NEW ALBIN

[powerboater56]

I went to the Providence Boat Show today and looked through the new Albin 28 on display. I did not do a detailed examination but my casual inspection was very positive -- the Albin seemed nicely put together. The glass work looked good, the overall fit and finish seemed better than older Albins I have looked through.

Ken Hilton of Standish Marine was the dealer at the show and he was very pleased with the boat. He said the new builder (Northcoast Marine) had spent a great deal of time and effort to restore the tooling and the topsides looked pretty smooth even with a dark color hull. Ken said the builder used input from Ken and other past Albin personnel regarding mechanical and electrical systems and Ken thought the boat was better made than boats produced during last couple of years that Albin was in operation.

I gather tooling for other Albin models -- the 31TE, the 35TE and the 35CB -- is in need of extensive refurbishment so the builder will not produce those models until orders are in hand. Ken thought there were two dealers signed up so far and the builder would work to rebuild the dealer network.

The Providence show barely filled a single floor in the convention center -- not that long ago it filled two or three floors in the convention center plus most of the adjoining sports arena. I estimate the show is down to about 30% of its former size and there were not many people at the show. Albin will have a tough time getting traction in this dismal market but if their first boat is any indication they will not turn off buyers due to quality concerns. The boat at the show was an excellent first effort from my quick inspection.

John Schieffelin
2005 35 CB OTTER

[zinbaad]

Thanks for the positive report. Hope they continue on with more great Albins

[Veebyes2]

Good news. Hope they maintain the standard.

Some years ago there was a Northcast kept in my bay. Solidly built boat. It was a 28, I think. Very deep V hull. Looked almost like a Bertram. It had a pair of 150hp diesels. Too much weight & nowhere near enough power to get it up & moving.

[fairtide]

It's good to read that the new 28 looks at least as nice as the older ones. Were you able to get a feel for how the base price of a new 28 compares with the last year's production models of the former Albin builder? Also, what engine was shown with this show boat?

[powerboater56]

Sorry I did not ask about pricing. I know the engine was a Yanmar, but I am not sure which model/hp.

[jcollins]

I was not a fan of the fit and finish of the Shamrock boats when I saw them at the Annapois show.
Good to hear things are starting out well.

Thanks,

[AdvantageYS]

The new Albin 28 comes with a Yanmar 315HP. I believe base boat pricing is about $175k FOB Bristol, RI.

[fairtide]

I had asked about the manufacturer's retail price in another section of AOG and the response was that the Newport had a base price of $184k. I don't know that other trim lines were on display at any boat shows, but it is likely that something would be saved by not having the Newport trim. The lower price in this thread may be for a non-Newport version of the 28TE.

In other past posts here, I suggested that present owners of Albin boats might serve as helpful go-betweens for the factory and its now two dealerships. We have an enthusiastic group with widespread locations. While we could not actually represent the builder or dealers, we could let referred interested customers see our boats. The Albin built 28 is not much different in appearance from the new ones and if we have some in the water, a potential customer might like to step aboard just to get the feel of the boat. Generous owners might even treat some folks to a short cruise, even though we understand the liability issues.

[jcollins]

Interested parties are always welcome to check out the members map and reach out to us. I, for one, always welcome folks aboard.

John

[Al O Fish Us]

We just purchased a 2007 Albin TE Newport 28 and the broker indicated retail was over $220,000 new. The following year an Entec generator was added. Hope this helps.

[tomcat]

John, what you were saying about the 28 at the boat show and how they were being built (order in hand) is about the same thing that a West Marine employee was telling me this past weekend in Stamford,CT. The Albin boat is still there....barely, and hoping to make a comeback. Making only what is available from the molds that are available. After the doors closed in 2008 (?), several of the molds were brought to Greenwich or Stamford, not sure which, and after awhile...disappeared, and to his knowledge, have not been found.I know, first hand, that the quality of the Albin was not there in the NSC 2006 or in the 2008 model, as it was made in China from very low grade materials. It is sad to see the water damage from leaking saloon windows and portholes and rusting hose clamps from poor quality stainless steel.
I hope that now the Albin is back here in the States, the quality will return and the Albin will flourish as it did years ago. They are a nice looking vessel while floating in the water, I would hate to see them disappear.

[RicM]

I don't believe any TE's were made in China. The 45 CB was ( they only made 1 or 2, and one of them was at the NE Rendezvous last year and was a gorgeous boat) and I know some, if not all of the trawler models were at the end. They were badly made, and often required extensive rework stateside to be saleable. The TE's were made here in Portsmouth RI. The molds sat around here for a year or two then Bladen Composites in NC bought the name and tooling. They went bust after making, I believe, just one 28TE, and doing it badly. NorthCoast then picked up the flag, retrieved the remaining tooling from Portsmouth, NC, and CT, and is apparently doing a good job of it in Bristol RI. I must say, that the design will soon need refreshing to survive in the current boating market. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my 28TE, but time marches on and there are a number of "eccentricities" to the TE's that are less likely to be tolerated by the boat buyer of 2010. For a look at where the TE could go, check out Terry Compton's (the designer of the TE's) Compton 33:
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2005/Co ... ted-States