My 1977 Albin 25 Deluxe rebuild thread

[Thumper74]

I did find the drawing of the light mast. Well one of them. Man you guys don’t beat around the bush. Kinda makes me want to call in sick for a month, and get caught up. There really isn’t a winter in Mississippi. There’s maybe 4 weeks that I can’t wear my flip flops with my Oshkosh b gosh overalls. I get my winter fix traveling the endless ribbon of blacktop, kinda like the mailman, “” rain, hail, sleet, or snow… with the freight I must goooo””

Seriously…. I’d like to reproduce your light mast. Maybe with a twist. I don’t wanna fully copy yours. I’d have to make it as unique as the thump thump.

[hetek]

One thing I personally would add is a mast head anchor light.

I believe the USCG spec is to have a (single?) white light visible from 360 degrees located at the highest point of the vessel while at anchor at night.

Makes me wonder about dual masted sailboats but I don’t have that problem. Do they each get one?

An LED light would reduce current draw on the batteries to nil. Then again, I don’t know of anyone who couldn’t start their engine from leaving a standard bulb one on overnight.

Go for it! I’m all for “unique”. Make it yours.

[WillieC]

I chainsawed off my woodie mast and incorporated the lights, nav and anchor, with my recent radar installation.

For the anchor light, I use the Davis Utility Low Current Mega-Light. Mine came with an incandescent lamp which I switched out to an LED from Marine Beam.

For several years I had it plugged into the cigarette lighter plug, rust and all. I also installed a cheap solar 20W panel since das Boot hangs on the mooring ball at home. With the recent radar upgrade, I did away with the ciggy plug and wired it to the anchor light switch, properly fused, on the Always Hot Bus, like the bilge pump.. The Davis light has an internal photocell so it turns itself on and off.

The nav running light on the pole has certain required forward illumination. The original (as we bought the boat, likely not Albin original) Perko fixture used two lamps. The nav used the forward facing and the anchor used same plus added a lamp behind the shield, thereby accomplishing the 360 degree illumination. Two incandescent lamps. Oh yes, Mr. Lebowski, it posed a significant power drain. Note that the two lamp system like this is still out there which requires a mildly sophisticated switching arrangement if used as designed. With the separate Davis Mega Duty Super Negative Current Photocell Controlled and Beer Opener on its own switch, I am a happy anchorer, although I should also find and use a black ball for daytime anchoring.

[tribologist]

Just checking in if it went in the water yet?

[hetek]

Sorry, not yet.

My next “to do” list item is to prime the fuel system and test run the engine. THEN I will FINALLY be ready for the water, providing all goes well.

But first…

Did I mention my wife’s 15’ Boston Whaler broke free from the mooring last weekend? Literally, the weakest link in the chain broke. All the links in the chain looked near new, except one.

No damage thankfully. When the tide came up it floated off the beach and I tied it to the neighbor’s dock. My son and I hauled it the next day.

Kind of took the focus off the Albin for a bit.

E0C736E3-53B8-4A9C-8F27-B1DC5B1D5DA5.jpeg

[WillieC]

I believe it. We see all kinds of stuff floating by. Today it was a wave runner all nicely covered up albeit untethered. A while later a guy in a kayak towed it back down Canal. Fortunately it was a lovely calm day. Unlike when it busted loose.

[tribologist]

Yeikes! Love whalers! Used to have a 13ft that I sold after getting the Albin. Then everyone complained so i got a 17 then a 18 ft center console that no one use…..

[hetek]

My “Fall colors”…

Wait… It’s Fall already?

Anyway, actually only one color: Blue.

Got it under my fingernails and everything.

89C05253-5C25-4778-AF27-D4B56D3233B5.jpeg

[tribologist]

Nice!!! Remember that it needs to go into tge water right after bottom paint is on!

[WillieC]

Within hours! Gotta be close!

[hetek]

Nice try, guys. Believe me, I do hear ya!

I hedged my bets by using what’s left of a gallon of West Marine CPP bottom paint I had (actually, it’s made by Pettit). Time from application to launch: “There is no maximum dry time before launching”.

Music to my ears! … ‘cause I’m slow as s#*%. But you already knew that.

And when I said I got it under my fingernails “and everything”…

Here’s “everything”:

325F919E-B504-4987-AA76-2D98F1E6AB3F.jpeg

Jeez! And I wore a hat and everything!

Weather is finally cooperating. I’m test running the mighty Vetus today! Yay!

[hetek]

Well, the weather cooperated but the mighty Vetus wasn’t too mighty.

Actually, the mighty Vetus WAS too mighty!

Had the usual stuff to sort out: put 5 gallons of diesel in the tank, prime the fuel system, check all fluids, clean starter solenoid connector and clean main fuse holder connection. Cooling water ready. All systems go.

She cranked fine, she started to fire on one cylinder, then two, then all 3! Vroom!

Then I throttled back to idle and no change. Still vroom. Wait! That’s not right!

Hit the stop solenoid. Nothing. Pushed the manual cutoff button. Nothing. Put my hand over the air intake and it would idle smooth but that’s not right either. I shut off the fuel and it stopped in a couple seconds.

Crankcase isn’t over filled, stop solenoid is questionable now. It clicks but I gotta check if it clicks enough. The cutoff button too seems like it should move more. I’m almost thinking it’s a runaway but killing the fuel stops it.

Guess I’ll be looking for a Vetus mechanic in the morning. I need this like a hole in the head.

[WillieC]

Hoo boy! Sounds like a confluence of things close but no cigar. So sorry. You’ll sort it out.

[DesertAlbin736]

Not like my trusty Yanmar which has a mechanical pull cable fuel stop.

RE bottom paint: Getting ready to add a refresh coat of Pettit Hydrocoat ECO multi season non-copper ablative some time within the next couple months. Supposed to be a good paint for trailerables that spend most of the time out of the water. Pettit tech rep said it was OK to just power wash the existing coat of the same paint which is still in pretty good shape, roll a gallon worth to refresh the biocide. It's been two and a half years since the last coat.

Right now still working on adding inspection ports to the fuel tank, cleaning the inside of tank, plus cleaning, prepping, and painting the area of the bilge under where the tank sits.

[hetek]

It’s alive!

Opened up a couple access plates around the injector pump and noticed the linkages weren’t moving much at all. I unclipped the linkage from the injector pump rack and the rack wouldn’t budge.

It was stuck in the 3/4 throttle position!

I took the pump out after removing the intake manifold, the banjo bolt and three injector lines. The rack moved with a couple light taps but it was pretty stuck.

Went to my local NAPA store and asked for “fuel injector pump cleaner” (like a real pro would). He says just pour ATF into it. Really? I tried it and it worked like a champ! Got the rack moving like butter!

Put it all together, bled the fuel system, turned the key and after a few seconds of cranking she fired right up!

Ran like a sewing machine! A 700 rpm sewing machine. Smooooooth!

Glad that part is done! Lesson for the day: Automatic Transmission Fluid cleans injector pumps!