28 shopping. what do I need to know?

[eseyoung]

After looking at various possibilities for our next boat we have put 28 on our list.

What, in simple, terms we are looking for is a decently efficient boat capable of 15 kits min (wife's requirement, I started looking for a trawlers) that can sleep 3, fit on a trailer and generally be as low maintenance as reasonable.



Either way, the TE 28 meets most of the requirements.

As I start to look I am seeing prices go from low 30's to nearly 150k.

Obviously, condition has a lot to do with price as does the engine and to a lesser extent year.

But even in similar boats there seems to be up to a 30 price variation.

So why?

And what should I look for? Years to avoid?

I have read about the controversial 'Beast' and while I would prefer not to get that power plant, for me it's not a deal breaker.

I know that in 2000 they stopped coring with balsa and went to foam.

I see advantage to both engine box and flush decks. I think I prefer the engine box but again not a deal breaker or maker either way.

Any suggestions? Am I missing anything?

Last does anyone have dimensions for trailers? I know that there are a few of you with them. Perhaps they need not be as exact as the trailers for the a27s. A planing hull would not need to rest exclusively on the keel?

[eseyoung]

Nothing? i know all there is to know about 28TEs....

So here is a more direct questions.

What year(s) had a transom door?

Where do you sleep? I am asking because the v berth looks very short to sleep 2.

What kind of range are do you get?

I am more of a gentleman angler, not a hard core fisherman but how many guys can you comfortably fish from one?

Do they have the capability to troll without the use of a trolling valve...what is min idle speed?

[Tree]

Nothing? i know all there is to know about 28TEs....

So here is a more direct questions.

What year(s) had a transom door? not sure on this as i've seen year 1994 boats with them

Where do you sleep? I am asking because the v berth looks very short to sleep 2. i'm 6'4" and have no issues

What kind of range are do you get? typically about 220 nautical miles from the tank although a recent trip i managed 193 miles with over a quarter left due to tide conditions running at 3300-3400rpm

I am more of a gentleman angler, not a hard core fisherman but how many guys can you comfortably fish from one? 4 comfortably, 5 at a push

Do they have the capability to troll without the use of a trolling valve...what is min idle speed?tick over speeds for me with a 19" x 19" prop with the standard yanmar set up and gearbox is about 3-3.5knots - not something i've taken a lot of notice of


Hope that answers some of the questions for you

[kowal_53]

The v-birth is fairly large, about queen size, of course narrower at the feet. To get access to this space, one must fold the seat backs up, and attach the straps to the clips. Once you see one you will understand. There is also a place for one in the aft birth. The engine box has a bit more space then the flush deck.

The seating arrangement in the helm changed in 2007. The captain chair is the same, but they introduced a wrap around seating in lieu of a mates chair.

I have fished the boat, and do not have a trolling valve. I have trolled, but I would consider the valve if you want to do a lot of trolling below 3 knots.

Shameless Plug: I do have a 2006 28 TE flush deck in the Annapolis area if you wish to look at one. It is on a lift so you can see the bottom since you are interested in a trailer. I just happens to be for sale too.

[TimQ]

After spending most of 2013 searching for a 28TE and finally finding our boat in June, 2014 you may find our impressions on two aspects worth considering.

Early in our search we decided the transom door and flush deck were "must haves". We made two trips to the east coast and one to Georgian Bay looking at lots of boats. Surprisingly Albins aren't that numerous in the Great Lakes so when one came on the market close to our home we looked at it even though it didn't have either of our must-haves.

After using the boat this season I really like the engine box and consider it a feature and not an obstruction.
As for the transom door, it would be nice but is certainly not a reason to pass on a good boat. If you are agile enough to sit and spin on your butt you can get from one side to the other with ease.

[eseyoung]

My feelings on the engine box aren't strong. I slightly prefer it for making the helm a bit quieter and for ease of maintenance. I feel a bit stronger about the transom door. I don't mind the sit and spin in a pair of shorts but I have some concern trying to do that in dive gear with a spear gun in my teeth.

I have a helpful admiral so I think it will work. It would be nice to be able able to gear up on the boat step through the door and giant stride right in.

[whwells]

eseyoung: Agree with you on the transom door. Our 35te has the door & it is great for fishing, loading and just in & out at the slip.
Have an Osprey at home without the door. They like the 28 Albin came with or without. Personally, I would wait until you find what you want. Some of the later 28's also have a roof extension. That is a great feature if you can find one. Depending upon weather the Alaskan bulkhead is a a fine addition.
whwells "Howard"

[Tree]

Without wanting to pry, what is your budget? Even though I have my Albin I still look pretty much daily and know the boats that have been on the market for a long time due to the price being to high to start with. When I bid on FP I had a list of boats I'd put silly bids on. Two of them to this day are now lower than that bid I placed and I'm sure the owners are keen to sell - one has a brand new Cummins 370 in it and is now under $50k it's also equipped with a northern lights gen set and aircon. I will be happy to pass over any details on boats that I know have been on the market for a while.

Obviously, if you're not keen on broadcasting your figure just drop me a PM or email and I can let you know that way? It'll be good to have another person with Albin Fever here!

[eseyoung]

Am very interested in sharing anyone sharing any listings of boats. My budget is 50k-60k. Its only money I am not even the slightest bit bashful of how I have (or don't have) to spend. If anyone knowa about specific boats that are east of the MISSISSIPPI I'd like to know about them. I did talk to and read about a few from members' boats here but haven't had an exact match yet. Since I am not in a hurry I going to keep looking.

My original plan was a trawler as a part time live aboard. Plans didn't work out which lead me the 28.

[Tree]

Well my geography of the states isn't that brilliant but when I was looking, I tried to keep east coast because it made logistics to the ship bringing it across the Atlantic easier.

When I get back on a PC I'll draw up a list of possibles for you while using google maps as my aid.

[Tree]

I've not forgotten about this - having major PC issues at the moment some sort of conflict with my antivirus stopping me accessing anything web browser based!

Hopefully it should all be fixed tomorrow so I can give you a list of boats that have been on the market for a while.

[eseyoung]

Thanks so much. I have been looking at a few but what I want costs more than I have to spend. Maybe there will be something on your list I missed.

[Tree]

Right here is a quick list - not all east coast but logistics should not be a drama.

These are boats I have known to be for sale for over a year.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1996/Al ... ted-States

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2000/Al ... ted-States

Can't be certain about this one but I am sure i've seen it before

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2002/Al ... ted-States

What I found when searching for my boat - many vendors were keen to sell. Not sure if this was because of the market conditions at the time or what, so as a result I put in many low bids. The first link I have posted was a boat i originally bid on - i went in very low on that boat due to the logistics for me to get the boat transported to a port on the east coast en route to the UK. That boat is now up for sale lower than my lowest bid and has been on the market for 18 months now.

It is coming to the end of season now over there I assume, so it could well be a buyers market. Dont be shy about engine hours. I don't know about the GM engines as we don't have them here so they were never on my radar for boats to enquire about but the Diamond Series Cummins and Yanmar engines are 6000 hour engines before any sign of rebuild so long as they have the service history to follow them up.

Happy Hunting!