Prospective Owner

[CaptTom]

Happy new year all! New guy here.

Next Saturday I plan to look at an Albin 36, and I'd appreciate any suggestions from owners as to what I should be concerned with, and what might need special inspection.

I've always liked Albins, and my next boat will probably be a trawler, so this one piqued my interest. So far all I have is a few pictures and a note from the broker that there are "a few leaks" in the interior, although the pictures don't show any real damage in the usual places (below windows, etc.). The broker also mentioned exterior teak work to be done, although the decks look OK in the pics, just grayed. The pictures appear to suggest a clean and well-maintained boat.

I wish it had a centerline master berth, but it's off to the side. Is that a full-size mattress, or smaller?

The aft head has a tub and shower, but I can't tell from the pictures if you can actually stand up and shower without having to clean and dry everything afterward. Has anyone ever modified the shower to make it easier to use and clean?

I know nothing about the fuel and water tanks on this model, such as where to look for potential corrosion or leaks.

I only have one picture of the engine compartment, looking down from above. It has a Cummins 210. Is everything easy to reach for maintenance on this boat? Is there room for a generator? The write-up doesn't mention one, so I assume I'd have to add that.

Again, anything specific I should be looking at would be appreciated. If I don't find any major problems, my next step would be to have a proper survey.

- Tom

[Great White]

Hi Tom,

Ken White here. I also own a 36 for two years and looked at several before buying. I would be happy to talk with you about what I have learned if you think it would help you. It is a great boat as long as the prior owner kept up with things. Feel free to call if you wish as my typing is way too slow to go into detail.

Happy New Year,

Ken
561-315-9859

[meridian]

Tom,
I just got mine last June. Yes it is a full bunk but very uncomfortable to for the person that has to sleep against the hull, no air circulation. It is an "almost" stand-up shower. I am contemplating just using the fwd head shower only. Both my fwd and aft shower pans have no drain hose. The tub drains to a sump in front of the engine.


We plan on leaving for the Loop in July so we have a lot of work to do.

Feel free to call me. 269 207 5097

Terry

[crowra]

Tom,

We've owned a 1987 36' Albin for 2 1/2 years and love it. What year is the one you are looking at?

The teak will be a never ending labor of love (unless you have deep pockets and can get someone else to do it). Our bed is a centerline master berth, is queen-size and 'walk around'. The two 100 gallon water tanks are underneath the mattress. No sign of corrosion so far. One 'feature' of the Albins (I think the same is true for Monks) is that as the water tanks get emptier, the stern rises and the bow lowers. I have heard of folks installing pig iron to help counteract the change in angle.

I am 6' tall and can pretty much stand in the shower/tub. My firstmate is 5' tall and has no problem. Overall, I can't really complain about the shower.

The water tanks are easy to inspect for corrosion and leaks. The fuel tanks are another story since they are covered with some kind of foam rubber.

We too have a Cummins 210. For the most part everything is 'easy to reach' although I have become quite the contortionist when down in the 'man cave'. Yes, there is room for a generator. We have one and it is located forward of the main engine (which probably adds to the forward pitch when the water tanks empty). It is over the holding tank and in front of the sump. Before installing one, you may want to do some cruising to see if you'll really need one. We rarely use ours. The coolant from the engine heats the hot water. Assuming you have house batteries and an inverter, you don't really need one except to run the air conditioner while at anchor (or to recharge the house batteries if you are at anchor for more than a day). You may be able to save a lot of money investing in a portable generator (just a thought).

Feel free to fire away with any more questions. If you want to send me the specs (or link), I will be glad to look it over and see if anything stands out.

Rob

[CaptTom]

Rob:

Thanks for the response. The one I plan to look at is also an '87.

Unfortunately it does not have the centerline berth. Not sure where the water tanks are on that one, but the thing about the effect on trim is interesting. Ideally I'd want to keep the tank relatively full. Someday I hope to spring for a watermaker.

I have a Honda EU2000 now, but sometimes it's just too much of a bother to drag it out and fire it up. I don't use it often. Still, the plan is to spend more time aboard. On those few days when we really need A/C, or want to spend a few days on the hook, it would be nice to be able to just hit a switch.

[Great White]

Tom,

My design is the port side berth also. The water tanks are located all the way back against the transome under the deck one to each side. You can see them from the hatch in the middle but they are not easy to get to. My Gen sits right between them which is different than I saw on other models where it is located in front of the main.

[meridian]

Great White,
How do you get to your rudder post?

[CaptTom]

Terry, I was going to ask the same thing.

I went to see the boat I asked was asking about, above. I have mixed feelings. It is a great boat, and the hull and engine appear sound. I'm worried that I would be getting in over my head with the amount of work I'd need to do if I buy it. Some feedback would be helpful. I've posted pictures at https://picasaweb.google.com/1068993558 ... 987Albin36#

The good: It's an Albin! Hull looks good, topside fiberglass looks good. Bow thruster. Four brand new 8D batteries with new wiring, charger and combiner. Autopilot. Three good anchors (plow and 2 Danforth) and all-chain rode. assorted dock lines and power cords. new-looking vinyl cushions for the flybridge. Bimini. Canvas screens around flybridge aft deck. Cummins 210 HP with under 12,000 hours. I have the phone number of the mechanic who maintained it. Saloon seating looks newish and in good shape. 2 GPS chartplotters. Radar and sounder (ancient). Curtains. Clean bilges.

The bad: No "true" stand-up shower. Aft berth is off to the side, one partner would have to climb over the other to get out. Flybridge wind screen is cracked and needs to be replaced. No A/C. No generator. No watermaker. No microwave. Screens in bad shape. Suspect rear-most section of Exhaust hose needs to be replaced, rest look newer. Fuel filters in cabin (easy to change, but what about the smell!?) Some damaged and missing veneer, spots of water damage under some windows. One waste hose needs to be replaced, rest look newer. Mast needs some cosmetic work. Topside trim (rails, gunnel tops, flybridge trim) need refinishing. Teak decks significantly silvered. Horns need to be replaced. Radar needs to be replaced, or at least relocated above flybridge level. Lines and fenders pretty tired, and not nearly enough of them. No dinghy. Need new water heater with engine heat transfer hoses.

The ugly: Massive water damage under one window. At least one leak through the side teak decks into aft cabin tub.

[jleonard]

The engine looks neglected.

No watermaker. No microwave

Who cares about either? We removed our microwave because we rarely used it. Never been anyplace I needed a watermaker. At least not yet.
The Autopilot is an antique. My boat came with one that looked like that one. I replaced it.
Silvered teak decks are the way to go. The leaks can be fixed fairly easily. The exterior trim can be cleaned up and finished in various ways.
The windows can be removed and sealed fairly easily, one you KNOW leaks, some others most likely leak they just don't show the signs yet.
The side berth, the shower layout, those are things you can't easily change.

The rest of the items are pretty straight forward

[CaptTom]

OK, the watermaker is more of a "want" than a "need", but I DO hope to go places where it will be necessary. The microwave is pretty inexpensive and quite handy once in a while. What was wrong with the autopilot? I found a brand-new looking pump in the engine compartment that I assumed was associated with the steering and/or autopilot, see the photos.

The silvered decks I can live with, but I'd be interested to hear of an easy way to fix the major leak that I suspect is coming through one side deck and into the shower. I assumed it would involve pulling up the teak, and putting it back would show new work that wouldn't blend into the old. And the rails and trim would look much better finished than silvered.

Even if the leaks could be fixed, there's a lot of water-damaged veneer that I'm at a loss as to how to replace.

[meridian]

Search this website for "The Albin Restoration". Boatmon has many of the answers you are asking.

Terry

[jleonard]

OK, the watermaker is more of a "want" than a "need", but I DO hope to go places where it will be necessary. The microwave is pretty inexpensive and quite handy once in a while. What was wrong with the autopilot? I found a brand-new looking pump in the engine compartment that I assumed was associated with the steering and/or autopilot, see the photos.

The silvered decks I can live with, but I'd be interested to hear of an easy way to fix the major leak that I suspect is coming through one side deck and into the shower. I assumed it would involve pulling up the teak, and putting it back would show new work that wouldn't blend into the old. And the rails and trim would look much better finished than silvered.

Even if the leaks could be fixed, there's a lot of water-damaged veneer that I'm at a loss as to how to replace.

My autopilot of that era was too old to accept NMEA0183 data. Therefore it would only have been good as a directional setting unit. It would not follow the GPS.
Plus it had several "boxes" and miles of cable that I removed.
If you search this section for my posts you will find one on re-caulking decks.

[seblyte]

Hi, I'm completely rebuilding my 36' and making DVDs of each stage so I can probably answer most questions. Please feel free to ask anything. S.

[Great White]

Terry and Capt Tom,

To answer the question of how to get to the rudder post on my Al in the PO cut a removable section behind the dresser in the center of the read dresser behind the drawers in the aft cabin. I can service the rudder post through this but with the Gen on top I cannot use an emergency tiller if steering goes.. It would b Sea Tow time or some type of fix to hold a course. No issues yet.... Not sure I would put it there but I like the extra room in engine area and it sure keeps the cabin quiet when Gen in use.

Ken

[Despacio]

Hi;

Looking at your photos, I'm pretty sure the damage above that one window is one the screws holding the eyebrow above the window on the outside that is leaking.

Also, in the forward cabin, that leak looks to be one (or several) of the screws that hold the 3 x 1/2 strip on the bottom of the panel. On mine the screws (under the plugs) were too long and went all the way through the fiberglass and into the deck sideways.

Here is a photo of one of them from the outside I found when I removed the teak decks. Those leaks drove me nuts until I finally found out about those screws.

Give all your teak a good cleaning with "Sudsy Ammonia" from the 99 cent store, it's the best teak cleaner there is, and the cheapest too.

I've been replacing my water damaged veneer with white formica and it's turning out very well. It's easier than you might think.