Freshwater Puffin - Albin 25

[Plum76]

So, I’ve been popping in for advice, figured it’s about time for a full and proper introduction.

My family and I picked up Puffin in September of 2019, found it on Craigslist over across the state. We’re located in Traverse City, MIchigan, with direct access to Lake Michigan, plenty of cruising opportunities abound.

After some parking lot checks on the day we bought it (new tires, greased hubs, etc) we towed it home with a borrowed diesel. It had lived the prior 5ish years over in Alpena, being launched as needed but living mostly on trailer while not in use.

Puffin is equipped with its origins AD21, though rebuilt (or reconditioned) about 400 hours ago. It wasn’t completely stock, most notably having been fitted with an electric fuel pump and a fuel return to tank to try and address some issues for the PO.

Just starting the tow home here:



Jason

[Plum76]

We hung the boat on a friends mooring for about a month at the end of last year, used it a handful of times and then pulled it for the winter. I only live about 2miles from the ramp, and my aging Toyota Tacoma is just enough to slowly make the distance.

I did a full fluid service, oil and all the fuel filters, filled up the tank and had the boat winterized and shrink wrapped for winter.

Come spring, I moved the boat back home and got into some projects. The front furniture was showing its age, so I pulled out the old delaminating panels and built replacements. While I was in there, I used some leftover topside paint to freshen up the hull a bit, one of those might as well projects..





I also pulled the freshwater tank, built a little stand out of scrap wood for it, cleaned it, replaced all the fittings and pressure tested it, then reinstalled. I only plumbed it to the galley sink, and I used the original foot pump (after a rebuild and clean), combined with an in-line filter (intended to go on your fill hose) between the pump and sink to help with any taste or odors from an old tank or sitting too long:

[Plum76]

After that, I spent a lot (a lot) of timing sorting out the wiring. It had a good many questionable splices, mismatched colors, common circuits and such. It *worked*, though frankly I’m not sure how. I replaced 95% of the wiring with new wire and terminations, following the original wiring diagram for colors. The worst installation portion was the bundle in the top of the windscreen, not a lot of room in there, but I had to rewire the rebuilt mast, so had to be done.



Also on the spring list was some bottom paint, it was on a trailer most of the time, so it didn’t really need any bottom paint, so it didn’t have any. I opted for the Jamestown Distributors water soluble bottom paint, did 90% on the trailer, then blocked up the keel and got under the rollers. After a full season on the buoy, it still looks pretty good, no growth to mention and coverage is probably enough for another year.

Before:


After:

[Plum76]

After making some mooring pendants, I dropped a permanent mooring near the base of East grand traverse bay and launched it for the year.

On the anchor up in Hazerot bay at the end of The Old Mission Peninsula:



To be continued

[WillieC]

That, sir, is some fine looking work. You are on your way!

[motthediesel]

Very nice work, and a good looking result!

[Bob Noodat]

Love the last picture. Very cozy and comforting. Well done!

[Plum76]

Thanks for all the kind words, we are lucky to live in a spot where we can be somewhere so pleasant and have a lot of options to cruise the boat.

Will continue the log with more summer updates and some trip reports as I find some time. Especially with the current situation, we felt really fortunate to be able to get on the boat and be away, no better way to spend the summer than on the lake, IMO.

JP

[Plum76]

Having children aged 11 & 13 currently, their favorite thing to do is jump off the highest part of the boat over and over and over, pretty much until it’s time to head in.

The boat came with an outboard kicker mount and a pretty old folding ladder setup that hit the back of the rudder as it was used and didn’t really offer a lot of convenience when getting back on the boat.

After some looking and reaching out to vendors, we ended up getting a platform from Bätsystem, via the domestic distributor. It shipped from Sweden and arrived in ~3weeks, arriving just before our planned cruise to Charlevoix Michigan. I pulled the boat and removed all the old gear, filled the holes with long strand fiberglass mix and got the new platform and ladder mounted just in time.

Before:



After:



At this time I also added a Yakima roof rack via some high rise gutter mounts and bolt on gutters, our typical plan is to cruise up to the destination, then have bikes to use to get around. I didn’t want to have them rolling around on deck and in the way, plus they’re up and out of the way. I think the weight up high helps with the stability and roly-poly nature of the boat.



Jason

[NickScheuer]

Earlier this year we had plans to launch at Leeland and stay several days in their harbor, getting a lakeside view of Sleeping Bear Dune, etc. We would tour Lk Leelanau with friends who summer there. Covid considerations put it all on hold.

[NickScheuer]

Forgot to add, "nice work on your PUFFIN". We did something similar to our transom, removed an outboard motor mount and an awkward ladder then added a swim platform and a more functional ladder. Our boat came to us with a pair of those chrome-plated ring ladder rungs that I remounted midship on the deck, which of course match the original bow and stern quarter cleats. Our DuNORD has her original MD17C Volvo-Penta engine which seems to be operating well. I was interested in what you did to the water tank. We've never used ours water tank, preferring instead to use one-gal jugs of spring water from the supermarket on cruises. Our prior boat had a galley water pump for use with large jugs of water and it would develop disturbing infestations of mold in the pump and hose between cruises.

[Plum76]

I was pleased with the function of the water tank, I filled it and soaked with white vinegar (diluted), as that seemed less likely to leave a taste behind (from brief online research when compared to bleach). I ran all new hoses and valves, and I used the ‘spare’ tank connection on the aft end as a direct-to-bilge drain point, so can empty the tank easily. The filter worked well to keep any offensive taste out all summer, and I’d guess we used maybe 1/3 of the tank all year?

We did t do too much on the leelanau peninsula this year, we did an overnight in Sutton’s bay a few weeks ago, which was a 3.5-4.5 hr cruise from our mooring. Had 5-7’ seas crossing west bay on the way over, glad the rest of the family decided to ride bikes up, was a rough ride..

Jason

Forgot to add, "nice work on your PUFFIN". We did something similar to our transom, removed an outboard motor mount and an awkward ladder then added a swim platform and a more functional ladder. Our boat came to us with a pair of those chrome-plated ring ladder rungs that I remounted midship on the deck, which of course match the original bow and stern quarter cleats. Our DuNORD has her original MD17C Volvo-Penta engine which seems to be operating well. I was interested in what you did to the water tank. We've never used ours water tank, preferring instead to use one-gal jugs of spring water from the supermarket on cruises. Our prior boat had a galley water pump for use with large jugs of water and it would develop disturbing infestations of mold in the pump and hose between cruises.

[dkirsop]

Nice work! I really like the idea of the luggage/bike rack. I have been thinking about how I could conveniently carry a bike to the Gulf Islands around here and you have just offered an ideal solution - Thanks!

[Plum76]

I’ve accumulated so many Yakima rack components over the years, I only had to buy a few pieces. The old style rain gutter towers provide enough headroom for the canvas, and if you’re careful with bike placement, you can still stick your head out the top for docking.

We found that beach chairs, scooters (my sons’s) and inflatable paddleboards rode nicely up there, and if you wanted to, you could fit an enclosed luggage carrier or even a ski box.

It kinda helps tie the whole pilot house together too, helps a bit with rigidity for that very upper structure.

Nice work! I really like the idea of the luggage/bike rack. I have been thinking about how I could conveniently carry a bike to the Gulf Islands around here and you have just offered an ideal solution - Thanks!

[DesertAlbin736]

Very nice! A man after my own heart. The bike rack is a great idea! The red canvas looks nice. Did that come with the boat or did you make or have that made? We did some similar projects except not painting the forward cabin joinery. Our boat had been cosmetically restored before we bought it in 2014 (for which we paid dearly), so we haven't had to do much there except building a f/g hard top & hatches over the wheel house. Also major rewire projects similar to what you did. That's half the fun! Having essentially a fresh water sea at your doorstep must be awesome (except the winters, I don't do winter, was 102* on my back patio today). You may see some references to "DA'ing" on these pages. That has been coined as slang for trailering Albin 25's long distances, as in "Desert Albin" in reference to our coast to coast travels we've done over the last few years. You could do that too if you ever had a mind to. Like for instance trailering the 460 miles to Tonawanda, NY and doing some or all of the Erie Canal & even down the Hudson to NYC. All a matter of how much free time you have.

One difference with our galley sink is that previous owners removed the foot pump & added a small inline 12V electric pump & a momentary micro button foot switch where the foot pump was so you get water flow by pressing the switch with your foot.

We had similar type of stock style canvas enclosure and made a new one, essentially a copy of the stock design but added side windows with screens & roll up flaps that could cover the back & sides. That gave us better visibility without having to fold the canvas forward. Here's a look at what we did. The screens, which are Pfifertex vinyl sunscreens, are permanently sewn in to allow ventilation & can keep bugs out. There are removable vinyl windows that can be attached with velcro if needed for cold and/or rainy days.

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