Albin 25 Deluxe boom and mast rigging

[DesertAlbin736]

Early boats like mine, at least with the 1971 model year mast rig version did not have a compression post. As seen in posts above the mast step is right up against the windshield (a damage hazard for the windshield when trying to step the mast). There was a wooden gusset or fillet brace, or whatever it's called, installed just under the mast location. Looks like this. Ulf, aka Tribologist, was asking me about that the other day so I took this picture.

20210804_215358_resized.jpg

Albin manual drawings show what the mast kit consisted of. Must have been some negative owner feedback prompting them change the design at step the mast further forward & move the the forestay to the very front of the bow.

A25 mast install from manual.jpg

Here are some other examples of sail rigs taken off the internet. The last two show the later version with mast moved forward.

182 Motor sail.jpg

00g0g_eO7LkvIAXJU_600x450.jpg

2291978_1.jpg

ALBIN 25 SAILING.jpg

Albin045230119034495.jpg

Here's one we saw in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, WA in 2016. That was an elegant modified setup, the mast was set in a tabernacle that could hinge the mast backward over the top of the wheelhouse.

20160627_142511.jpg

20160627_142632.jpg

The bottom line though is that the sail rig doesn't do all that much to help things other than dampening the roll rate. Certainly does not turn the boat into a well performing sailboat. If one wants to sail the best thing is to just get a sailboat. If one were to keep the boat in a slip full time it might be worth having. But if trailering in and out & keeping the boat parked on a trailer & transporting over the road like we do it's not worth the effort it takes to step & unstep the mast.

[Plum76]

This is a great post, thank you!

Jason

Early boats like mine, at least with the 1971 model year mast rig version did not have a compression post. As seen in posts above the mast step is right up against the windshield (a damage hazard for the windshield when trying to step the mast). There was a wooden gusset or fillet brace, or whatever it's called, installed just under the mast location. Looks like this. Ulf, aka Tribologist, was asking me about that the other day so I took this picture.

20210804_215358_resized.jpg

Albin manual drawings show what the mast kit consisted of. Must have been some negative owner feedback prompting them change the design at step the mast further forward & move the the forestay to the very front of the bow.

A25 mast install from manual.jpg

Here are some other examples of sail rigs taken off the internet. The last two show the later version with mast moved forward.
182 Motor sail.jpg
00g0g_eO7LkvIAXJU_600x450.jpg
2291978_1.jpg
ALBIN 25 SAILING.jpg
Albin045230119034495.jpg

Here's one we saw in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, WA in 2016. That was an elegant modified setup, the mast was set in a tabernacle that could hinge the mast backward over the top of the wheelhouse.

20160627_142511.jpg

20160627_142632.jpg

The bottom line though is that the sail rig doesn't do all that much to help things other than dampening the roll rate. Certainly does not turn the boat into a well performing sailboat. If one wants to sail the best thing is to just get a sailboat. If one were to keep the boat in a slip full time it might be worth having. But if trailering in and out & keeping the boat parked on a trailer & transporting over the road like we do it's not worth the effort it takes to step & unstep the mast.

[tribologist]

Jason, the early boats did not have a post. It was just a wood reinforcement just under tge windshield. It would be quite easy to adopt a deluxe rig to an older A25. Its a matter of installing a post and open the inner skin on the cabin roof and install a piece of plywood or cosa. You will have to do something about tge floor too since the deluxe has a different floor.

[Plum76]

Yeah, I noted the significant difference in the foward floor/bilge area when I took a look at Hyacinth and picked up my rig from them. I think you could stabilize a 'beam' in that deluxe location that would serve as a compression post support, but the hanging knee support seems much less intrusive. My floor has a divider/trim piece at the deluxe compression post location (or close), so that would just need to be appropriately upsized to fit the compression post..

JP

Jason, the early boats did not have a post. It was just a wood reinforcement just under tge windshield. It would be quite easy to adopt a deluxe rig to an older A25. Its a matter of installing a post and open the inner skin on the cabin roof and install a piece of plywood or cosa. You will have to do something about tge floor too since the deluxe has a different floor.

[DesertAlbin736]

Again I would consider your purpose & use for wanting to install a mast rig. From experience (cruise from Blaine, WA to Desolation Sound, BC with sail rig installed) there are a few things to consider. One, the head sail/jib blocks half your view ahead from the helm seat. For that reason we opted not to use a jib & when we used the mainsail at all, which was under close reach or beam reach wind conditions only (wind coming from 45 deg ahead to slightly abaft of 90 deg) we always ran the engine due to the drag of the large propeller & didn't want to let it freewheel in neutral. Two, if trying to sail upwind under sail alone (zig-zag tacking) it needed help from the engine to tack through the wind. Because unlike a true sailboat the A25 does not have a hydrodynamic fin or shoal keel it won't sail closer than about 50 degrees to the wind without making significant leeway and at best would only make about 4 knots without help from the engine. Three, one way or another the sail rig did not make a significant difference in fuel economy since we always ran the engine when the sail was up. Becase the A25 is not a true sailboat with ballasted keel the square footage of the sails & height of the mast is necessarily undersized for a boat of that size & as a result is underpowered when sailing without help from the engine. I say that having owned & sailed sailboats since 1998 ranging from a 14 foot daysailer to a Catalina 25 which included sailing Cheseapeake Bay & out to Catalina Island from the SoCal mainland twice. The real and IMO the only good thing about the mast rig is that it helps dampen the snap roll tendency in beam seas.

Lastly, unless one is in a position to keep the boat in a marina slip full time with the mast up & able to store on the hard in a boat yard over winter where over the road transport is not necessary the process of mast raising is not user friendly due to the wheelhouse being in the way. When we trailered over the road the mast was stowed on the trailer frame & therefore had to be physically lifted up and onto the deck & raised front to back. In the early model version the close proximity of the mast step to the windshield made it dicey trying to avoid damaging the windshileld. I made a plywood shield to put in place in case the mast slipped & hit the windshield. I MacGyvered a rig to help raise the mast with side stays to keep the mast from tipping side to side & rigged a 12V ATC winch using the mainsheet attachment at the end of the boom which the Admiral opereted via a wired remote control while I steadied the mast has it went up. In all a 2 hour process from beginning to end. In the end all things considered not really worth the effort.

20180226_172343_resized.jpg

20180226_172330_resized.jpg

600_469125902.jpeg

600_469125912.jpeg

600_469125938.jpeg

20180226_172358_resized.jpg

20180226_171027_resized.jpg

20180621_191950.jpg

[gregor]

Well hello fellow albin owner 35 One of the posts from Alvin Fisher who is a member you can go back and look indicated to me on an email email to this group that he has a boom and mast rig set up for an album 25 he indicated his name was Ted and he gave a telephone number I just after 2 weeks found out the telephone number is incorrect prior to this I have emailed said person and and got no response So this is a general shout out to the person named Ted as to why he indicated he had the equipment possibly for sale I am very interested trusted and it's been so far a total disaster is far as trying to connect with him As far as his registration with this group he goes by the name of Albin Fisher in Newport Oregon and I'm in Grants Pass Oregon so maybe someone in this group Might know who this person is Yes I'm a bit frustrated so sorry blessings from Gregor The proud owner of an album Deluxe who is wishing to try to get a boom and mast set up original to try to keep my old girl as original as possible as indicated in my 1st email about my search bless you all Gregor

[Albinfisher]

Hi Gregor,
Sorry, the phone number I listed in my post was wrong. Fat fingers I suppose. The correct number is 541-868-6094. I have been really busy lately away from home and such. Things have slowed down now so give me a call. Sorry for the slow response.

Ted

[A251975]

Several years ago I bought an early A25 mast kit from a gentleman near Powell River in BC. It came with an adjustable stainless steel post with end fittings that led me to conclude that it was a compression post designed to rest on the forward edge of the engine bed and angle up and forward to the mast location. The form, finish and welding exactly matches other original Albin items that I have seen.