My 1977 Albin 25 Deluxe rebuild thread

[hetek]

I'm back with an update!

I've been busy with the interior woodwork. Not much new to post until now, but here ya go... I give you, the galley!

20200701_192017.jpg

I had to build the galley in sub-assemblies because it wouldn't fit through the companionway as a single unit. I mocked it up in my garage, disassembled it and reassembled it in the cabin.

Next up is the counter top and sliding doors. Still debating over "original" style teak Formica or some solid surface fabrication. Until I decide that, I'll spend a day or two with a varnish brush on the remaining unfinished wood pieces.

Getting there...

[dkirsop]

Nice varnish work!

[WillieC]

That is lovely. I finally got done with all my deferred maintenance house projects and spent a day readying the WillieC for launch on a recent high tide.

We are really missing our trip north this year so enjoying half day run-arounds in our local waters. We even managed to visit a local restaurant for takeout. The guest dock was full so we threw the hook and dinghied in, picked up our order and had a lovely meal on the boat. We won't be doing any sit down meals in restaurants anytime soon.

Jon, I hope you can get in the water this year. You are doing it up right but don't wait until it's perfect.

[nebulatech]

Looks great! It certainly is a lot of work to disassemble and build all new from scratch. My hat is off to you sir!

I am very interested in how you stripped the hull. I came up with a process that works pretty well, but I would love to compare notes before I take on the aft cabin.

[hetek]

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. I need a good kick in the arse now and then.

The galley was a major hurdle to overcome. How to get it into the boat in the fewest number of pieces, what to pre-finish and what to finish once assembled, will my air crown stapler fit between the shelves or do I have to assemble in a certain order... You get the drill.

The rest of the pieces should be a walk in the park.

One thing I haven't mentioned and is only slightly visible in the galley areas... Instead of painting the interior hull, I've chosen to go with foam backed vinyl hull liner, just like the original, but just plain white, no dots. You can see it between the shelves. I've purchased an 18 yard roll of the stuff and if you're wondering why 3M stock just surged, it's because I bought a case of their spray adhesive.

And to tackle the home maintenance tasks, I bought my wife a new lawn mower and my 16 year old daughter an electric pressure washer to tackle the pool deck. Just what they both wanted. I kid you not!

[hetek]

Nebulatech - I gave my brother the task to strip the hull. He tried chemicals, solvents, wishful thinking... none seemed to work very well. His go-to solution was a wire wheel on an electric drill motor, and/or a small grinder with a coarse wire brush wheel.

Down side to that method is that it flung booger sized balls of adhesive everywhere. Thankfully, they weren't very tacky and could be easily swept or vacuumed up. I think the adhesive lost its "tackiness" properties somewhere around 1995.

[ssrig]

Thats looking great!

I'm not too keen on the formica tops, something more modern and solid coloured would look great, even epoxy covered wood looks good as a counter top. I did that in my camper, used the laminated pine shelving sold in Home Despot, cut and routered it to shape then rolled on three coats of non yellowing epoxy and brush tipped it, I think it was 207 but not sure which number. It has lasted over six years now and still looks good and was economical.

[WillieC]

That new counter top sure makes the space look bigger!
Think I'll use it in the head so I can add a stand-up full size shower!

[hetek]

That does look good, ssrig! Almost doesn't look like a camper! And it is West System #207, Slow ultra-clear hardener or something like that. It actually has some UV protection in it too. "Some", but at least better than none.

I just happened to have a roll of teak Formica from a previous project but am debating using it on my A25. It scores points if I absolutely insist on originality (Per Brohall era), but it just doesn't give me a warm fuzzy like it should. The jury is still out on that.

After this? Well I'm not finishing the aft cabin just yet. I have my Chernobyl looking exhaust system I'd like to keep exposed for a few test runs to be sure of no leaks. And also easy access to the rudder stuffing box and steering too. The head? Just a Port-a-Potty for now. Easy and done. Running water, stereo, install swim platform... All can wait, for now. Gotta stay focused on the prize: Running and floating.

See? I'm prioritizing! WillieC would be proud!

[nebulatech]

Thanks Hetek for the info on stripping. Sadly, I don't have anyone to pawn the grunt work off on. My kids are too young. I ended up using stripper. The wire brush didn't work for me. I think it is because of the water damage that moistened the glue. I just tried a 1.5" wheel on my drill. The aft cabin is a bit dryer. I may try a brush for my angle grinder.

Regarding counter tops, a few years back I was looking for solid surface for a different project. There used to be loads of aftermarket "scrap" pieces. I just spent about 20 minutes searching around and found this site:
https://www.solidsurface.com/products/b ... sort=23-54

The search bar on the side is frustrating because it updates slowly every time you choose a filter so you can only choose one option at a time and wait for the new results before choosing another filter. The link above already filters for length >= 47" and width >= 23" with a price cap of $320/piece. There are some pieces near the $200 mark that might be acceptable. Shipping to South Carolina was $33. I believe this company is in Arizona.

No idea if this is where you want to go with it. It may also be less expensive to get smaller pieces and piece the counter together as the original. Mine is not level, and that bothers me, so when I redo mine (next year), I want a solid sheet. I did just buy 7 pieces of corian scrap, bone white 7" x 11", for about $30 on Ebay to make a sink for the head. (Just fabricated a new sapele counter yesterday.)

[hetek]

That is a nice option for the solid surface material. I was worried I would be into a full sheet just thinking about it. Thanks!

A co-worker of mine's brother works at a local airport in a shop that does high-end interiors for corporate jets. He always told me that if I needed Corian or whatever for a galley counter he would find some leftover scraps.

Might have to see what he has in the "dumpster".

[nebulatech]

Whenever you so install your countertops, drill the lower shelf for your faucets before you permanently mount your countertop. I just went through a fiasco drilling to get the hoses down. I basically made up an extension using socket extensions. Not ideal. No room to fit a jigsaw either.

I also had to pull the sink out twice to put on the hose clamps because they are also in that compartment using the original spigots. Aaargh!

Just one final mention; I really like the whale gusher galley pumps, but they are expensive. There is a cheap knock off version, but I opted to buy the originals from Gael Force Marine, a UK company. With freight ($40), it was around $160 for two. Places in the US are about $120 each. So far, DHL tracking shows they haven't shipped. I'll post again when they come in so people have an ideal how long to expect to wait. I also found Hodges Marine has the best prices on Groco thru hulls and sea cocks, tax free and free shipping. YMMV

[WillieC]

Oh I am proud, grasshopper! Everybody has their priorities and what I say is mostly me yakking. This is our first boat so use that grain of salt.

[dkirsop]

Here is a photo from when I got my boat showing the original colour of the cabin interior

Forward Cabin.jpg

And here is how it looks now

Forward Cabin New.jpg

[dkirsop]

Oops, wrong thread!