Newbie looking for Albin 34

[okelley]

I am a previous sailboat owner looking for another boat, and am considering an Albin 34 double cabin, because I like the idea of a motor. I've never owned any motorboat over 20ft, and sure would like to hear from anyone who owns or knows a little about the 34. Mpg, autopilots, any caveats. Thanks a lot! I hope this post goes to New Introductions....

[jcollins]

Welcome to AOG.

[Mariner]

My personal opinion is, if it can't go significantly faster than a sailboat, I'd just as soon rather have the ability to sail.

We love our boat, but we miss sailing dearly.

[okelley]

It's a hard choice between sail and motor. It will probably be the boat that makes my mind up. I like the idea of finding a boat up north and motoring down the ICW. Sailing has a lot of demands motoring doesn't, but I know motoring has it's own demands. I'm not very diesel-wise, and a conked out motor would be a problem, but the idea of just cranking her up and cruising is sweet. My sailboat was difficult to dock (Westsail 28), and undock, but in a wind, I guess a motor boat would be difficult also, especially w/out a bow thruster. There are so many pros and cons, but at least I do think an Albin is a decent trawler to consider, pricewise and otherwise. If you miss sailing, I probably would too. Thanks for the message!

[Mariner]

I don't mean to turn you off to power boats, I just wanted to point out that viewpoint. Obviously, it's a viewpoint that a lot of people don't share; hence the prevalence of displacement-hull trawlers.

On docking, I suppose it depends a lot on the sailboat (and of course, the powerboat). I don't personally find docking our boat to be much easier than docking our old sailboat (a 36' Catalina). The Catalina required a little more planning and finesse, since you don't have as much power available for sudden surges to stop or turn. But then, you also have that keel down there that makes the boat much less succeptible to wind gusts. Of course, our Albin also has a keel, and, in addition, has a bow thruster, so in the end, it might have a slight advantage, but it's really all about just getting to know your boat. Any boat is difficult to maneauver when you're new to it, and easy after you've got a few years under your belt. I did find that the keel on that Catalina gave it a very predictable pivot point that allowed you to do some pretty impressive maneauvers with relative ease.

And although I do miss sailing, one thing I really appreciate is the big windows in the main salon. There aren't many sailboats where you can wake up in your anchorage and sip your coffee in the warmth of the cabin while taking in a 360 degree view of the harbor. And, of course, the comfortable indoor helm. That's probably 90% of the draw to powerboats for me, given our wet climate in Western Washington. We do a lot of winter boating that we didn't used to. And for when I absolutely want to go sailing, I've got a 10' sailing dinghy that I davit off the cockpit cover and throw the sails on. It's not the same as a big sailboat, but it's still sailing.

Don't be afraid of diesels. Once you get used to having one, you'll never want to go back to gas. They simply require less maintenance, use less fuel, and last longer. Most of the maintenence routines are the same as with gas. You do have to be much more careful about fuel and filtration, but on the other hand, you'll never have to change a spark plug again, so I think it evens out. But the biggie is safety. I'm just not comfortable with gasoline on an enclosed boat. Too damned dangerous. Sail or power, definitely stick to diesel power.

[okelley]

I definitely stick to diesel. I didn't mention my Westsail had a full keel, and a 10 hp motor (underpowered). The Westy 28 displaces around 14000lbs, it's a heavy boat, docking was really kind of a nightmare (I singlehand) at first, but then I just sort of quit worrying about it so much. I used to drive semis, and had the same problem docking those beasts, and I think the experience carried over a little. Then I started noticing how everyone else docking and undocking had trouble also, and usually had 2 or more sailors running around trying to help, and the boats would bump a little anyway, so I chilled out a bit. Bumping a piling doesn't sink the boat unless you bump it really hard, so not to worry. I didn't think about rainy/cold weather cruising, the enclosed cockpit would certainly make it more do-able and comfortable. The northwest is really rainy, isn't it? I had my boat(lived aboard) in FL...went thru 4 or 5 hurricanes whilst tied up at the marina, what fun! I emailed friends while "storming", my brother lives in Savannah, GA, and I would send Pics from out the portholes. Fun till the power goes out, no PC, no TV news...and if the wind was wrong, I couldn't pull the boat to the dock to get out. Generally the water was so high the boat would be way above the dock, I'd have to jump Down into 3ft of water to get to the dock at all. I miss it all!

[Veebyes2]

I don't know if he is part of this group, or if he still has his 34, but there was an owner on the Yahoo Albin Cruisers group who had his 34 for sale. I think the boat was located in the Norfolk, VA area.

The hull is basically the same as the 32+2 which came after it. How many other 34'ers have 2 heads? It won't win any beauty contests but it sure is one practical boat.

[Mariner]

14,000# with a 10hp motor? Yeah, I'll say that was a tad underpowered. We had a 35hp in our Catalina that weighed about the same, and it couldn't push it to hull speed. I can see where that would make maneuvering a bit tough.

Yes, it's quite rainy here in Western Washington and British Columbia, but mostly in the winter. It's a different kind of rain that people on the east coast are used to. In November it will start raining and often not stop for days or weeks. The record was 90 days straight, though that was very unusual. But it's a light rain. No one in Seattle owns an umbrella. We just wear light weight rain jackets all winter. The summers here are beautiful, though, with only occasional rain showers.

But do not confuse the west side of the Cascades with the east side. Eastern Washington is technically a desert, and driving through it, you would never mistake it for anything but. It is every bit as hot and dry as the Southwest, and there are no natural trees at all. Just dirt and tumbleweed. Boating over there on the Columbia and Snake river system is quite different. It's all wakeboarding, pontoon, and bass boats.