What have we done??? ;)

[jashmen]

Not sure if we are crazy or not, but just purchased a 1978 36' Trawler. Please tell us we have not lost our minds! We can't wait for next spring to begin enjoying her. Now, if we could just figure out how to turn the lights on and start her.

Jeff & Jill Ashmen
Bayville, NJ

[crowra]

Yes, you are crazy! And will love your Albin 36! If you've never docked one before, I highly recommend reading this article. It saved me (and probably my marriage) 8 years ago.

http://www.his.com/~vann/KrgStuff/bakherin.htm

Scroll down to section 9 for other helpful docking articles:
http://www.his.com/~vann/KrgStuff/Krognidx.htm

Good luck!

[Mark Deeser]

Welcome to the form, looks like your off to a proper start, nice boat and good advice, enjoy.

[DCatSea]

Congratulations, and welcome to the forum. Not only a great boat, but an awesome opportunity to upgrade your toolbox (at least that's what my commodore now firmly believes ).

[rebuckley]

Hah - welcome to the club! Lights are over rated...

[jashmen]

Thanks everyone! We can use all the help we can get. Our first time using the boat will be bringing it from the Chesapeake to NJ. Yikes!

[DesertAlbin736]

Congrats on your purchase & welcome to the world of Albins! Bayville, NJ is less than 20 miles from my original home town of Barnegat. One of my half brothers still lives in Manahawkin. So yes, even though I've been an AZ desert rat for 41 years, I'm still at heart a Jersey Shore native.

So, where on the Chesapeake is your 'new' boat located? I've cruised parts of the Chesapeake a couple times, once in 2002 in a Montgomery 15 sailboat and again in 2015 in our Albin 25, both of which I trailered out from AZ.

It'll be a nice cruise for you up to the north end of the Bay to the Elk River, thence on the C&D canal to Delaware CIty on the river, down & across Delaware Bay to the Cape May Canal, follow the ICW on the inside, or outside as much as you want, up to Barnegat Bay & on to Toms River.

If you need crew, let me know, ha ha!

DSCN2857 (1280x960).jpg

Barnegat Inlet.jpg

Would you run Barnegat inlet in this boat?

IMG_0916.JPG

Who's crazier, you or me?

[boater_mike]

Congratulations!

What a great boat! As mentioned, your toolbox will increase as will your skills in what I like to call "Repair under pressure" - making quick repairs to an old boat while underway. You'll certainly learn a lot as I did with our first real boat, including how to quickly get hold of Towboat US If you don't have - get it. It's well worth the money.

-Mike

[jashmen]

DesertAlbin736 - I have run Barnegat inlet in several very different boats, but never one with a top speed of 10. Bringing the Albin through it has me very nervous. I have gone out fishing with it nice and smooth only to come back and have it take me a long time to get past the swells. Not sure how the 36 takes following 6-8 ft swells!

[jleonard]

You'll have to slow down and let them pass under you.

[Jim lanza]

Jeff and Jill,
You've done what so many people only dream of doing. Owning a boat, and a great one at that. We've had Encore now since March of 2017, and even the 'disasters' have been fun. One cautionary point. Be prepared to undo all the stupid things that the previous owners have done. There have been a lot of years of half-arsed patches and 'this will do for now'. Even with all that, you're going to enjoy your Albin. We all do!

Jim Lanza (Floridian now, but a Jersey Boy for over 50 years! LOL)
M/V Encore
Albin 40 Sundeck

[DCatSea]

OK - Just entered the back-end-of-the-year-season. Mazboot is out of the water, flushed out, saran wrapped and ready for the winter. I have taken off the exterior wood, (I did the interior last year and already had the canvas extended to protect all of the exterior wood next and in the ensuing years.
I guess I am by now well on the way to being a half-arsed (Brit and apparently NJ spelling??) PO at some stage down the road,, but must admit to having taken care of a very satisfying number of PO-changes-for-the-better over the past 4 years. It sure does make you feel good (if not outrageously smug) when you change something the POs did. (thereby adding perceived value and enhancing your feeling of ownership).

[cdsailor]

Congratulations! My parents bought their first trawler a little over a year ago, and we cruised her this summer from Lake Ontario to our home port on Lake Michigan. It was a grand adventure. I'm sure you'll love your new boat. Best of luck!
David

[davb1947]

4D3C25A2-7608-41D9-BCD0-A51085C18CB0.jpeg

I can empathize. After a lifetime as sailors, we suddenly bought a 1979 Albin 36 a year ago. Never owned a powerboat before. She seemed so complicated! So many systems. So much mechanical and electrical stuff! But we took our time, spent a lot of hours staring at things, taking photos, making drawings, figuring it out. After a week, we started her up. A few days later, we took her out - slowly and carefully. Now, a year and a thousand miles later, we feel like trawler pros. Stay in touch. We’re happy to help. Just ask. (You might like to check out our Facebook Page: Molly’s First Great Adventure.)