Better Days A27 FC Refit

[Jay Knoll]

Hi everyone

Well, it was a long journey but we finally found an A27 FC in Maryland that fit our needs. Bob Enzor the prior owner had done a ton of work on her, but of course every new owner finds something that needs to be done. Formerly "Doreen Marie" we've renamed her "Better Days" after a Bruce Springsteen song. Here's a link to the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmwJQ62Cs_o

I've started this thread to document what I'm doing to complete the work that Bob so admirably started.

More to come!

Well I finally figured out how to insert pictures although they are a bit out of order, sorry about that. The gaping hole is a hatch that was cut in the cockpit sole aft of the engine access hatch. The cutout piece had aluminum strips screwed to the top to keep the cutout deck piece from falling thru the hole. Of course it leaked. I'm building a gutter system sort of like that in the engine room hatch to keep the water from going into the aft cabin. The bottom picture shows the "before" the ledge that was there to keep the hatch in place.

[eseyoung]

Starting my own 27 fc refit. Best of luck.

[Jay Knoll]

You too Ese! Where did you get your boat? Mine is 1988 hull #459

[eseyoung]

Mine came from NC. Her home port was Little River, SC. I just sent the paperwork yesterday to rename and relocate her to here in MD. its an 86 but i am not sure how to determine the hull production #. which sequence in the vin is it?

[Jay Knoll]

I have been told that in the following HI# sequence AUL274590788
indicates that the boat is an Albin 27
Hull number 459
Built in July of 1988

[eseyoung]

well that mostly Makes sense, mine is AUL273051586. So i guess my hull # is 305, but since there isn't a 15th month i am not sure what that part means. Please take lots of Pics...i haven't been taking as many as i planned. I just get so wrapped up in the work i forget to snap away. I'll try to post some up.

[Jay Knoll]

Hi everyone

Finally finished the hatch repair, except for adding the drain fittings and hoses. Here are some pics, considering what I started with, I'm pleased (and so is the 1st mate ) Of course it took longer than I anticipated, but I did want a project boat.

Now I'm going to have to start painting the rest of the non-skid.!

Jay

[eseyoung]

Looks GREAT! your boat is very clean, compared to mine. was the fiberglass a DIY Job? if it was you have got some great skills. I know nothing about that kinda work!


What is you opinion of the size of the cockpit drains? personally, i feel they are a bit small...i had to take mine apart and flush out b/c they were full of sand, mud and dirt, and not draining.

[Jay Knoll]

Ese -- what is your name by the way?

I haven't tested the drains yet, they seem to be fine when I hosed out the cockpit. No blockage.

Thanks, the work piece I started with wasn't really cut square, and the saw line was a bit wavy. Once I rebuilt the drain support I used double sided tape to secure the piece in the opening and then I ran a router with a V bit along the cut edge in an attempt to straighten things up. That isn't a fiberglass job, although it is DIY, I used wood (I milled out the grooves on my router table, saturated each piece with WEST system before assembly, then used WEST system and thickener to fair things in and seal gaps with the old repair. Lots of sanding and then paint. We'll see how it holds up. I did the same thing on the frame for the soundproofing, the piece that was there was fine ( http://soundown.com/Section%202%20PDFs/ ... 20Foam.pdf ) once I got it dried out. It took two days to stop draining with it standing on edge. The old hatch let water into the foam and it absorbed a lot of it! I let it sit out in the Florida sun for several days to really dry it out before I reinstalled it in the hatch. Going to give the boat a run this weekend so we'll see how it sounds.

Jay

[eseyoung]

I am Eric...ESE is a combo of my, my wife and my daughter's initials.

it looks great.

i am not quite ready to cruise...soon, raw water pump is still out for rebuild. Are you keeping yours in a rack, on the water or on a trailer. Mine is currently on my trailer. I'll likely put her in the water in a few weeks...the marina has ice eaters.

[don123]

That is BEAUTIFUL work! - Your boat is lucky it found such a talented owner!

I'm wondering what the hatch was originally cut there for? It looks like you have a battery and some wiring under there. On my '84 27FC, that area houses the fuel tank. It's as wide as the entire floor and takes up all the room between the engine room bulkhead and the drawers under the aft companionway steps. I have a round 4 inch removable cap about where the center of your hatch is which covers the fuel level sender in the top of the fuel tank. It looks like you have twin fuel tanks under the settees on either side?

Don

[Jay Knoll]

Eric the boat is in the water, no trailer.

Don thanks for the compliment. I don't know when the hatch was cut, but now it houses an 8d battery. I'm planning on closing off the area over the transmission so I can store some extra dock lines ect back there. Yes, there are two fuel tanks under the cockpit seats.

[DougSea]

Nice work Jay! Looks really well done.

[Jay Knoll]

]More progress, working on the aft cabin. The drawers were rotted due to poor bedding of the aft cockpit drains (and loose hose clamps) fixed that before I started this work. Installed a new bilge pump and rerouted the hoses so I could fit drop boards over the shaft. While I was under the cockpit I noticed a bit of "extra" space so I built another drawer. The new step and drawers are cherry. Painted cabin sole, now on to fixing the doors and varnishing the trim around the entryway.

[Binford]

That looks really nice, Jay! Are you able to do anything with the space under the step? (Or is there even space under there?)