'Free State' Fitting Out

[Nancy]

This has been a fascinating and fun virtual trip with you. Thanks so much for posting, and best of luck to you in your future adventures. We'll miss you if you leave the Albin family!

[smacksman]

Thank you Nancy for your kind words.
Just had to add a note to show what a 'family' Albin owners are.
On my hunt for layup yards I was way up the Bayou Bonfouca near Slidell and it had been pouring as I tied up to the fuel dock at Slidell Marina. A girl in the restaurant told me the marina staff had gone home at 3pm. So I waited till the weather cleared.
Suddenly a knock on the window. It was Kirt. He had driven over the bridge, looked down and there was an Albin27 so he just had to stop bye. His is the open stern fishing version but he was as interested to see the differences in my boat as I was to hear about his 'girl'.
He then kindly drove me to Walmart for supplies and saved me a bike ride.
We may end up neighbors as I plan to visit his marina tomorrow.

As we talked, a cruiser went under the swing bridge. It is listed as 6' closed and two hours notice to open but she looked as big as us so I thought I would give it a try. Dropped the vhf aerial forward like a lance and if that touched I could back off before the coachroof hit. There was a good foot to spare above our 8'-6" air draft so where this 6' came from I don't know. It was about half tide and the range is a foot.

So we motored right up the narrow but deep bayou to Slidell and tied up at their lovely Heritage Park for the night.
Every day is an adventure. I love it.

[Vic K]

Smackman,

You'll find the people of South Louisiana to be some of the best in the world. They are kind and warmhearted and love a good party. Just be careful in New Orleans proper, there's a lot of crime and a lot of thugs.

Take care,

Vic

[sail149]

Smackman,
Only just caught your trip, actually first the YouTube 2012 ICW trip , really well received by the way, sailor friends I sent link to all found it really interesting , including Dylan Winter of the Keep turning left dot com, sailing around the UK.and a ex/pro photo hack.
I do hope you find time to put a YouTube video/photo show together of this trip.
Grew up sailing the Blackwater/Thames estuary In 60's/70's, just loved the smacks around Mersea and Brightlingsea
So glad to see them being saved.
You and others are inspiring me to get on with fixing up my Albin and back in the water.
By the way the great volume of the boat comes from it being a modification of a custom 32' boat, yours was part of the first 100 batch built by the designer to a fixed price for Albin Marine.
Sorry I could not help with keeping you moving but have had a really busy 6 months dealing with passing of parents in UK and all that entails! But you found the great group of Albin enthusiasts who really like these fairly unique old boats
Despite their short comings, but there aren't many other us built motor boats of this age being actively used and maintained.
Thanks for all your postings!
Warren

[smacksman]

Sail149 - I'll be back in the UK next week and if there is any way I can help over there then please let me know. I know the problems one can have with the 'pond' in between.
I'm parked at the Mandeville City Dock right now across the road from the Pontchartrain Yacht Club and have been overwhelmed by the hospitality of Mandaville residents.



They are so nice here. They have a strong Optimist fleet - the club members of the future.

[sail149]

Thanks Smackman,
I think we are sorted ok in UK , my brother still lives there but my sister who is over here is taking the lead.
Probate in UK is quite involved compared to US.
Glad you getting lots of american hospitality .
Warren

[smacksman]

Don't tell me! My aged aunt dies aged 101 and it took two years to clear probate. And the beneficiaries had to find half a million inheritance tax to pay before they got the loot! Bridging loans all round. What a performance.

Back in Seabrook Marina, New Orleans and due to be hauled out tomorrow. Did quite well crossing a calm Lake Pontchartrain - 26 miles in 3 hours 20 mins at 2400rpm. Met some great people on the north shore and had a super time.
Changed engine oil and filter and cleaned the raw water strainer I fitted - again. I just don't know how the cooling flow survived before I fitted it - it was full of muck. Outboard run dry and drained. Decks cleaned of rust stains from my bike - no wonder people pay for stainless steel bikes. Cockpit drains flushed through and checked for leaks - none. Loads of little jobs ticked off the list.
Lots of interest and enquiries but no buyers yet. Maybe I will be able to have another holiday on her in the new year. Now where shall I go next?

[don123]

Now where shall I go next?

Well, come October, we could head south - Spend winter in the Keys and the Bahamas. Talk your wife into it and we'll have a great time!!

Don

[smacksman]

Now that would be fun, Don. I'll see what I can do. Free State is so well sorted now and reliable that I think I could just cast off now and do it. I have that much confidence in her and her sea keeping ability. After the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf Stream would be a doddle. Hmmmm!.

Hauled out today and apart from a very brown 'moustache' she is very clean below the waterline and the prop looks like new.

Last day tomorrow :0(

[DCatSea]

Smacksman, in an earlier post you said "Sad to see there is no keel bar linking the rudder as I believe later models had."

This is a good point, especially for those of us with earlier model 27FCs running around in the Chesapeake Bay.

I am impressed with your reports on work on "Free State", and I am wondering if you or other AOG-ers had thoughts about whether retrofitting a protective bar would be a reasonable add-on while she is out of the water.

Any insights or suggestions about how to go about this would be really appreciated?

[smacksman]

Hi DC, from memory Don123 , or was it CaptVic, added a keel bar so try to pm them.
I understand that the keel is not solid therefore through fastenings need to be water tight.
The other thing I would fit is a rope cutter to the prop shaft as there are huge numbers of crab pots in US waters just waiting to wrap round props!
I sailed the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays a few days after hurricane Sandy in 2012 and there were many bits of flotsom just waiting to be snagged so I think anything done to prevent that must be worth the effort.

[sail149]

Hi I saw this keel bar recently on an early '84 A27fc. It's stainless steel and you can see it lying on the ground
It was bolted to the keel but there is no recess in the keel for it . All the later Albins 27's has a recess and a 2x4 size piece of oak or stainless steel channel or similiar.
This had a bolt of some sort going into the fiberglass rudder but that was still under investigation.
This was a strap of stainless steel approx 1/2" thk x 3-4" wide.
The rudder is well supported in the hull so this is only a anti crab pot device so the stainless steel is prehaps overkill and a heave piece of Pultruded fiberglass should hold up fine and be much easier to work with.
The strap is bolted to the bottom of the keel.
We do not know if this was a factory addition or a later addition
Does anybody have anything similar and how is it attached to the rudder?
Warren

[smacksman]

As I'm pretty skilled at running aground I would worry if the strap was too thin.
It may get bent taking the ground and so put pressure on the rudder and rudder bearing.
Maybe a length of stainless wire stretched across the gap would be more forgiving yet still keep lines out of the gap?

[Beta Don]

Hi I saw this keel bar recently on an early '84 A27fc. It's stainless steel and you can see it lying on the ground
It was bolted to the keel but there is no recess in the keel for it . All the later Albins 27's has a recess and a 2x4 size piece of oak or stainless steel channel or similiar.
This had a bolt of some sort going into the fiberglass rudder but that was still under investigation.
This was a strap of stainless steel approx 1/2" thk x 3-4" wide.
The rudder is well supported in the hull so this is only a anti crab pot device so the stainless steel is prehaps overkill and a heave piece of Pultruded fiberglass should hold up fine and be much easier to work with.
The strap is bolted to the bottom of the keel.
We do not know if this was a factory addition or a later addition
Does anybody have anything similar and how is it attached to the rudder?
Warren

I did something very similar on my early '84

I used stainless 1/4 by 2 inches and bolts it through the keel with 3 bolts. I always use a wooden backing plate on the inside, bedded in lots of 3M 5200. If you have arms long enough, you can reach through the inspection port on the floor of the aft cabin and get the nuts and washers on the bolts coming up through from the stainless. It's easy to hold a wrench on the nut inside while someone tightens the bolt heads from below

While I had the rudder off the boat, I added 4 inches to the leading edge. I epoxied a tapered piece of treated 2 X 4 to the leading edge and then covered it with many layers of fiberglass mat and epoxy resin - I wanted a bit more of a balanced rudder which would catch more of the propwash when the helm is hard over. I drilled a 3/4 hole deep into the bottom of the rudder and bedded a 5/8ths by 6 inch stainless bolt with the head cut off into the hole. Scuff up the sides of the bolt with a grinder, fill the hole about 1/3 full of West System epoxy and push the bolt into the hole. You'll have some epoxy running out when it hits bottom. A stainless aircraft nut and a couple of washers to connect it to your new strap

I'm not confident my 1/4 by 2 inch strap is sturdy enough - Before I launch, I'm going to weld a piece of inverted 1 inch stainless angle to the top side of the strap between the keel and the front of the rudder. It's actually sitting there now, but wasn't when I took this picture

Don

[sail149]

Don
I saw that small round deck plate in the back of the boat I sent a photo off.
Slightly Later boats like mine have a large rectangular hatch as the stern packing is under. Yours must is one of the early boats with the extended stern tubes that go up to near the engine!
Can't imagine how you could possibly reach down to bottom of the keel, but my friend did on his and he had 10 bolts! Wow! I like the idea of adding reinforcement especially as you have added to the leading edge of the rudder.
My boat, With a SS semi balanced rudder has a 2x6 piece of SS channel for a strap! With a hugh zinc on it that's probably too much.
Warren