Albin 26' CC

[cdorage]

I need to mount an anchor roller on the bow of my new 26' CC.
I spoke with a rep at Albin, he told me people don't usually anchor, they just drift!
He does not get out much, I guess.

Before I start drilling holes, I was wondering, has anyone out there come up with a practical way of doing this with out interfering with the nav. lights or chocks?
I would love to have a conversation with any Albin 26' center console owner
CD

[Mariner]

I'm surprised by the response from Albin. I'm sure he's right about most people on the Atlantic coast. But I know along the gulf coast it's common to anchor over or near a wreck or reef. Here in the northwest, trolling is the most common method.

I think you are our first 26 CC owner, so I don't know if you'll get much of a response. But nonetheless, some people may have some input, so I'm curious to see what they come up with.

[Mariner]

A picture of the bow:

[Veebyes2]

So, they install a pop up running light right on the bow & use a flimsey pop up cleat to hold the boat while at anchor!!!! How dumb is that? This from a company that built it's reputation on no nonsense trawlers.

The answer you got from the Albin rep is pitiful. I hope he is not Andrew Pages replacement. Andrew was a breath of fresh air in a company that for years just did not care about after sales service.

[RicM]

Andrew's gone? He was a great asset to Albin. Drifting IS a popular fishing method in the NE, and once I got used to it I wouldn't go back to the old anchor. I have a full size anchor and windlass on my 28 TE and very seldom use it. That said, if I were you, I would not want to clutter up that foredeck with a lot of hardware that's going to get in your way when casting. Is there an anchor locker? Why not just tie off a 6lb G-11 to a cleat, any cleat? Easy to handle by hand. Another great item...a sea anchor to control your drift, I use it much more that the hard anchor.

[RicM]

Duh! That big hatch must be the anchor locker eh? The layout looks like a classic flats boat layout for flycasting. The flush mount fittings are very desirable for that kind of use to keep the fly line from tangling in the cleats etc. What kind of fishing are you doing? It might be that this boat is not poorly designed, just poorly suited to the type of fishing you do?

[apage]

Hi all:

My friend Arjen has hull number 1 of the 26' cc. He can be reached at: 508/246-1182. He does not have an anchor roller but he may have some ideas. He is an offshore Tuna guy (very knowledgable and friendly).

Tell him that I told you to call.

Regards,

Andrew Page

[chiefrcd]

I anchor all the time when I fish. Be very careful anchoring by any cleat other than the bow as you can take on water very fast. We've lost several boats and lives due to stern anchoring in rivers here in Virginia. The Albin guy probably is familiar only with the type of feeshn' that they do in his area. Down south we anchor a lot to fish.

[Mariner]

Veebyees,

Is it really necessary for you to be that critical of Albin?

I agree, the layout of the bow seems to be very well suited for flyfishing, but not so much for a serious offshore boat, which I find surprising. I suppose one could forego the pop-up fixtures and just re-do the bow in a way that meets your needs. Put in a big bow roller, some yacht cleats, and move the running lights aft.

I'm a little confused about how the east coast boats always seem to want to make thier boats ultra-sleek so as not to "snag lines". Even when casting, I've never snagged a line, and have a hard time understanding how one would. But maybe we just do things differently here. If I'm casting, I'm usually either using a weight with a herring on a double hook immediately below it, or a standard Buzz Bomb setup. The best way to get distance when casting is just to snub the weight up close to the end of the pole and cast. Hard to see how you'd snag a cleat when doing that. And as for boating the fish, the line never comes anywhere near the gunnel. You just bring it in along side, and pick it up with the net (or gaff if you're chasing shark or halibut).

Explain to me how it's done different elsewhere, so I can understand the need for a "sleek" gunnel.

[AlanD]

I am still lost on the drift comment. I have been fishing salt in the Northeast my entire life, and being able to use, drop and work an anchor is critical to success. Sure, drifting is great for fluke or bouncing a jig, but when you want to work some bigger fish or wrecks, you need to have a good rig. I need at least 10 different ways to be frustrated at fishing, not just getting skunked by drifting.

Funny though, when I was working out what I "needed" on our Albin with the dealer, they told me to skip the Windlass, as nobody uses an anchor that much, and then when you need it, you can toss it and set it. When I tried to explain how much they come in handy, I got the same stare.

Anyway, I plan on using this forum this winter to discuss some fishing ideas, especially up around the Block Island / Fishers Island way, if anybody wants to pass away the cold months.

Good luck on placing your anchor, I had to cut free my favorite one this year and still not happy with the replacement.

Alan

[Mariner]

Alan,

I have to admit that is a very strange response you got from the dealer. A good, probably even oversized, anchor is not just a convenience tool, I tend to think of it as a piece of safety equipment. When you engine dies just as you're coming in through the jetty, you need to be able to get that thing over the side or else you could end up as fish bait. And it needs to be big enough to set the FIRST time, and with minimal scope. On anything over 20', this usually means you want a windlass.

Of course, I say that, but for years I WAS the "windlass" on our 30' sailboat!

[RicM]

Of course it all depends on what you are fishing for. Striped bass hold in structure and feed on passing morsels. Drifting eels over structure is probably the single most productive method of catching big bass off Block Island, Newport etc.

I consider an anchor a safety device and a convenience, but I have never caught a bluefish, fluke, black sea bass, or striped bass while at anchor. Tautog, different story.

[apage]

Hi all:

I just got back from Nantucket Bonito fishing. If we did not have an anchor to hold us on the "Bonito Bar" there is no way that we would have been able to catch a fish and more likely would have ended up on the beach boat and all as the bait stacks up right where there is a shelf and thus the the same place as where the waves break.

Conversely, when Striped Bass fishing I usually drift and follow the bait as it moves through the current.

As for snagging lines, I fly fish and at any given time have thirty or so yards of line on the deck. Any obstruction gets in the way (cleat, light, rail anchor). True when spincasting I do not have that problem.

Hope you all had a great Labor Day. Off to my boat now. Pitou I will look for you behind Cranes though notice that you seem to sit off the beach in the basin. Have always tried to respect one's privacy so have not approach.

Regards,

Andrew Page

[Elizabeth Ann]

Sad comment by Albin. Most people drift huh? News to me.

Anyway regarding the hardware, your gonna have to put a little R&D into it.Unfortunately some money too.

Quickly off the top of my head I would start by removing all the hardware and then placing a 1/2" piece of 'STARboard' or marine board on top that is custom cut to fit from the bow to near the front edge of that anchor locker. I would through bolt that and back it with some aluminum. I don't think this will detract from the lines of the boat as it's only a half inch and will be unnoticeable after hardware is installed.

I would add the bow roller as you said. I would also add a sampson post (instead of a cleat) directly behind the roller. Screw the chocks, you don't really need them if your using a post and if you don't have a bow rail. Your sampson post and roller will need backing too!

I would bring your bow lights (plural because you will need an individual red and green) to the back outermost corners of the marine board (sitting in line, outward on an angle, with the two front corners of the anchor locker).

Just a possible idea. I would think that outside of time this could be done for ~$300-500.

[Mariner]

I would do just what Elizabeth Ann suggested, but I don't think you need the starboard. Instead, just patch up the fiberglass. The holes left by removing the light and cleat will be hidden by the anchor roller, so the patch doesn't need to be pretty. Bolt a heavy duty cleat or sampson post behind the locker. You may need to beef up the fiberglass underneath to add strength, but probably not. Obviously everything should have backing plates. Consider some triange braces below the cleat to tie it into that bulkhead behind it. They'd be easy to make out of fiberglass, but could also be aluminum or steel.

You can just leave those chocks in place. You may or may not use them, but they aren't in the way, so why remove them of up don't have to.