Owners who upgraded to the 31TE from the 28TE

[MadMoney]

Tough time of year for me… the NFL season is over and out here in Seattle, we’re still a few months away from the fun of Spring. What do I do to pass the time? I organize my fishing gear (again) and spend too much time on sites like Yachtworld and Boattrader.

I’ve own our 1999 28’ TE since 2004 and it has been a great boat but it would be nice to have something a little more comfortable for multiple day trips on the boat. I would love to hear from owners who have made the upgrade to the 31TE from a 28TE – what do you like most? Do any of you regret that decision? Let’s talk boats!!!

Anthony Warren
1999 28’ Albin MadMoney

[Norseman]

. Let’s talk boats!!!

Aye, never had the 31 and never upgraded, but other way around:
My first boat was a 44’ Bermuda Racer. (Bill Tripp Jr. custom)
Second boat was a CSY 33 cutter rigged sloop, blue water sailboat.
Now on the Albin 28TE. Been downsizing since the first boat in 1985 when I was young and silly in my 20s.
Less is more and now love my 28 because of the size, or lack of it: Easy to find a spot on the seawall any weekend, easy on the wallet in the Bahamas during check-in, easy at the boat yard doing haul out for bottom paint, etc.
Also easy on engine maintenance and oil changes (single vs twin)
Go small, go now.

[irishwake]

I have owned 2, 28 Albin TE’s. One had the Pennuslar motor and the other with a Volvo. Loved both boats! I purchased a 31 about 5 years ago and can’t believe how much more room, and storage is available. It has a 450 Cummins that is good on fuel, fast enough for me, and my wife likes it a lot more then the 28. Great sleeping accommodations, nice head and shower etc. plus a great looking boat, I get complements about it all the time. Go for a ride on one you’ll love it.

[Mark Laurnen]

Hello Anthony. I worked ten summers as a kid at Roche Harbor, plenty of time on the docks to dream about someday owning a boat. Those were the days of Uniflite and Tolly, but I always had a fondness for the occasional Albin, especially the 28’s in the later years. Well, fast forward four decades and four smaller fishing boats ... realizing life isn’t as long as I used to think, I decided that it was time for my wife (er, me) to enjoy a boat with a head! The old Albin dream reawakened. I opted to go for a 31 because I wanted the redundancy of twins. There don’t seem to be many in the PNW, so I hauled one up from Florida and it now sits dry most of the year in Anacortes. I anticipated making repairs/improvements to a used boat, I did those that I expected and also found many that I had not. Oh well, I love the boat, and although I live in Colorado I spend mental moments aboard every day. I never did have the opportunity to fish/cruise a 28, but I did spend many dockside hours looking at them and envisioning just how nice it would be. I came to know the boat well and often did the debate of motor box vs flush deck. That said, the 31 with only a slightly longer LOA has a significantly wider beam, 12’4”. Regardless of the math, these dimensions translate into a remarkable increase in usable cabin space. I think that you would find these two boats to be very different were you to confine three fishing buddies together for a three or four day trip to Neah Bay or La Push ... you would still be friends at the end of the trip, and probably sorry to see the trip end. I won’t be out until May, but if you are still deciding at that time I would be happy to have you aboard for a trial run. Meanwhile, the boat sits at Pacific Marine Center in Anacortes. They are a great crew and I can certainly have them give you access to “Freedom” if you want to do a thorough inspection. she can also be seen on-line, the old broker listing, if you google Albin 31 TE Freedom. Best wishes while you resort your gear and we both hope for a better salmon season! Mark

P.S. My preceding boat was a 21’ Stabicraft, a real guys boat. June ‘18 a buddy and I ran it from Roche to Ketchikan, “The Salmon Capital of The World”, in search of better fishing. With mostly fair weather, we departed on a Saturday morning and docked on Monday morning, nonetheless it was a punishing ride. We arrived just as they announced that the annual salmon derby was being cancelled due to lack of fish. The grass definitely was not greener. That boat stayed there.

[furball]

Anthony, we owned our 28 for 11 years before buying the 31 in Sept 2018. 2019 was our first full year with it. We are very happy we made the move. Sara’s only regret is we didn’t do it sooner. We have a single Cummins 450. We spend pretty much every weekend on the boat as well as most of our vacations. Usually in the water around April 1st and haul out mid December. We fish most weekends or travel the Bay.
The enclosed helm makes early and late season more comfortable. The generator and AC make the summer nicer as well. The extra width makes the boat feel much bigger.
We cruise about a knot slower on average than we did in our 28. About 15knts. I went from 10 gal/hr to 15-16 gal/hr.
Fishing wise it’s much nicer trolling but not as good for light tackle fishing. Rear deck is quite a bit higher above the water line than our 28.
This 31 seems to run best with full tabs and it pushes the nose down a bit further so I think the view from the helm is a bit better..The visibility while backing up, into a slip is not nearly as good as the 28. Our 31 has tinted windows which adds to the difficulty.
It’s a much dryer running boat than the 28. Don’t need the wipers nearly as much. Oh yeah, having a 30 gallon holding tank sure is nice as well.
That’s what comes to mind that hasn’t already been said.
Hope others chime in. Good luck,

John

[Pitou]

I was in my 28 TE from early spring of 2004 through 2012 for 9 complete boating seasons in the northeast before purchasing the 31TE in December of 2013. I can't believe that it's now been 6 seasons and I have no regrets. Now into the 31, the only thing that I think would be better is a 35!

In addition to what has been mentioned to which I whole heartedly agree, and as said that the additional 2 plus feet of beam and additional depth under deck provide enormous advantages in space throughout the boat including the bilge areas of the "engine room" and aft areas where the generator, shaftseal, washdown pump, baitwell pump, and vacuflush on newer 31's is located makes for easy maintenance. The major comfort amenity likes for us are the pilot house comforts / setee, wetbar and 2nd fridge, a dedicated berth below that is always ready to go .. no more the dinette goes, down, the dinette goes up! That got old on a 2 week trip. Also having a much larger head with dedicated shower makes weekends and extended trips so much more self sufficient. In the galley even the little toaster oven provides a nice upgrade to be able to bake small dishes. Think baked stuffed fish of choice which has been done many a time. With the cooktop and microwave this trio rounds out the galley nicely.

I also have a single engine (Cummins QSC 8.3 500hp) and the boat cruises comfortably at 13 to 16 knots at 1 gallon per knot / 1 gallon per mile. In my 28 I cruised at 18 knots and 10 gallons per hour. At cruise your fuel burn will increase, but the comfort upgrades and creature comforts will be worth every drop! When cruising at trawler speeds the fuel needle will hardly even move.

With less than 10% of the total number of 28's produced, you will need patience in locating the right 31 for you.

[gerber30]

I absolutely loved my 28 that i had for 7 years, but i agree with everything Pitou mentioned. My 31 has twin Cummins 370’s and it likes to cruise at 2300 doing 21 knots burning 22 gallons an hour total(from this weekend with 4 adults and fuel of fuel). Twins are more maintenance then my 28 with the single but also comes with a lot of pluses too...

[MadMoney]

I appreciate everyone’s feedback and it sounds like everyone is happy they made the jump! Additional costs for fuel, maintenance (2nd engine?), moorage etc. is to be expected.

Mark – I didn’t know you bought Freedom, that was back in the Tampa area… correct? I remember looking at that listing and thinking how clean the boat looked. Glad to see you bought it and placed it in Anacortes! I have a slip at the Anacortes Marina for the summer months so I can be closer to the San Juan’s and Canada, it is such a beautiful area. If you don’t mind me asking what was the approximate cost to have Freedom shipped to Anacortes?

Looking forward to more input and discussions!

Anthony Warren
1999 28’ Albin MadMoney

[Norseman]

. Go for a ride on one you’ll love it.

Ok, ok..
You are in Florida?
I will come for a ride on your boat and may have to eat my hat, but I love my 28 because the size..Openminded however.
Where is this 31 you r talking about?

[Mark Laurnen]

Hello Anthony! I have been away so I apologize for keeping you waiting. You are correct, I did purchase the boat in FL. It was right at $15K to transport it to the opposite corner of the country. I really like the boat and it has fully lived up to my expectations.