The New PITOU / '06 31 TE

[Pitou]

After approximately 5,800 miles under my belt searching for the next boat, I can finally say that she is home and blocked! Over the past 12 months I’ve traveled to Maine, RI, CT, Florida and NY, which was the state of the first hull looked at and the last. The last has found her way home!!! This all started out looking for a single screw 31TE and then morphed into a 34 to 36 downeast flybridge and resolved itself with a clean 31 TE. This journey has brought us full circle.

The cat was let out of the bag a few weeks ago by John / Joint Venture by posting a For Sale Ad that was in the Long Island Fisherman and I had to step up and let you all know that I had that boat under contract. Thanks to RobS for e-mailing me the ad in the middle of October. … but now that things have settled and she’s home and covered I now have some time to introduce you to my new hull. She’s a one owner boat that is loaded and very clean. Some may know her as “Knot Reely” New York, NY docked in Freeport, NY. … Soon to be “PITOU” Essex, MA

She was originally ordered as a spec/demo boat by Massey Yacht Sales in Florida, loaded with options. In mid- 2006 the original owner had ordered a new 31TE through White Water Marine in Sayville, NY to be built by Albin in Portsmouth, RI. The hull, top and deck was laid and Albin was sold shortly thereafter to Bladen Composites/Shamrock. The hull was shipped to Bladen to be finished and the owner pulled the plug on his order as he did not want to be the first to be put together and finished by Bladen. His dealer came across this hull at Massey and had her shipped “back” up north to LI. He went form ordering a stripped white hull to one that was green gel-coat (now AwlGrip) below the rub rail and fully loaded … my gain.

So here she is and I’m back as an Albin owner crawling around her bilge and learning her systems and how she is laid out.

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The basics:
2006 31 TE / hull number 221 /
Single Cummins 500 hp electronic QSC 8.3 (672 hours), ZF 1.796 to 1 gear, 2” shaft and a 24 X 24 cupped Nibral prop.

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NorthernLights 6.5kw gen-set

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VacuFlush / fresh water head w/ 30 gallon holding tank

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[DougSea]

Congratulations Kevin!!

So glad you've found the one you were looking for!

[Nancy]

She's beautiful, Kevin! Congratulations!

[whwells]

Kevin: She is absolutely beautiful. Congra's. Next Season will a great time for you and the family.
whwells "Howard"

[amber jj]

You will love the 31 Kevin.It is hard to believe how much more volume of boat you get for just a couple of feet in both directions.Bob&Val.

[Serenity]

I suppose you will be joining the Wicked Tuna fleet in 2014. Good luck.

[RobS]

Glad it all worked out and AOG gets to keep you around. Nice for a clean boat like that to go to an owner who will maintain her right and not let it all go down hill from here. She got lucky!

BTW, you left the seat up

[Pitou]

Thanks all and yes, good to be sticking around AOG.

After 1 year off the water and 38 prior years on, it will be good having my own deck under my feet once again.

Everything that is not screwed down has been off loaded so as to really get a feel of what's what. Actually a pretty simple layout of systems and a lot more room to work on things ... especially in the bilge. The 31 with a single affords lots of room to work.

On the list for the off season:

1). Figure out how to easily by-pass the water heater ... currently dinette table needs to be removed. Possibly add additional water line extensions that can be accessed more easily.

2). Mounted oil change system.

3). Soda or farrow blasting / stripping the bottom for barrier coating and fresh bottom paint ... here we go "again"! Not sure if I'm quite ready for this project right off so soon after doing the 28. We'll see.

Beyond the above, I've had to make a promise that we'll take a year before adding new gear ... this is going to be tough ... umm, ditch the radar arch and add a mast, add a liferaft to the rooftop, outriggers, have a custom mattress made for the rear berth, re-upholster the forward dinette with a different fabric.

BTW, you left the seat up

At least I wipe the rim! ... picture was actually from the seller's album ... I always drop the seat! Growing up with 3 brothers my mother had the 4 boys and my dad well trained.

[Nancy]

Looks like a good list. But this is the perfect time to get a comfortable mattress . . . you know you're going to regret it all summer if you don't . . . As for the dinette fabric, if you really don't like it, you'd better change it now. Because it's the first thing you see when you go into the cabin.

Sorry! I am *so* bad.

Why do you prefer a mast to an arch?

[Pitou]

Looks like a good list. But this is the perfect time to get a comfortable mattress . . . you know you're going to regret it all summer if you don't . . . As for the dinette fabric, if you really don't like it, you'd better change it now. Because it's the first thing you see when you go into the cabin.

Sorry! I am *so* bad.

Why do you prefer a mast to an arch?

Not to worry Nancy, I'm pretty good with the slow drip to effect change.

The current thought is to use a foam mattress topper year one then go custom with mattress and bedding. The dinette fabric is livable, but just a dull fabric used by Albin. Kind of a soft drab green with flecks of gray. really would like to brighten & cheer things up!

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Beyond just having a personal asthetic preference for a mast it will get a spotlight mounted up high enough to not have it reflect back off the deck or pulpit rail, raise the radome to get over a rooftop mounted liferaft and get the VHF, television & GPS antennas inward so not to interfere with side mounted outriggers. On the 31 the arch is made of stainless and weighs a ton in addition to being so high, mounting a fishing rod holder is useless. The PO had an additional rod arch made so that rod holders were accessible ... to him anyway ... at 5' - 9'' I still can't reach them! This is still a thought in motion and we'll see where it exactly ends up, but I have been collecting pictures of custom mast designs for a couple of years.

Here's one idea:

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[Nancy]

That all makes sense, Kevin, and the existing fabric looks to be in good shape. Maybe a couple of throw pillows would give you a pop of color for the first year if you're into that sort of thing. The teak and holly sole is capable of carrying most any fabric choice and still look fantastic. It doesn't look half bad now, and it's going to be amazing when you re-upholster.

Thanks for enlightening me on the mast. Are they typically hinged?

[tbnolin]

I will say....it's an awful sharp looking vessel!! Congrats to you and may you enjoy the many hours of fun and relaxation that's coming your way....come Spring of course!!

[RobS]

Maybe a couple of throw pillows would give you a pop of color for the first year if you're into that sort of thing.

A blood covered pair of orange grunden's thrown into the dinette area and a yellow chum bucket rolling around in the aft bunk should take care of that

[Pitou]

Maybe a couple of throw pillows would give you a pop of color for the first year if you're into that sort of thing.

A blood covered pair of orange grunden's thrown into the dinette area and a yellow chum bucket rolling around in the aft bunk should take care of that

Perfect Rob! You just saved me a bunch of cash .. I already have all the accessories!

[kathylsails]

Congratulations! She is a beauty. Sounds like the fishing rods are all the accessories you need!