Dogs on a 25

[Anonymoustoo]

Does anyone take their dog on and of the boat into a dingy for shore breaks. We have a smaller golden retriever and thought a dingy on weaver davits on the swim grid and non skid around the walkway might work. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[DesertAlbin736]

No dogs on our boat, but we do anchor out a lot & make use of a dinghy quite often. And by the way, we were not that far from your neck of the woods last summer. Not quite as far up the inside shore of Vancouver Island as Campbell River, but did make a stop in Comox before crossing over to Desolation Sound. Bit of trivia: what famous film actor is from Campbell River? Answer: Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan, Enemy Of The State, True Grit, among other well known roles). But I digress.

Yes, stowing a dinghy on the swim platform (grid) via Weaver snap davits is handy. Our boat came with that arrangement courtesy of previous owners, with a Canadian made Boatex 8 hard shell dink mounted on snap davits. We liked it a lot, right up until one day during an earlier 2016 cruise when we got caught in some rough water off Nelson Island on the Sunshine Coast on our way up from Pender Harbour/Garden Bay bound for Lund. Long story short, a big wave came along, caught the stern of the dinghy & ripped it right off the davit, tearing out a section of the dink's stern gunn'l in the process. Things quickly went to hell in a hand basket, since the dinghy, now swamped and capsized, got the painter caught in the prop, jammed the dinghy up against the rudder, leaving us dead in the water, drifting down toward a large rock with no steerage. Lucky for us a large sailboat nearby heard our distress call and gave us a tow back to Pender Harbour. But the dink was lost along the way, never to be seen again. So if you see a dinghy with the name "La Dolce Vita" lettered on the bottom washed up on shore somewhere, you're welcome to salvage it. The fact of the matter is, the Albin 25 stern narrows down to about a 6 foot beam, even less where it curves in at the waterline, so even a small dinghy mounted like that tends to overhang the stern.

Dinghy on snap davits looked like this:

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Notice how it how low it mounted & overhung the stern. Don't need to tell you how rough it can get out in Georgia Strait.

You don't want to end up getting towed like this:

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Another side view:

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So one solution, and obviously the least expensive one, is to just tow the dinghy around. Your dog can still board from a swim platform.

What I did was replace the lost dinghy with a similar size Gig Harbor Nisqually 8 dinghy (I prefer hard shell dinks, no worries about punctures & air leaks & so much classier).
But instead of snap davits I installed lifting davits. It does add to length overall & costs a bit more for marina guest slips, but works very well for us, as seen here at anchor in Squirrel Cove Bay.

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[Anonymoustoo]

Thanks for your reply. I would probably get a high field ridged hull 240 I thinkthey are 7'4 which would help a bit. Could tow also. I had a 290 high field on the Camano and it worked beautifully. I think if I used the higher weaver davits it would maybe clear the waves and wash better. I definately know what Georgia strait can do but I am more concerned about johntone strait. How well do these boats handle in 4 foot seas? Anyway I am sure we can get the dog in and out of the dingy on a swim grid. I honestly haven't been on a 25 yet but I am sure interested in this vessel. With a trailerable little trawler you can bypass a lot of the ugly sections of water we have here. How wide is the gunnel top around the rear cabin?

[DesertAlbin736]

There are numerous 25's in BC, probably more than anywhere else in North America. Check with Albineers of BC club. The 25 handles head seas well but doesn't like beam seas. Way more fuel efficient than a Camano or just about anything else. We logged 580 NM last summer on less than 50 gallons of diesel.

[DesertAlbin736]

The gunnel top at the transom is about 2 metres wide. The 25 hull design is a bit like a sailboat except without a deep keel. Like most older sailboats the hull narrows at the stern, and unlike the 27 does not carry the full beam width all the way aft.

[WillieC]

"How wide is the gunnel top around the rear cabin?"

Not sure I understand the question, but I'll give it a go.

The walk around deck is about 34" above the chine/waterline near the center of the place you enter the boat from the side. One could call it the salon or pilothouse. The gunwale in that area is about 6 inches higher than the deck. The aftcabin deck is another 6 inches or so above that level and attaches directly to the gunwale. I have worried about following seas coming over the top of the aft cabin into the salon, but have successfully avoided that scenario. So far. (I love surfing this boat under those conditions. You need a quick hand on the wheel at the top of each passing wave. A lovely little dance!)

DA compares it to a sailboat without the deep keel, which helps keep you right side up. I agree but when we first saw the boat, I considered it more like a bathtub that could fill quickly under less than ideal conditions. Most sailboats, I understand, are more protected from flooding. We have since been in plenty rough enough four and five foot seas to put those thoughts out of my head. Wave height is only one consideration. Add current in opposite direction and throw in your desired course plus throttle setting and captain's experience level and distraught passengers and you now have a Netflix mini-series.

These are tough, seaworthy little boats capable of much more than many of its owners. Get out there! Tie everything down first. Train the dog in calmer seas.

[NickScheuer]

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Wer have tow aids for our medium-sized 57lb Boxer/Sharpei/Shepherd/(plus many others) for boarding our ALBIN-2. The photo shows our 2-step boarding ladder which allows our dog to jump down into, or up out of, our dinghy when tied alongside the cockpit. The top rung folds out to provide a wider carpet-covered platform midway between the Albin's deck and the middle thwart in the dinghy. Folded up, the step serves as an ordinary ladder step for my wife and me. The ladder incorporates a lot of hinges, but when folded it is easily stowed between the post under the swivel helm seat and the bulkhead on the starboard side of the cockpit.

[NickScheuer]

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CORRECTION! The ladder has only ONE-STEP, which is plainly visible in the photo. Oh, well, we haven't loaded the ladder yet for this season, and I haven't laid eyes on it since last October.

[NickScheuer]

Another view of the ladder.

[NickScheuer]

And folded for stowage.

[NickScheuer]

The other aid is an extension ladder with the two halves immobilized (screwed together) with the rungs oriented so that they provide a 45-degree base for wide wooden steps. The ladder is then hung on the side of the boat to provide a "doggie stairway" for our Ginger.at KOA Campgrounds or Walmart parking lots.

[NickScheuer]

The ladder/stairway photo shows our Albin exhibiting her former name.

[NickScheuer]

Another view of our "doggie stairway" which is much easier for me to use instead of a step ladder for commissioning in the spring while the boat is still under her winter cover. Our dog, Ginger, can run up or down this stairway as easily as she negotiates the stairs in our two-story home.

[Anonymoustoo]

I like that folding step idea, I'm sure it can be used on either side. I'm sure we could get our girl to learn to use it , all I need to do is find a wayward albin to buy! Thanks very much for the info.