With Regrets: Good News/Bad News

[myalexander]

The good news: My wife and I drove a little over 300 miles yesterday to get aboard 2 boats.
We have been "sold" on the Albin 28 for some time now but hadn't been on one.
The bad news: We spent some time on one in St Augustine and "DAMN" it's just too tight for me. I hit the roof and both ends of the bed, and can't move in the shower. We want a cruiser we can spend a month or two at a time on and this isn't going to work. Wifey was crushed, she fell in love with the 28 over time but she agrees ,It's just a little too small. So on we go.
The other boat we saw was a Mainship 30 Pilot. Significantly larger, more so than the numbers would suggest. It will do fine.
I hate to say that it but my involvement here will diminish as we move on. This group is one of the things I liked best about the prospect of having an Albin. Good Luck to all and thanks for all the great info and kindness. Bob

[jleonard]

Bob,
If you go Mainship you should join the Yahoo owner's group.

[zinbaad]

Sorry to hear, but I would think if you were comparing a Mainship30 you would also consider an Albin 31.. Much more head room in cabin, full size aft bunk, easy standup shower. Rated only 3 feet longer but with its wider beam you get so much more boat. I too loved the 28,,, but then I made the mistake ( or should I say fell in love) with "Mahalo" a 31 Albin TE. Plenty of room, enclosed upper cabin, upper sink & additional refrigerator & plenty of storage. Its been 3 seasons now & I do not regret it one bit..
Compare the 31 you just might find its the one for you,, good luck

[myalexander]

Thanks for the yahoo heads up j and I love the Albin 31 but the retirement boat budget won't allow it.

[jleonard]

Just watch out for the bunk on the 30 Mship. They pull out and lock in place. A friend of mine broke his arm a couple of years ago while trying to close it in rough seas...it somehow fell on his arm. (He didn't realize boating is a full contact sport)
The next season he bought a 34 because the bunk is full size. (he's a quick study )
Something to think about before you lays down your cash.

[myalexander]

Thanks for the heads up, J. The Mainships I'm looking at are the older style (approx 1998- 2002) which have the standard V berth which I plan to extend aft to cover the little seats leaving a larger "slot" in between to facilitate entry and essentially forming twin beds. We eat and sit outside in the seats and cockpit anyway.

[jleonard]

Thanks for the heads up, J.

No problem. I'll see you on the other side. I'm a moderator there.
Yes I'm an ex Mainshipper, creator of the NE Mainship group .... the group which still holds the world record for a Mainship raft-up on June 25, 2005 at Sag Harbor, NY..

Sagraftup1.jpg

[myalexander]

Thanks again J. You have brought back memories. Sag Harbor was our favorite destination when we lived in Ct. We loved anchoring on the North Haven side and watching the boat traffic. We met William F. Buckley as he sailed in and out of there and I used to race Jimmy Buffet (who lived there) and had a JY-14 sailboat like I used to tow behind my trawler (Marine Trader 44). The blue fishing on the sandbar that sticks out from the rock breakwater was outstanding on lite tackle.
I have joined the mainship board at yahoo and am busy reading.

[jleonard]

Jimmy Buffet (who lived there)

Interestingly....last year while at Coecles a friend and I went slumming behind CHM and into the building where they build the Billy Joel picnic boats. The very "chatty" master carpenter was there , gave us a tour and said he was there on a saturday only waiting for Jimmy Buffet's van to arrive....seems he had done lots of work in it and Jimmy wanted more done.
So that was the connection as I didn't know Jimmy lived in the area.
Small world indeed!!

[myalexander]

Hi J, Jimmy has a large southern looking house about half way out the Northhaven peninsula towards the south end of Shelter Island. We saw his seaplane pick him up at his dock to fly him to a concert near Boston which my kids were attending. We met him several times and had some fun extended "just regular folks" conversations. The first time we talked with him he was hosing off his fishing boat (Hemisphere Dancer") at the Sag YC. We were dinghying into the little YC slot in the seawall to see an old time band playing in the waterfront park. We had no idea who he was until later. Just boat guys shooting the breeze. Then another time while we anchored there I was sailing my JY 14 and he sailed out to meet me in his and we raced all afternoon around the bay. He visited us in his inflatible at our trawler the next day. Very nice guy and no pretensions at all.

[jillsusan]

HI- If you are looking to spend that kind of time- you have to look for a larger boat. I have a 28 and could not spend 1 weekend on it. But to be honest- the Mainship is not where I would go. Not built well at all.

I would look at a 31 Albin if you can go for the bucks. But also a Tiara 29 is a terrific product.

Pursuit 3000 offshore also is a great boat- I owned one of those and it is a very large 29 ft vessel.

[myalexander]

Thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate the ideas. We love the 31 Albin but it is too expensive and while we do like both of the other ones, we don't want gas, two engines, or outdrives. I'm aware of Mainship's place in the quality food chain and consider it acceptable for the price point. As a broker for 14 years, I've sold and surveyed a bunch of them both old and new. Given the market, I plan to keep my price low because these things aren't as "liquid" as they used to be and I don't want to be tied up in an expensive boat. Thanks again, Bob

[Russell]

Bob, I would appreciate your opinion on a question about about Florida boating. In a year or so we may be spending winters near Jupiter and I am wondering about taking my 28TE down there or selling it here and getting a different boat down there. I like the Albin but wonder about keeping it in a slip during hurricane season when I will not be around. A boat in dry slip storage might be a better option. What do you do when a hurricane is heading your way? Thanks.

[tbnolin]

Thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate the ideas. We love the 31 Albin but it is too expensive and while we do like both of the other ones, we don't want gas, two engines, or outdrives. I'm aware of Mainship's place in the quality food chain and consider it acceptable for the price point. As a broker for 14 years, I've sold and surveyed a bunch of them both old and new. Given the market, I plan to keep my price low because these things aren't as "liquid" as they used to be and I don't want to be tied up in an expensive boat. Thanks again, Bob

We didn't want the twins either when we were looking to upgrade. Single with a bow thruster was our intention. Now that we have twins, I don't think I would go back to a single. The 40 is extremely responsive when it comes to docking. Good luck, I'm sure you'll get the right boat for you.

[chiefrcd]

I guess it's all in how you feel, I'm almost 6'6" and 295 lbs. and I spend 3 or 4 nights a week on my Albin 28 and have traveled around the bay. I could easly spend a month on it as long as I made it to the dock every 4 or 5 days. Mostly to empty the trash, pump out the head and fill the water tank. The only thing I did was remove the flip up seat backs and install a custom Winndom Mattress in the V berth.