Albin 25 tow vehicles in Europe

[Bob Noodat]

As shown above in the photo at the AIS inspection there is a guide post added ahead of the wheels. Helps some but not all that effective if there's wind from the side or turbulence in the water.

Did you look at my pictures on the previous page? A different kettle of fish to those almost worthless tubular guides, those don't guide, they merely suggest. The guides that I fitted push the boat into position. If the prow is held in the bow roller and the guides are snug against the hull sides, your keel will be in the centre.

[Bob Noodat]

Texas and California, eat your heart out! We know how to do things big in Canada, or at least out east in Québec. Here's a fellow with a 45' boat that he says is "trawler category" that he built himself, over 3000 hours, on a fibreglass-over-wood hull.
kijiji.ca/v-bateau/saguenay/bateau-trawler-45/1490219951

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Certainly that is an impressive job. But the really impressive part is the trailer and tow vehicle

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...and if you want rollers, don't be fobbed off with those wimpy little things you see for sale everywhere, now these are rollers!

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That would need a loooooong boat ramp

He says he is a bon bricoleur, or good handyman, but does not include any interior pictures unfortunately. Price of only CAN$55,000, which is a mere US$38,000 today, includes the mega-trailer.

[realslimshady]

I am very interested in all these reported weights. As someone quoted on here, the 'listed' weight for my '70 25 is 1600 kilos, or 3500lbs, as you guys would have it So I asked the boatyard to weigh it on their crane, while they had it out of the water-and they reported 'two and a half tons' or 5600lbs, 2540 kilos. You might think, sounds reasonable-except-I had removed pretty much everything that wasn't bolted down, basically it was the hull, engine, fuel, toilet and cooker. Emptied the water tank, even took the cockpit floorboards out, anchor, batteries...
What would a reasonable estimate be? Problem is, I'm going to have to hire a trailer, and a tow vehicle, to be able to get it to a weighbridge, so can't do an actual weigh until I'm committed.

[motthediesel]

I'll be fitting our A27 to a trailer soon, and I've been thinking about the "centering" problem. I think that we need to think of a way to use the keel to center the boat on the trailer, not the gunnels. I've thought about using something (maybe PVC conduit sweeps?) to form a curving "VEE" shape that would guide the aft part of the keel onto the center bunk as the boat comes up onto the trailer.
Crazy idea? What do you all think?

Tom

[Dieselram94]

I'll be fitting our A27 to a trailer soon, and I've been thinking about the "centering" problem. I think that we need to think of a way to use the keel to center the boat on the trailer, not the gunnels. I've thought about using something (maybe PVC conduit sweeps?) to form a curving "VEE" shape that would guide the aft part of the keel onto the center bunk as the boat comes up onto the trailer.
Crazy idea? What do you all think?

Tom

I had a sailboat on a trailer set up like that with pvc. As long as keel doesn’t float over the pvc it will work.

[DesertAlbin736]

Centering our boat on the trailer has been an ongoing frustration. So even with side guide posts we have to make sure we have the lane next to the dock at the ramp. Once the boat is cranked up to the bow stop the Admiral drives the truck while I stand on the dock by the stern with a boat hook in one hand & dock line in the other & line up & steady the stern as she pulls it up the ramp. Try to center it at least within an inch or so on either side of perfect center on the rollers.The problem with using a keel guide to center is that unlike a sailboat the Albin 25 keel is not deep enough up forward for a V guide to catch & center it before the front half of the boat has settled down on the bunks.

If I go back to my 2nd to last sailboat (sold in 2008), a wing keel 2nd generation 1987 Catalina 22, this is what worked best for that boat. The difference here was that the hull was rounded but the keel was near midships where it could engage the V guides and there were guide boards between channel iron posts on neither side of the wheel. And of course since it was a small, light boat it only needed a single axle trailer. This rig had a long tongue extension to pull out & allow the trailer to be backed in enough to float the boat off & on the trailer without getting truck wheels wet. This is the same boat I bought for $4,900 in 2005, repainted the trailer, bought a new 6HP Nissan/Tohatsu 4 stroke outboard, put some new tires on the trailer and some other TLC items & sold it back to the same guy I bought from for $6,400 after we got our Catalina 25. Mostly just sailed it on Lake Pleasant, but did take it out to Monterey once & down to San Carlos/Guaymas, Mexico once & anchored in the bay where they filmed Catch 22 in 1970. To this day this boat is still parked in the same spot in the same mast-up storage lot at Lake Pleasant. Boat's name was "Listo", Spanish for "Ready". No bottom paint because it was never in the water longer than overnight. As you can see here, I always try to take good care of my stuff. When my wife & I first started dating in 2005 our first date was a daysail on this boat.

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Here was that boat under sail off Monterey, CA in 2005

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[Bob Noodat]

I posted way back here:

http://www.albinowners.net/aog/viewtopi ... 726#p80726

what is the solution to your centering problem. I can guarantee that these will put your keel right on center, so long as you have them adjusted for a snug fitting to the hull. They are very robust.

[DesertAlbin736]

Oh to be able to park the boat inside or covered storage.

I have something similar, but maybe I should try moving the posts to back behind the wheels. The problem has always been that the best place to put a post is right where the wheels are. Ideally they'd be right at the stern where the shorter posts are in this photo. Problem there is the hull narrows & those short posts are mostly under water & there isn't a way with this trailer setup to get them snug up against the hull & anyway they'd interfere with the wider part of the hull sliding on or off. Other problem is they vibrate & bang against the hull & ding the gelcoat on long road trips. Not doing anything with the boat this summer. Maybe try some more experiments in the fall when the weather cools off below 95 to 100.

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[Bob Noodat]

Sorry DA but you don't have something similar!

The plastic posts bear no resemblance whatsoever to the heavy duty, adjustable steel posts I am recommending. I have the plastic tube types too, and they merely suggest politely but timidly to the boat that under ideal conditions it might please consider sitting within 6" of the keelboard. Given the ever-present currents, winds, waves and wakes to be found at boat ramps, the boat simply ignored the plastic tubes, and I always seemed to end up heroically standing on the fenders to hold the boat in place as my wife pulled it up the ramp. It also always took at least two attempts to get that keel central, or back down and refloat and try again. Not good, although greatly admired as a circus trick by the assembled spectators. I once even got applause as I rode the trailer fenders out of the waves.

But with the trailer guides that I fitted last season I have yet to get wet when recovering the boat. I have them right ahead of the fenders, adjusted to bear snugly against the hull. When combined with the central pull on the bow eye by the winch cable they force the keel to sit on the keelboard absolutely centrally. I confess that I was sceptical that they would work, but now I will always fit them to my boat trailers.