27 FC PILOT HOUSE DAMAGED / NEED ADVICE

[daveblanton]

ALBIN 27 FC OWNER NEEDS ADVICE
--------------------
Our 27' Aft Cabin Family Cruiser was hit by a freak wind and the pilot house (wheel house covering) was ripped right off the hull. So we're facing either a total remake of the structure or possibly finding an existing one and using that.

Does anyone have any experience / advice / or know where to find something like this.

Thanks

Dave

[DesertAlbin736]

Can't help there, but OMG where & how did that happen? Was that while docked in a marina or parked on a trailer on land? Is this anything to do with tropical storm Elsa?

[real550A]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune! If possible, could you post a couple photos of where it separated? I'm very curious to see why it came apart in that area.
I hope you are able to reassemble the pilot house.

[tribologist]

That is crazy! So sorry for you. Did you guys have a Tornado over Lake Cayuga? Did you find it? If you can find it it is probably not that hard to fix. Its nearly always easier to repair than build new. I am fixing a boat right now that had a tree fall on it. What I do is that I grind out the crack nearly all through from the back to make the pieces "float" then I fix it all in place from outside, laminates the inside, then fix the gelcoat on the outside.

[daveblanton]

Can't help there, but OMG where & how did that happen? Was that while docked in a marina or parked on a trailer on land? Is this anything to do with tropical storm Elsa?

It was at a dock on an inlet that leads to a lake. This is upstate NY, so no link to tropical storms.

[DCatSea]

Wow! That's always been in the back of my mind because of the somewhat superficial way that Albin US attached the wheelhouse on the 27. Mazboot is through-bolted (thanks PO), but it's still a bit of a concern. I always leave the front and side windows open a hair or two to hopefully lessen the strain if the worst happens. That's a big wind catcher.
Wish I could help with a suggestion to fix. Do you have the wheelhouse that came off; is it salvable?

[daveblanton]

Wow! That's always been in the back of my mind because of the somewhat superficial way that Albin US attached the wheelhouse on the 27. Mazboot is through-bolted (thanks PO), but it's still a bit of a concern. I always leave the front and side windows open a hair or two to hopefully lessen the strain if the worst happens. That's a big wind catcher.
Wish I could help with a suggestion to fix. Do you have the wheelhouse that came off; is it salvable?

The inside of the top is pretty well gutted, but the fiberglass shell can probably be repaired and used, hopefully. Still looking into that.

[DesertAlbin736]

Which lake in Upstate NY? We were on Seneca & Cayuga Lakes in 2015, launched from Seneca Lake State Park, spent a night in Stivers Marina, then CS Canal up to junction with Erie & west to Fairport & back. Also before moving to AZ in 1977 I lived in Saratoga County NY. We'll be out there again next month, running the full length of Erie Canal from Tonawanda to the Troy lock.

DSCN2356.JPG

DSCN2359.JPG

DSCN2361.JPG

DSCN2375.JPG

[daveblanton]

We live in Ithaca, right at the bottom of Cayuga Lake. I'm sure you're familiar with the place. Have a great time on your next voyager. I would love to have a trailer, though I'd need a new vehicle to tow it. Cheers, Dave

Which lake in Upstate NY? We were on Seneca & Cayuga Lakes in 2015, launched from Seneca Lake State Park, spent a night in Stivers Marina, then CS Canal up to junction with Erie & west to Fairport & back. Also before moving to AZ in 1977 I lived in Saratoga County NY. We'll be out there again next month, running the full length of Erie Canal from Tonawanda to the Troy lock.

[DCatSea]

If the rest of the hull etc is good this might be a golden time to rebuilt the wheelhouse to your specs. Fun times ahead.

[daveblanton]

If the rest of the hull etc is good this might be a golden time to rebuilt the wheelhouse to your specs. Fun times ahead.

Yes, the rest of the boat is fine. So that's the way we'll go now.

[tego]

The later 27FC's were built much better. Mine has a F/G flange all the way around the wheelhouse base with screws and some bolts and washers at 6" intervals all the way around, and is sealed with 5200. I believe I could lift my boat with a strap through the wheelhouse side windows. My much stiffer hull is 1/4" solid glass with a layer of 1/8 or 3/16" end grain balsa inside and then a 1/8" layer of mat/roving for a total thickness of just over 1/2", but it doesn't "oilcan" at any speed or sea state like the older ones do. All bulkheads are fully tabbed and bedded om both sides and the stringers are about 3" thick and 8" high to allow for the more powerful engines they put in at the time. I've worked on a couple of the older ones and recognized some of the differences when I found the one I have. I don't know when the improvements were implemented, but I believe it was early 1987. I see some early '87 models that still had the square cabinet in the head and the screwed-on helm pod instead of the tilt-back helm. My HIN is AUL27402E787' so my hull number is#302 (they told me they started at #100). I believe when Terry Compton joined Albin, he implemented these changes. You can go to the " Motorcityboatwerks" site and read about JT's experience when he had to pull his engine for his repower. He said he pulled a few screws in the teak trim and slid the whole wheelhouse forward to lift the engine out. I believe he has an "84. Joe Puccia designed a beautiful boat but his yard workers and the early Albin built boats had some shortcomings in construction. I also know that some of the early boats have been modified by knowledgeable owners to improve and correct a lot of the problems. Ben

[daveblanton]

The later 27FC's were built much better. Mine has a F/G flange all the way around the wheelhouse base with screws and some bolts and washers at 6" intervals all the way around, and is sealed with 5200. I believe I could lift my boat with a strap through the wheelhouse side windows. My much stiffer hull is 1/4" solid glass with a layer of 1/8 or 3/16" end grain balsa inside and then a 1/8" layer of mat/roving for a total thickness of just over 1/2", but it doesn't "oilcan" at any speed or sea state like the older ones do. All bulkheads are fully tabbed and bedded om both sides and the stringers are about 3" thick and 8" high to allow for the more powerful engines they put in at the time. I've worked on a couple of the older ones and recognized some of the differences when I found the one I have. I don't know when the improvements were implemented, but I believe it was early 1987. I see some early '87 models that still had the square cabinet in the head and the screwed-on helm pod instead of the tilt-back helm. My HIN is AUL27402E787' so my hull number is#302 (they told me they started at #100). I believe when Terry Compton joined Albin, he implemented these changes. You can go to the " Motorcityboatwerks" site and read about JT's experience when he had to pull his engine for his repower. He said he pulled a few screws in the teak trim and slid the whole wheelhouse forward to lift the engine out. I believe he has an "84. Joe Puccia designed a beautiful boat but his yard workers and the early Albin built boats had some shortcomings in construction. I also know that some of the early boats have been modified by knowledgeable owners to improve and correct a lot of the problems. Ben

That's a lot of good information, Ben. You obviously know these boats. Thanks.