New Member

[Antares]

Good Morning All,

I am a long term sailor now contemplating going to the "dark" side. It is becoming time to enjoy the benefits of a trawler. In starting my search for a boat it looks like the Albins have many of the qualities and features I'm after. Joining your forum to learn more about these boats seems like a good idea. This is also a way to get to know some of you.

Cheers,

Larry

[Mark Deeser]

Welcome to the form. Age suggested to us about a year ago that sailing should be in our rear view mirror. We looked for boats to fit our current needs, seemed to keep coming back to Albins. So far it is doing everything we need, and as a plus people always seem to have positive comments on the Albin. Happy hunting.

[DesertAlbin736]

20140724_202613.jpg

Welcome aboard Larry! I could say the same thing about myself being a long term sailor, which in my case was one of the trailer sailor variety, who went over to the "dark side" transitioning from a wing keel Catalina 25 to an Albin 25 that we purchased last March. Only our Albin also has the option of installing a mast and sail rig that came with it, but which we have not done yet.

If you're considering an Albin 25 & not set on getting something bigger you are in luck because Hira Reid has put her somewhat famous Albin 25 "Shatoosh" up for sale recently & is not all that far from Puget Sound.

Her blog is here:

http://shatooshandpashmina.blogspot.com/

The A25 is great if you're looking for something that can be easily trailered hither and yon yet have 5'9" head room in the main cabin, a nice enclosed center cockpit/pilot house, and small aft guest cabin with two single quarter berths, gets sailboat like fuel economy at a 6.5 to 7 kt cruising speed (depending on whether you have the older model like mine or the later "deluxe" version with hull shape modified as "semi-displacement") at prices that, relative to other six-figure pocket trawlers like Ranger or Nordic tugs, won't break the bank. Our boat on an aluminum trailer with a dinghy mounted on the stern tips a truck scale at an all-up weight of 6,850 lbs as measured.

Up there in Puget Sound you've got access to some of the best cruising grounds in the West. We live in the Phoenix area of AZ and trailered our Albin 25 "La Dolce Vita" over 1,600 miles up to Bellingham last summer and spent 40 days cruising the San Juans and Gulf Islands, logging 278 NM using about $130 worth of diesel at $5 & $6 per gallon fuel dock prices. If you know anything about the San Juans in summer, you know even sailboats end up motoring much of the time due to prevalence of light winds.