Thumper 1975 25’ aft cabin mini pocket trawler

[Thumper74]

Persistence is key…. The big main reason I’m wanting to track down any info on this boat is to confirm what I’ve heard. Also to get more knowledge on all the systems on board.

Ahhh…. Thumper was in the Bahamas…….

[Thumper74]

I love golden nuggets. Still makes me wonder how and why she ended up way up here. Completely out of the way. Seems ole thumper was “”put to pasture””. But I see a new life, one more time….

[Thumper74]

Soooo….. how can I find replacement wood for a few cleats??? I seen a few posts saying buy wood dowel 1 1/4” and sand down a little.

Also anchor and rode recommendations??

[DesertAlbin736]

While on that note…. Should I be worried of soft decks?? Where the water seeped in around hardware and ruined the core?? How would I know??

Albin 25 decks & cabin tops are foam cored, not balsa. Soft decks and/or osmotic blisters below the waterline are rare. Tap with a mallet or the handle end of a screwdriver. Listen for change in tone from tap, tap, tap to CLUNK. Or hire a surveyor ($$$!) to check with moisture meter.

After that class is over with, I will break out the trusty fluke meter and a good battery and begin the rats nest of the electrical system. Removing outdated and unusable items, rewiring pretty much everything, and adding to the grey hairs I already have.

Ha ha, been there, done that! And my boat is 4 years older than yours! Especially check the shore power service entrance and wires. Good time to bring it up to ABYC code with dual 30Amp breakers on panels with reverse polarity warning lights.. Dual breakers meaning they can trip on faults on both hot & neutral sides.

Note on the the left the screw in AC breaker & shore power wiring. Actually it came with a screw in fuse.

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After reorganization. The Smart Charge One external 12V reg has since been replaced with an upgraded version. Necessary because I use AGM batteries.

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All shore power cables replaced with marine grade tinned.

On painting the hull: Is the gel coat that bad? The decks may need repainting but try polishing/compounding the hull. You may be surprised who well it polishes & buffs out.

Also one of the previous owners dating back to the late 1980s/early 1990s kept our boat in South Florida and according to records passed on to me may have run out to the Bahamas on one or more occasions.

[DesertAlbin736]

Anchor and rode: Mine came with a 10kg/22lb Bruce claw with 26 ft of chain and enough 3 strand rope to add up to 300 ft total. Has served me well. If anchoring primarily in sand or mud a Danforth style fluke would do well. I have an 18 lb fluke type with 6 ft of chain & total of 125 ft of rode as a backup/secondary anchor.

Here's a site with video to explain the differences and which are most popular & suitable various bottom types.

https://www.anchoring.com/blogs/anchori ... nchor-type

[Thumper74]

Hmmm….. if I buy a hat, I’ll be included into the special sections of this site…. Me being new to albin, this members only section may be useful??

[WillieC]

A hat or a burgee or cold hard cash.

I think you get access to manuals and the super secret handshake. But wait! There’s more.

Elephino. I couldn’t begin to put a dollar value on the things I’ve learned and the consequent trouble I have avoided to say nothing of the virtual and real people I have met here. I strongly suspect that most of the virtual are the real deal too. And I miss many of those we no longer hear from. Not all, mind you.

And I have had a heckuva lotta fun along the way.

Cmon, thumper. Start coughing. Or not. I can’t wait to see that Sabb smoking.

What was the Mad Magazine tagline? 25C. Cheap.

[Thumper74]

And I have had a heckuva lotta fun along the way.

Cmon, thumper. Start coughing. Or not. I can’t wait to see that Sabb smoking.

What was the Mad Magazine tagline? 25C. Cheap.

Well sometimes I like the mailman. A 1976 Sabb 10 pony “” G “” to just replace what’s in there now. The present motor will be removed and sent off ( or rebuilt in the “”garage””… haven’t decided yet.

As a truck driver, I get to visit the house, and live on the road. Around, on, after, or before sept 12, I’ll be knee deep in rabbit poo. With the question always on my mind “” what have i gotten myself into””

Or “” am I in over my head””

[Thumper74]

Yes…. I do believe a 10 pony motor will achieve hull speed. After all.. a 25’ albin with a water line length of 22ft, is just shy of 7 knots. The Sabb weighs considerably less than most other fancy engines. Sips fuel. And adds to the boats name, “”thumper””

Now if I can wrap my head around the prop, that changes pitch on the fly, I might have this whooped.

[WillieC]

That Sabb and prop arrangement is straight out of George Buehler of Diesel Duck fame. I think it was Backyard Boat Building. Agreed it will prolly do the job. The engine is certainly usable if you can find the parts. It WILL be unique. Somebody, surely the pilot, went to a lot of trouble on this set up but it seems all the parts are still there. Too bad he used a DeLuxe hull. Some of those ten horses will be lost to power generation, but you could utilize the second engine for that purpose if necessary.

Take your time. If we see a big rig towing an A25, we'll know who it is!

[DesertAlbin736]

That little one lunger would be great installed in an antique wooden lapstrake motor launch, something like this. You'd be the toast of the town at a wooden boat show. (Note to WillieC, like the one coming up in Port Townsend on Sept 9th & 10th). But a semi-displacement A25 DeLuxe deserves a 3 cyl, something closer to 36 HP and less "thumpy", as 3 cylinders run a lot smoother than one or two.

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Perhaps with a little ingenuity it could be converted into a steam engine?

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[Thumper74]

Hi guys and gals…. Boys and girls…. Children of all ages….. salty dawgs, mermaids, and tag-a-longs…..


I would like to take this time to say thank you.

You have 1,440 minutes in a day… and you made a choice to read my silly blog, post, diary…. Whatever my thread is called. I’ve enjoyed each interaction. I have taken mental notes. I gladly accept any ideas, how to’s, how not to’s, and such.

This will be a long journey for me. But knowing there are some faithful people to this group, full of ideas, knowledge, and different opinions, I’m sure I will see this project through.

For some strange reason, I am pulled like a magnet to restore this ole boat. In my foreseeable future, I don’t see blue waters. I don’t see days at sea watching the sunrise, sippin docktales while the sun begins to lay down for the night. I live to far inland for that, for now…….

How ever I do see recreational lakes, rivers, weekend trips, week long trips, with a occasional splash of salty water.

I feel drawn to restore this ole boat, mainly for a Mr. Tom. The owner from 1994-2011…. A military man. Retired. He put a lot of time and effort, money, sweat, and his reward was trips to the Bahamas. Mr Tom liked flying. He took folks to islands, he liked photography… even owned a camera shop in Vermont. To Tom thumper was a relaxing vacation get away.

Sadly, thumper was put to pasture. This is where I begin….

Again thank you everyone, for taking time out of the day, to lend a ear, and leave some knowledge.

Me as a truck driver, this won’t be a every day boat restore. It will be put together while I am home during my off time. So, be patient. Although I am active on the forum while out delivering americas needs and wants, it is to get my game plan together once I return home. I am thinking of documenting all this on you tube. I have found there is not really a lot of English albin 25 videos in that rabbit hole. But to be honest, once I watched “” boatworkstoday”” i got the concept of fiberglass repairs. And then I watched videos on how to Rewire a boat. Doesn’t matter what boat. A boat is a boat. So I got the wiring concept from those videos. I’ve watched several stuffing boxes and prop replacements, shaft seals, etc… to gain some knowledge there. A few cabinetry videos, which leaves me scratching my head. But I’ve seen some posts on here that has helped. I am by NO means a professional. Just a guy with a desire to breath new life into a ole boat that someone once took pride in.

Thank you albin owners group, and those who continue to encourage me.

“”Thumper””the DeLuxe 25

[WillieC]

That sounds a bit like our journey. We have never owned a boat but we live on the Salish Sea. That aggression could not stand! We had often dreamed of getting a boat when we lived away from the water but after looking at plenty of woodies ( and reading George Buehler) somehow we ended up in Bellingham looking at what would become the WillieC. She’s pretty much “finished” but this is year number nine.

We, too, got a spare engine with the boat, no alarm bells there, but at least she ran. A bit. There are paycheck/project boats and then there are others. Take your sweet time and make it how you want it. Get it running and get it on the water. Then you can start to see how you want to arrange things.

Thump away!

[Thumper74]

Ahhh….. thumper. Nothing to do with the cute bunny on Bambi.

It’s all about the “” single “” cylinder engine. The distinctive sound.

And for a moment I thought it was a cute bunny.

What can I say??? I’m learning.

[DesertAlbin736]

A "newbie" over on the General Discussion forum was asking opinions on a 1981 Albin 36 classic trawler. I ran across & linked to some of your posts on TrawlerForum on similar subject from 2018.