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A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Albin's "power cruisers"
DesertAlbin736
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Home Port: Peoria, AZ USA

Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by DesertAlbin736 »

A lot of nice advice given! Bellingham was one of our favorite places to launch from after trailering up from Phoenix in 2014, 2015, & 2016. Then the dirt overflow parking lot behind what used to be Reddens marine store where we used to be able to park our truck & trailer for free for up to 60 days got sold & the free parking option went away so then we started launching from Blaine in 2018 & 2019. All those TLC items you talk on the first boat, which if I'm reading correctly is Delfin that you posted pictures of can nickel dime you to death. Upholstery work can run into more $$ than you might expect unless you have access to a heavy duty sewing machine and the skill, time, & patience to DIY. Even then materials costs add up. Anyway, not sure if you know this, but Delfin is or was a Canadian boat that still shows up as being sold on the Albineers of BC club site here. dkirsop may be familiar with it. Whatever, wherever, and whenever it sold after this listing that owner had posted an asking price of $21,500 CAD, which at the current exchange rate of $1 CAD = 83c US would be $17,555 US.

http://www.albinbc.com/for-sale/delfin

Of course I'm biased about having a trailer for our "DA'ing" road warrior trips.
20180616_151528.jpg
Here's our boat docked at the Bellingham guest dock in 2016.
At bham dock.jpg
You wrote:
Overall, there are a bunch of updates and improvements but not 100% finished. A lot is cosmetic. I really like the electronics package (includes recent radar, new depth/chartplotter, new electric windlass, AGM batteries, good charging system). Everything just needs to be put back together, cleaned up and splashed to make sure it works right.
That kind of stuff is a real bonus. My boat came with very little in the way of electronics. No radar, no anchor windlass powered or otherwise (except a hand cranked sailboat sheet winch mounted up on the bow that only works with the rope part of the rode, not the chain), an ancient POS el cheapo old Uniden VHF that didn't even get weather radio let alone DSC, and an old Garmin 240 monochrome display fishfinder. That was the sum total of electronics. Back toward the end of 2017 I upgraded to a Garmin 741xs combo chartplotter from The GPSStore.com (good source!) for $685 including shipping for which just this week I paid another $99 + sales tax to download & update the 2016 edition built in BlueChart g2 charts to latest g3 version (since we have a big east coast cruise planned for this year), a Standard Horizon Matrix GX2200 VHF/GPS/AIS radio for $309, and $200 for a new Standard Horizon HX870 handheld VHF/GPS combo. In total just a shade under $1,200 worth of electronics. A powered windlass would be around another $1,000. Just a radar dome alone would start at around $1,200, so right there is about $3K worth of gear. Oh, and I just recently this year replaced my three Group 27 AGM batteries after 4+ years of use, net cost $622 after sales tax, core exchange credit, and a $20 manufacturer rebate check. And don't forget AGMs need a "smart" voltage reg to step down to 13.4 or 13.6V float charge mode after they're fully charged, which I assume is what you meant by "good charging system". Otherwise they can get cooked from constant 14.1 charge voltage that would be normal for conventional lead acid flooded batteries.

As always a good deal is when you find a seller (like I might be someday) who's put a lot of work, upgrades, and TLC into their boat but needs to sell for one reason or another and can't expect to recoup more than a small fraction of those "investments".

In any case good luck & once you find & buy the boat you want, and if Canada ever reopens their border, head on up to Desolation Sound so one morning you can wake up after a night at anchor, pour your morning coffee, look outside and see a view like this:

DSCN4456.JPG
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Last edited by DesertAlbin736 on Thu May 20, 2021 3:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
La Dolce Vita
1971 Albin 25 #736
Yanmar 3GM30F
Gig Harbor Boatworks Nisqually 8 dinghy
Residence: Peoria, AZ
Homeport: Lake Pleasant, AZ & beyond
DesertAlbin736
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by DesertAlbin736 »

Oh, about those Origo alcohol stoves, I guess I lucked out. I picked this one up used from a friend for $160 shortly after we first got our boat in 2014. And no, not for sale. We love it. Simple, safe, & cooks well.
DSCN1243.JPG
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La Dolce Vita
1971 Albin 25 #736
Yanmar 3GM30F
Gig Harbor Boatworks Nisqually 8 dinghy
Residence: Peoria, AZ
Homeport: Lake Pleasant, AZ & beyond
Dieselram94
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Posts: 435
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Home Port: Rockland, Maine
Location: Mid coast Maine

Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by Dieselram94 »

I’m kinda sick to my stomach after reading about these alcohol stoves. I let one go in a old Trojan I sold cheap. I figured it had no value so I let it go. I should have done some homework on that choice first!!!
Dieselram94
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by Dieselram94 »

nebulatech wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 11:09 pm While examining the skeg, the A25 has a unique fitting where the rudder meets the stainless pole atthe bottom of the rudder. I believe Albin still has the part available in Sweden, but it costs a lot. Something to investigate...
It’s expensive for what it is plus shipping. I had to replace mine as it was a long ago previous owners hack repair. I believe my rudder took a hit at some point in its past.
nebulatech
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by nebulatech »

tribologist wrote: Thu May 20, 2021 1:39 am
nebulatech wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 11:09 pm While examining the skeg, the A25 has a unique fitting where the rudder meets the stainless pole atthe bottom of the rudder. I believe Albin still has the part available in Sweden, but it costs a lot. Something to investigate...
I have the drawings. Be happy to make one. How would you destroy one?
Maybe it's not the plastic part so much as what's under/inside it. On Wren, the metal parts, which I can only assume are stainless nuts and threaded rods or bolts, are so corroded, I will have to destroy the part to get the fasteners off. It wouldn't bea big deal, except there is a lot of wobble in that fitting.

Tribologist, I appreciate the kind offer to make the part. I would appreciate access to the schematics. I have plenty of solid surface material left over from making my head sink. I was going to epoxy parts together to make a block and cut that out to remake the part if that's feasible. It's tough, pretty inert stuff.

Back on topic, homesteady good luck with your negotiations!
Carolina Wren
1979 Albin 25 Deluxe
nebulatech
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by nebulatech »

nebulatech wrote: Thu May 20, 2021 3:50 pm
tribologist wrote: Thu May 20, 2021 1:39 am
nebulatech wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 11:09 pm While examining the skeg, the A25 has a unique fitting where the rudder meets the stainless pole atthe bottom of the rudder. I believe Albin still has the part available in Sweden, but it costs a lot. Something to investigate...
I have the drawings. Be happy to make one. How would you destroy one?
Maybe it's not the plastic part so much as what's under/inside it. On Wren, the metal parts, which I can only assume are stainless nuts and threaded rods or bolts, are so corroded, I will have to destroy the part to get the fasteners off. It wouldn't be a big deal, except there is a lot of wobble in that fitting.

Tribologist, I appreciate the kind offer to make the part. I would appreciate access to the schematics. I have plenty of solid surface material left over from making my head sink. I was going to epoxy parts together to make a block and cut that out to remake the part if that's feasible. It's tough, pretty inert stuff.

Back on topic, homesteady good luck with your negotiations!
Carolina Wren
1979 Albin 25 Deluxe
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Home Port: Groton. Ct

Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by tribologist »

Can you send some images of the parts so i can know they are the right pieces. I think i have the tube i need on hand. I offered to make a skeg for someone
Driftless
A25 1971 #737
South Windsor, Ct
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by tribologist »

Is it this piece you need?
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Driftless
A25 1971 #737
South Windsor, Ct
nebulatech
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by nebulatech »

This is the part. It actually feels pretty snug atm, but the nut in the 2nd photo is my concern.
20210520_201507.jpg
20210520_201616.jpg
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Carolina Wren
1979 Albin 25 Deluxe
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by tribologist »

Thats strange looking... I don't understand the second image. is that from underneath? Brush away the barnacles when you have a moment and take some better pictures from different angles so we can see what's going on. The key is to understand what's on the skeg itself and if the rudder still has the peg that goes into the bearing.. How is the block held in place?
Driftless
A25 1971 #737
South Windsor, Ct
Dieselram94
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by Dieselram94 »

If that’s the bottom, it looks like a plugged up drainhole
WillieC
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by WillieC »

Agreed. More clarification needed. What is shown is not close to original, other than function.

Maybe this was an attempt to simplify the unnecessarily fussy fitting that is stock. The principle of which I like. It's all in the execution and functionality.
tribologist
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by tribologist »

WillieC wrote: Fri May 21, 2021 12:22 pm Agreed. More clarification needed. What is shown is not close to original, other than function.

Maybe this was an attempt to simplify the unnecessarily fussy fitting that is stock. The principle of which I like. It's all in the execution and functionality.

Im with you. The original does not have provision to prevent rotation. I has to have a short engagement to allow it to pop off but there are many ways to skin that cat. A split block could do also. The original design is however esthetically nice and its not a hard part to make even in a manual mill.
Driftless
A25 1971 #737
South Windsor, Ct
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homesteady
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by homesteady »

One thing I noticed about this boat that is on the trailer is a slight dimple or concave deformation in the hull form around one of the six stands that it rests on. Will some of this misshape come out once it's settled back in the water?
The boat rests on the keel supported by a big pressure treated beam that runs across the trailer crossmembers and each side has three stands with plywood/carpet pads like at a boatyard. The area where I noticed the dimple is at the midships stand about where the motor is located (more weight). Its hard to tell how much it is dented or if it's just an illusion but I was curious who else has seen this and whether its a big deal or not.
If it just comes with the territory can anyone recommend trailer mods that would decrease any future warping?
The boat has been on the trailer for over a year.
Everything else about the boat looks pretty good. The unfinished projects are all manageable and the owner and I have agreed upon an as-is price and I'm hoping to take possession this week! As long as this hull-shape issue isn't a death nell, I'll keep moving forward with the deal.
Thanks!
Alex
Albin 25 No. 1583
"Sandcastle"
Bellingham, WA USA
Pacific Northwest
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homesteady
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Re: A25 Purchasing wisdom sought

Post by homesteady »

Anyway, not sure if you know this, but Delfin is or was a Canadian boat that still shows up as being sold on the Albineers of BC club site here. dkirsop may be familiar with it. Whatever, wherever, and whenever it sold after this listing that owner had posted an asking price of $21,500 CAD, which at the current exchange rate of $1 CAD = 83c US would be $17,555 US.

http://www.albinbc.com/for-sale/delfin

DesertAlbin: Yup! That's the same boat and I did see it on the Albineers page and actually talked to the previous previous owner when it was for sale in BC. I wasn't in the positions to buy at that time... He's asking $17.5k now and I think he'll get something close to that. These boats really hold their value!

Thanks for the other advice as well! Hoping for that trip and that view in Desolation Sound!

Cheers
Alex
Albin 25 No. 1583
"Sandcastle"
Bellingham, WA USA
Pacific Northwest
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