A 27 Pilothouse

[A&TFraser]

I came across an ad for a A 27 FC for sale on craigslist. My question is if the "pilothouse" was an option on that model or if it was a custom addition at some point. I have seen a fair bit of info on the 27's but never a pilothouse version. Any info would be appreciated, thanks,
Andy Fraser
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/5664874969.html

[Beta Don]

That's a stock early model 27FC. Technically, a 'pilothouse' boat is one where the driver is under a hardtop with glass to look out through as opposed to a canvas cover with isenglass, so the 27 FC qualifies as a 'pilothouse' even though you very seldom see it advertised as such. The opposite of a pilothouse is an open boat, usually with a canvas top

Looks like a pretty nice boat, though at a bit of premium price to me

Don

[tego]

Andy, I imagine that the "Alaskan bulkhead" ( the bulkhead that encloses the wheelhouse) would make her a "pilot house". She looks in pretty good shape. Check the threads on here to see the weaknesses of the Albins. Note that most of the bad aspects on here are on the earlier models of '83 & '84. If you were to locate an Albin in "average" condition, you'd spend several thousand bucks to get her outfitted like this one. If it's been taken care of properly, his asking price is a very good one. A lot of the guys on here bought boats at a much lower price and spent years and a lot of money to get theirs ready. I spent about the same amount on mine (1987) and consider it well spent (and I could use it immediately). I wouldn't sell mine for that. Ben

[JT48348]

I agree with Don. The A27 is a pilothouse whether it has a fixed bulkhead, a fabric Alaskan bulkhead, cockpit enclosure or no.

I also agree with Don that the price is high. The value of the boat is in the refit, any refit having been done. The problems of the A27 are inherent to all boats in the series. If those problems have never been fixed then the value takes a hit. It doesn't matter how good the boat shows. A lot of the problems with the A27 are not visible and they can be hidden. Unfixed problems don't go away. They hide in plain site.

A $25k+ A27 boat is truly a premium boat. And I would argue they are rare. Folks are asking 25-30k but I would be surprised to see an A27 selling at that price.

[Mainer]

Hi Andy,

I have a 27 Sport that I purchased last year in Vermont (we summer in Maine, which is where the boat is now kept).

As part of my search, I sourced a "Sold Boat" report, which is a report available to all Brokers, and lists all sales of specific brands and models over a specified period of time. I got one covering the previous two years for all Albin 27's from my search date, and I got it by simply asking one of the Brokers who showed me a boat. He went in his office and printed it out for me in a couple of minutes, and it became a very important negotiating tool when I purchased my boat.

My first choice boat was actually priced well into the $30's, but even with the clear evidence that it was overpriced, I was unable to get the seller and her broker to arrive at a reasonable market price and walked away. That boat remained unsold for the next year, and I saw it offered this Spring for mid $20's.

So my advice if you are seriously in the market is to get yourself a "Sold Boat" report on the model(s) of your choice and construct your offer using this data as one of your tools.

Best wishes,

Dick Jones

[A&TFraser]

Thanks to all for the replies and info, clearly i have a fair bit more research to do on this model. There are many features of A 27 that I feel would work well for the type of cruising my wife and I want to do. The single diesel economy and range and a much more "all weather" cabin, without all of the issues with canvas snaps,zippers and scratched/cloudy plastic windows. Cabin heat without the need for shore power would be a huge improvement as well. It will be interesting to see if that boat sells as quickly as the owner thinks it will after the "open house" as you all feel that it is at a premium price point...thanks again, Andy