My A25 renovation blog

[ppaalo]

We bought our Albin 25 in August 2018 and had quite soon a big todo list. Some of the most crucial stuff have been done now just in time for putting the boat back in the water (this morning) and I've started documenting some of the stuff on this blog here: https://peku.kapsi.fi/blog/en/

Comments and critique are welcome but as I am a total amateur, please don't be too harsh

p.s. I try to write all posts in 3 languages, English, Swedish and Finnish so if nothing else you guys can work on your Swedish and Finnish vocabulary

[WillieC]

Very nice work! Total amateur? You have a great start, but what a rough one to begin with. How are the systems? Engine, electrical, tanks, etc.? Keep the pics coming, but first get out there and learn your boat. Next off season will be very informative.

[DesertAlbin736]

It's a labor of love! The insides of our wheelhouse aren't too bad, but could use some refreshing. Just got done painting topsides (actually hired out most of the work), but next fall when the weather cools off again I should tackle a similar project as you've done & repaint those interior surfaces of the wheelhouse just like in your blog.

[kerrye]

Great job. Interesting that your aft cabin stern wall didn't have the bookshelf in the center. I believe all the other A25's I've seen had it. I find it very convenient.

[jerridsc]

Thank you for the great documentation of your project. I’m in the middle of a complete re-do, inside and out of my 1973 A25. Your work is inspirational to me.

[ppaalo]

Thanks for the comments!

kerrye: Yes and I'd like to build one but the wife thinks it's better this way so the kids have more "cozy space"

Just updated the blog with what was done to the head, including exciting stuff like removing thru-hulls https://peku.kapsi.fi/blog/en/2019/05/19/head/

[tribologist]

Wow! Very nice work! I love the mast on yours! Very cool. You also saved me a fair amount of cash! I was thinking if buying fender baskets but storing them up on the deck like that is a great idea. I just need to find good straps.

Were in Finland do you live? We moved to Connecticut in 2000 from Luleå. My sister in laws family had one there that we were on many times so we allways wanted one here. We got ours in July last year and are just finishing up restoring her.

Ulf

[ppaalo]

Thanks tribologist! I also like the mast, seems it's been handmade "lately". I'm in the process of trying to improve the cable management on it, so that the "light ahead", whatever it's called, wouldn't need to run the cable up top and then back down to the middle of the mast but instead come straight through, lets see if it succeeds.

Usually we keep the fenders inside when not in use, they are not very pretty since there's like 4 different kinds of different color. I think the picture you refer to is from one of our first trips and they've just got forgotten up there but yeah it could work like that if they were all nice and shiny. The fender baskets I've seen are pretty expensive considering what they do...

We live in the south of Finland, a bit west from Helsinki. Cruising waters will be in places like Inkoo, Raasepori and Hankoo, maybe one day to Åland Island (and once there it's a short trip to Stockholm... but maybe we'll practice for a couple of years first ). But yeah, obviously most of these boats are in Sweden.

[DesertAlbin736]

Nice!

Scrolling down through your blog, on the wheelhouse part of your project you noted:

We now only need to decide on what to do with the roof.

Of course the easiest thing to do is go with the original stock design of an open roof with snap on canvas cover.

Previous owners of our boat had installed a translucent plexi "pop top" that utterly failed so I made a new fiberglass permanent hard top over that roof opening with teak hatches as seen here in this thread from 2015

viewtopic.php?f=69&t=8667&hilit=hard+top

Another option is a full length hard top covering the wheelhouse & cockpit as often seen with many A25 boats.

As for the interior sides of the cabins below deck level, owners previous to us had restored the cabins & head by removing everything down to bare fiberglass and replacing that original vinyl covering by gluing on a 2 mm or so thick white 'naugahyde' type soft vinyl material with a leather like texture instead of just painting the bare fiberglass. There are no wrinkles & cleans easily. Also added curtains & mini blinds over the windows and re-covered the settee & aft cabin berth cushions with a nice deep blue material. They did repaint the interior roof of cabin above deck level with glossy white paint. I guess that could be some of the justification for the high purchase price we paid for our boat besides having been re-powered with a Yanmar engine. Saved us a lot of work. Not that I haven't spent a ton of money on other projects since.

Albin wardrobe.jpg

Albin_head_.jpg

Of course we have no permanent heater installed & have a 20 gallon (76 liters) holding tank for the marine toilet.

[ppaalo]

DA, I've read about your roof project and it looked like a looooot of work but very nice result!

We actually have a full size roof on the "aft part" of the cockpit built by the previous owner which I think is nice and OK, it's just the hatch part that is a problem. It used to have a plexi top with a hole cut out and a wooden sliding hatch for the pilot to peek out of, the wife wants it to be something that could be opened all the way when the weather permits. Original canvas type could be an option but I've read it's not waterproof? Or is that only when the canvas gets old?

My brother in law and I have drawn an idea of a hinged full size hatch of plywood (painted or glassed) that would rest on the roof when opened and also a frame around the opening to make it waterproof. Will post pictures if and when something comes out of that idea...

[WillieC]

Yes, do post pics. Any full size top will require a lot of work and decent skills for it to look right when done. And to fully function. I think many get close and give up...close enough. I have one of those tops.

[Dieselram94]

DA, I've read about your roof project and it looked like a looooot of work but very nice result!

We actually have a full size roof on the "aft part" of the cockpit built by the previous owner which I think is nice and OK, it's just the hatch part that is a problem. It used to have a plexi top with a hole cut out and a wooden sliding hatch for the pilot to peek out of, the wife wants it to be something that could be opened all the way when the weather permits. Original canvas type could be an option but I've read it's not waterproof? Or is that only when the canvas gets old?

My brother in law and I have drawn an idea of a hinged full size hatch of plywood (painted or glassed) that would rest on the roof when opened and also a frame around the opening to make it waterproof. Will post pictures if and when something comes out of that idea...

Please do post pictures, I think a nicely done hard top is a excellent addition to one of these boats. Often they could be better though.

[tribologist]

We live in the south of Finland, a bit west from Helsinki. Cruising waters will be in places like Inkoo, Raasepori and Hankoo, maybe one day to Åland Island (and once there it's a short trip to Stockholm... but maybe we'll practice for a couple of years first ). But yeah, obviously most of these boats are in Sweden.

Sounds great! We should consider a swap some day. I do Göta Kanal and you do Eire Canal.... Maybe DA is in on it too... Its good to know Swedish when dealing with Albin boats. Mine take Bränsle and Vatten etc...I wish I could get a Swedish Waste fitting. Wounder what that would say. Skit?

I still hold Finnish a better and way more powerful language. My favorite is Angry daddy in Lapland! on youtube.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH63N0GyvxM


Ulf

[ppaalo]

Sounds great! We should consider a swap some day. I do Göta Kanal and you do Eire Canal.... Maybe DA is in on it too... Its good to know Swedish when dealing with Albin boats. Mine take Bränsle and Vatten etc...I wish I could get a Swedish Waste fitting. Wounder what that would say. Skit?

I still hold Finnish a better and way more powerful language. My favorite is Angry daddy in Lapland! on youtube.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH63N0GyvxM


Ulf

Well wouldn't that be something

Unfortunately at the Swedish Biltema their waste fitting boringly just says "Waste". And wow that angry daddy, almost makes you blush need to share that with some foreign friends, thanks for the tip.

[ppaalo]

Updated the blog with some pictures from this summer's trips: https://peku.kapsi.fi/blog/en/2019/08/1 ... mmer-2019/

As for the roof/hatch issue, failed...

Here's a picture of our failed attempt, the dang roof was curved in all imagineable directions so we had to bail... maybe it would be easier to attempt when on dry land so let's see what happens next winter.

roofing1.jpg

Instead we put in the roof and hatch made by the previous owner which in the end works quite nicely.

roofing2.jpg