About Albin 27 Sport Cruisers

[clashe]

I recently sold my 41' sailboat and am seriously considering a Albin 27 Sport Cruiser for my next boat. Before purchase, I have a lot of quiestions about the Albin 27 Sport Cruiser. First, do all the Albin 27 Sport Cruisers have hydrauic steering. And, are they adaptable to an autopilot? What are the pros and cons of the extended roof over the aft cockpit. Where are the roofs made and how much do they cost? What has been the engine with the least problems? What horse power is needed for 8-9 knot cruising? Are all engine access doors the same and are they all located in the same place? Can an air conditioner be installed? I appreciate any comments on any of the questions.

[johnmurray]

My last boat was a 1990 Albin Express Cruiser with the Isuzu 157 HP engine. That engine had enough power to raise the boat onto a semi-plane and provide speeds up to about 15 MPH. Earlier models had various smaller engines that would provide displacement speeds in the 8-9 MPH range. I cannot comment on the other engines, but I found the Isuzu to be very reliable and fuel efficient.
My boat had hydraulic steering and I fitted it with a Raymarine ST5000 autopilot. I did not have air conditioning.
I had a fabric (Sunbrella) cockpit roof with zippered sides and back to completely enclose the cockpit. (I never had the sides in place while underway.) I paid about US$1500 to have it made.
If shopping for an A-27 bear in mind that most of them came in the aft cabin, not the express version, so the choice is likely limited.

[DougSea]

Here's an "express" Express Cruiser with the engine John referenced above:

http://www.boatsville.com/used_boats_de ... atid=30442

(Did a google search on "Albin 27 Sport Cruiser", it's the first link) It's even got an autopilot!

[jcollins]

It's late and I'm tired.
Is that boat sitting on the bottom? Or is that very dirty water?

By the way...welcome to the board!

[DougSea]

It's late and I'm tired.
Is that boat sitting on the bottom? Or is that very dirty water?

By the way...welcome to the board!

I believe that's VERY dirty water!

(Or at least filled with runoff from a storm or something!)

[Mariner]

It says the boat's location is in Marathon. When I was down there in September of 2005, right after Hurricane Katrina had blown through as a category 1, there was a considerable amount of dried and dead sea grass accumulating on the beaches. My assumption was that it had been scraped from the bottom by the storm and then died and turned brown in the sun, eventually washing ashore. I never saw it fill up an inlet like that, but there was enough of it that it certainly could have.