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Currently there is a 1986 Albin 27 Sport listed on CL in the Tampa area.
He has it listed as a TE .
It’s listed as having soft decking and a Westerbeke with 1600 hrs. Otherwise the pics don’t look bad. He is asking $7500.
If anyone has had the experience :
How much of a project is a new aft deck?
If treated well most of its life, I’m not worried about the 1600hrs on a Westerbeke, am I totally wrong?
Any input would be helpful.
I’m older but can do basic boat construction and glass-it may not be pretty- would hire out engine work.
Thanks,
Rob
Delray Beach
I'm an A25 owner, so not familiar with the A27 Sport enough to be specific about it, but here's some observations from my experience with Fiberglass:
Minor fiberglass work is not difficult. There are plenty of guides out there, so I won't go into it in this post.
I turned down a 36' sailboat (Allied Princess) about 15 years ago because it had soft decks. Redecking an entire boat is a costly venture, even if you do the work yourself. At that time, I lived in an apartment and I didn't have the space to store a boat where I could work on it. (I didn't quite have the skill yet either!). If I had property to park the boat and could have gotten a substantial discount to make it worth while, I could have done it, but its questionable whether it would have been a good idea.
I think the decision boils down to how extensive the damage is. I believe the A25's have no wood in the decks, but I don't know about the A27 Sport. I'm wondering how the deck is soft if there is no wood. I suppose delamination from osmosis could occur. If the soft area is small (4' X 4' or less) I would consider this a smaller task, although blending in the repair area probably means repainting the whole deck. If major portions of the deck are bad, including where it meets coamings or deck joints, this is a major undertaking.
Tampa looks like it is about 6 hours away from Delray Beach, so you probably don't want to just zip up there. If you're really interested in the boat, I would consider contacting a qualified marine surveyor to do an evaluation. It may cost you a few hundred, but well worth it if you're serious. Just be prepared to walk away. Don't rely on information from the seller. While I'm sure they want to be completely transparent with you, they are probably not privy to all of the facts. Marine surveyors use a tool called a "non-invasive moisture meter" to get the moisture content of the decks, hull and coachroof at numerous places. If I remember correctly, upwards of 25%-30% is problematic. (For comparison, kiln-dried lumber and plywood is around 8%.) The deck may only be soft in a small area, but the moisture may have migrated to areas that aren't soft YET. Be sure to specifically ask them to look near coamings, coachroof and hull/deck joints.
You may be able to negotiate a reduced rate on the survey if you tell them you're purely interested in a deck evaluation. Other parts of the survey include electrical, plumbing, engine and normally an in-the-water test. If you're serious about the boat, you might want these parts done pending the deck evaluation, so maybe ask if you can split the cost and call you after the deck evaluation. If you're satisfied with the results, continue the survey and buy the boat (based on negotiated price), otherwise just pay for the deck evaluation.
A non-invasive moisture meter is around $500 for a reliable one. A good investment I almost made on a few occasions, but the cost of a survey is probably 1/2 that, and you don't have to do the drive.
I think the decision boils down to how extensive the damage is. I believe the A25's have no wood in the decks, but I don't know about the A27 Sport. I'm wondering how the deck is soft if there is no wood. I suppose delamination from osmosis could occur. If the soft area is small (4' X 4' or less) I would consider this a smaller task, although blending in the repair area probably means repainting the whole deck. If major portions of the deck are bad, including where it meets coamings or deck joints, this is a major undertaking
This appears to be the fishing version of the Albin 27 FC, sans aft cabin. It is NOT a TE, as easily seen by comparing to the other Albin boats on that Tampa CL page when searching "Albin" on boats for sale. There's a reason the prices of those 28 TE boats are ten times what this one is priced at. Also, while the 27 FC and the 27 in question, which is I believe aptly described as SC for 'Sport Cruiser' rather than TE, the major difference compared to the 25's is that the 25's were built at the Albin home company factory in Sweden and the 27s, and the TE series where built in Connecticut, USA. While outwardly similar at first glance, there's a big difference between the 27 SC and the 28 TE. The TE is a high powered, high speed planing boat, the 27 SC is low powered trawler-like semi displacement with top speed of 10 knots or less. This SC has a 100 HP engine (some 27's even less HP), the TE's 315 HP. Big difference!
At first glance I'd tend to agree agree with the last sentence of the above quote from nebulatech about major portions of the deck being bad. But actually, on second thought and a little Google search, even a large area might not be that bad to repair using this relatively low cost technique....
Thank you for your replies!
I’ve seen a heat lamp and injected epoxy work on small areas of a fore deck. I’m suspecting that large areas of the aft deck may be the problem.
The boat is about 4 hours from me and I’m being careful to stay home these days with the current situation. If I decide to proceed with this boat, I would make the run, tap out the deck with a phenolic hammer and look a lot with flash light and a mirror. I’ve always relied on a good survey before buying a boat, have lived on a few.
I would be interested if anyone knew how the deck was put down on this boat and has any experience tearing one out. If I put a new one down my goal would be to try to make it come out looking nicer than a basic work boat.
My experience in the past has been maintaining my (very old) Cat D333, a twin set of Perkins, and a Yanmar 1 cylinder; but I have little experience with a Westerbeke, it’s typical ailment s or it longevity. I would be and am grateful for any thoughts or guidance here.
Thanks,
Rob
I must post a side note to the above.
I’ve always appreciated and wanted an Albin 25. Their design, efficiency and quality of construction has made them a “ one day I will have one” boat for me.
Our current mission for a boat, is something, small, economical in purchase and running cost and something to run up and down the ICW and do some near shore light fishing. If I felt the A25 had a more useable aft deck for an older fisherman, I would go after one. The A25 is so much easier to trailer, important in hurricane territory. After returning to this board, seeing the helpful, supportive community A25/A27 community; I must keep the A25 in consideration as well.
Enjoy you boats, they are special,
Rob
Catalac 9 meter catamaran
Bristol 41 trawler
Californian 34 trawler
Rob, You know there is an Albin 25 version, just like the 27, where they didn't put on an aft cabin, but I think they're extremely rare. Good luck on your quest. Ben
Thank you Ben.
I think they called it the fisherman.
My hobby (read illness) is looking for my next boat, always has been. Most of my idle time in a chair, I’m looking on CL, Boat Trader, Yachtworld and the like. I’ve heard of people modifying an A25, by removing the aft cabin, I did once see a fisherman version for sale in England, but have not found one here in the states. I have seen 6-8 A25’s in varied condition, going for short money that I could modify; but something just feels wrong to me to be taking a saw to that boat!
I’ve considered a Romany 21, hard to find and had it’s building flaws, but ideally would like the build quality and reputation of an original Albin. My consideration of a A27sc, is Plan B.
Thanks for your reply,
Rob
As an A27 Sport owner I'm intrigued with the notion that the aft deck is soft. That area consists of several hatched storage areas, some with drainage tubes and others without drainage. When exposed to lots of rain, the drainage tubes (if not blocked) take the water overboard, and the rest of the water goes directly into the bilge. In other words, that area should not go soft unless water overfilled the bilge and the whole deck area was awash.
I looked at several Sport models before buying mine and all had nice solid aft decks and hatch covers.
If you decide to go take a look, I'd suggest you open every aft deck hatch concurrently and take a hard look at whether the deck support fiberglass is cracked or broken. While you're in there, also remove the bilge covers and take a good look at the shaft and bilge.
We winter in south FL, and if we were still at our condo there I'd be happy to meet you to examine this boat. Unfortunately we left early to hunker down at our home in Atlanta.
The low asking price could potentially give you quite a bit of room to repair things.
Thank you Dick,
I was surprised to find that the boat is actually listed for sale on this board bu a supporting member. I reached out to him independently and was told that the back deck is only soft by the hatch openings.
If the vessel is still for sale when I feel ready for a road trip, I’ll make the drive and crawl all over the boat.
Thank you for all of your input,
Rob
I had a marine surveyor look at a boat I was selling... to him. A 1993 27' Sea Sport Pilot.
He didn't use a $500 moisture meter but rather a $30 Home Depot version, found in the tool section. He said he uses it "set it to the masonry setting".
Fast forward... I found some unsealed antenna mount holes in the cabin top of a boat I purchased, a 24' Rosborough RF246. What are the odds that moisture got into the coring of the cabin top?
I bought the Home Depot moisture meter and went investigating. Sure enough, 100% readings in an area about 12" x 12". I tried the "drill and dry with a heat lamp" method and the "pump desiccated air through the core" method but the only thing that truly worked was the "cut off the inner skin, replace the Balsa core and reskin" method.
I chose to cut the inner skin so I wouldn't disturb the non skid gelcoat on the outer skin. The interior was painted anyway and a minor repaint hid my repair.
Cabin top is solid as a rock now and dry as a bone. And the Home Depot meter was very accurate in identifying the extent of the soaked Balsa.
Jon B.
Former owner of...
"Bunkie" - a 1984 A27FC
New owner of...
1977 A25 deLuxe - a work in progress
.
