.

A nice 27 just listed in our For Sale forum.

Post by **Capt Ron** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 12:33 pm

Chief, Like you, my wife and I spend every weekend and three weeks of vacation on the boat from april through november. That's a lot of nights in the bunk on 3 inches of foam. I very interested in the mattress you mentioned. Please help with some questions. Is the table still useable? How thick is it? What's it's construction? Do the seat back rests fit properly when the bed isn't being used? Who can I contact for more info? I could go on but you get the idea.

Post by **chiefrcd** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:06 pm

Capt'n Ron,
To increase the mattress depth you either have to remove the seat backs or modify the length of the seat backs which is a big job and expense. I chose to remove mine. You can also get the mattesses made in as many parts as you need. I chose to do away with using the table and my mattress is split down the middle, no filler to remove or to feel. The mattress that I have is a viscious memory foam mattress, we recommend a minimum of 6.5 inches or thicker. Very high quality and the factory which is located in Virginia stands behind their products 100 % for 5 years...and on a boat that is a lot. I sleep better on the boat than I do at home. The trade off is that you lose your table and seating and you lose the little nook where your feet go. I sleep crossways on the mattress on the outer edge, my wife who's much shorter than me sleeps crossways inboard of me. After two back operations, it was worth the trade off for me.

Post by **Mariner** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:14 pm

The original bed cushions on our boat were too thin and made the bed rock hard. Impossible to sleep on. We simply added a 1" memory foam pad on top of them and it's made a huge difference. The beauty is that it can be rolled up and stowed when not needed (not often on our boat, since the bunks are not dual-purpose).

Albin Owners Group

Albin Owners Group

In the Running

In the Running

you may find that the albin 28...

albin 27 repower atricle

Winndom mattress