New Member from RI with 27FC Feasibility Question

[wranglingandrambling]

Hello All-
I've had a lifelong desire to circumnavigate the Great Loop. More than likely, the trip would be done solo, save for a friend tagging along for a few days here or there. I have been considering many "pocket" trawlers, but am drawn to the Albin for value, the split cabins, and its airiness (not to mention seaworthiness). I am wondering who amongst you has done the trip in the family cruiser?

I have no illusions about the boat being tight on room for an extended trip, but my thinking was that clothing/gear storage and sleeping could be done in the aft cabin, while food storage, meals, and hygenic chores could be handled in the fore cabin. It seems a good system to keep order. I would also require a full canvas enclosure for the cockpit to expand living space on raw or rainy days.

Like all of my "toys", I am willing to pay a slight premium for well-maintained and documented examples; it's just plain cheaper in the long run. What elso should I be looking for in terms of equipment, etc? My boating experience is limited to the shorelines of the Northeast where things like a/c and chart plotters are luxuries and not requirements. For those of you who have made the trip (or lived aboard), what would you have done differently in terms of set-up, equipment, etc? Any info or positive encouragement would go a long way. Thank-you.

Brian

[Marcy K]

Hello Brian,

Good luck in your search. There is a couple who belong to the other Albin group - primarily A 25s and A27s - "Albin Cruisers" who have done the Great loop and many smaller loops multiple times over the years. I can't remember their names but I think their A 27 FC was a 1984 and named "Sadie" something. They gave lectures at many Trawler Fests too. They had it all down to a science. You might want to check out that group too. We had our A 27 for 10 years and traveled the northeast coast - out to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard each summer from Westbrook CT. Willet handled some really rough conditions very well - better than her white knuckled crew!

Marcy K
A 34 Paumanok 1986
Hull # 3

[hetek]

Welcome Brian -

The boat Marcy is referring to is "Sadie B". The owners, Dennis Bruckel and his wife did much if not all of the Great Loop in their Albin 27 FC. I actually emailed him about your very question not too long ago. "How did you make it habitable for such a trip?"

His reply was that they did indeed devote the aft cabin to sleeping quarters, but instead of using the seperate quarter berths, they installed a filler panel in between and slept on a thicker, larger memory foam mattress that occupied nearly the whole space. Only a small area inside the doorway was left for standing. 4" foam cushions are OK for sitting but leave much to be desired for extended cruising.

Another thing he did was to shorten the dinette table 8" in order to make access to the V-berth area easier. Never thought about this one myself but now that I look at it, it would make sense. Meals could be taken outside on a folding table in the cockpit, weather permitting. The shorter table is still OK for a couple.

Beyond that, just efficient storage of provisions, making use of plastic bins. Remember, the quarter berths have now become storage areas. The same for the V berth area.

Dennis wrote the "Waterway Guide" on cruising the Erie Canal. His Albin had over 8,000 hours on the little Lehman 4D61 diesel. Definitely, well traveled!

http://www.debruckel.com/index.php?opti ... &Itemid=52

Also visit his homepage.

[whwells]

Welcome Brain to the AOG. We have a couple in the NW AOG who now for several years have been making the loop in a 27 Albin. I know they purchased the boat back there, do 4-6 weeks each year and then put it up on blocks until the next season comes along. They are having great times have and published some personal blogs of the trip.
I think they are doing a ski thing now. I will send them an email and see if they can be helpful to your questions. They have responded to other requests for advise on the loop and the 27'.
Yes, it must be feasible because others have done and are doing the trip in the 27 Albin. So yes, go have the time of your life.
whwells "Howard"

[Tahoma]

Brian,

Welcome to AOG!

As Howard mentioned, my wife Margaret and I have been doing the loop on installments of 4 to 6 weeks each year. In three years we have gone from Annapolis, MD to 40 miles north of Chicago. In 2013 we’ll enter the Chicago River for the start of the river leg of the loop.

“Tahoma” is a 27FC with the original Nissan diesel, a reliable and economic engine.

We berthed forward year 1 and used the aft cabin for gear storage. It was tight and hard to keep things organized. We added a full center cockpit cover in year 2 and it made a significant difference.

We now berth in the aft cabin and it is quite comfortable for the two of us. The aft cabin would be very roomy for a single hander for both sleeping and your personal gear that can be closed during the day and kept neat.

The forward cabin serves well for food and equipment storage, the head is snug but adequate and the galley works well for the two of us. We never use the table and leave it in the down position for additional storage space. As a single-hander, you may well want the table in the up position and shorten it to improve access to the vee berth.

The best additional piece of equipment we’ve added is an inexpensive, top loading cooler that operates on 12 volts while running and 110 volts when available (an item we learned about from Howard). We then use a standard picnic cooler with ice for drinks and larger items.

I think that an Albin 27 is a good choice for a single hander. The center cockpit layout and reasonable displacement make single handed locking possible after a bit of a learning curve.

Do join the Yahoo Albin Cruisers group for additional info sharing.

Jim

[Nancy]

Tahoma, I'd love to learn more about the 12V/110V cooler you mentioned - make, model, power draw?

Thanks--

[Tahoma]

Nancy,

The first one we became aware of was a 37 quart, $679 Dometic cooler (West Marine). The one we bought in Canada is an "on sale" 37 quart $220 Cdn. Mobicool (http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/5 ... ?locale=en).

Given your location, you'll have reasonable access to either for comparison.

Jim

[Nancy]

Thanks, Jim. I was aware of the Dometic unit and other similar ones, and know that they have a pretty serious power requirement. I'm still searching for the holy grail! You know - cold food, minimal power usage. Ha ha. How are you rigged for batteries?

[Gunny]

Don't over look the Engle brand of refrigerator/freezers. While not cheap they are a quality product. I bought one for a trip to Bimini via the ICW from Charleston to Ft. Lauderdale and return. Average 5 amp when cycling and of course less the fewer times you open and close it. I used mine mainly as a freezer to offset meat costs. I did use it as a refrigerator a bit and found the unit to function great. I did not use sun panels and used my charger to offset the evening drain of juice. Engle was the patent holder on the special type of compressor it uses. Rated to work well on sailboats up to 30 degree heeling.
Have a good one and enjoy your boat.

[wranglingandrambling]

Thank-you all for all of your replies, info, and links! It would appear that this is a very active and knowledgeable forum, so i'm sure you'll be seeing more routine questions in the future. I have begun a file on prospective boats and am avidly researching years/models/engine options, etc. I have yet to start my trip but am really enjoying the "journey" thus far!

[obertra9]

I was doing some Columbia River trip planning a couple of weeks ago and came across a couple who have traveled evey imagineable place in NA, except the Caribbean. Google halcyon days c dory. The c-dory is slighly smaller than the A27. I think there is some good reading there, especially the pro's and con's of a trailerable boat for extensive cruising.
If you are traveling solo please announce your trip to the group. I am traveling the Oio River sometime in May. You are welcome to join for a couple of days.
Roger A. Obert
1990 A27-SC
Solitude II
Cincinnati, OH