My 1977 Albin 25 Deluxe rebuild thread

[hetek]

Don't know why I prefaced my brother's temporary "between jobs" status with the words "Good news". The good news part was referring to the Albin progress to be had.

My bad. Sorry bro!

[hetek]

OK, here's where I stand:

Looking back at my last year's progress, in the two full months before "family stuff" got busy and progress stopped on the Albin, I was able to accomplish...

- Installed rebuilt Hurth gear on Vetus diesel
- Drilled and tapped engine beds
- Installed Ipe sleepers with 6061 aluminimum top spacers on beds
- Fiberglassed old through hull holes
- Installed full exhaust system with waterlock
- Installed full raw water cooling system with strainer

It may not look like a lot on paper (or on AOG forum) but it was a ton to get accomplished. Jobs done!

Now, on to the "To do":

- Improve fit of trailer bunks to hull bottom
- Clean out front and aft cabins and give a coat or two of paint on the hull sides (Brother's job).
- Any woodwork that needs replacing or refinishing, again, my brother the carpenter to the rescue!
- Anything that requires a paintbrush... Brother's got it covered.
- Install battery tray, battery, switch and cables
- Install instrument panel and harness
- Install fuel tank, shut off valve, Racor filter and hoses
- Install new shaft, coupling, cutlass bearing and stuffing box
- Reinstall rudder
- Replace throttle and shift cables
- Replace King Starboard panel in pilothouse top
- Get cockpit canvas repaired ("Hello, Mills' Canvas?")
- Port-o-potti will be my domestic plumbing for now.
- Replace windshield gasket

So... Easy, right? My intention is get it "running and floating". I just want to make it a day sailer for it's maiden Hetek voyage. I'll address galley, lighting (Nav and cabin), electronics, window treatments, floor coverings, ...later.

The UPS and FedEx guys are gonna love me! Time to get ordering! Also, I have Lighthouse Marine Supply only 5 minutes from my day job. Guess where I spend many of my lunch hours? And Sitex is across town.

I have to remain focused (partially why I just wrote all this down). I had a 30' Pacemaker that I was restoring once. I installed a new domestic water system, complete with water heater, before I even started on the engine work. Doh!

Time to get to work!

[hetek]

My forward cabin progress:

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[hetek]

My brother and I did some trailer work. Fitted new carpeted bunks, scribed to the hull bottom. She fits like a glove! Added bonus is the rudder is now 2" higher above the road.

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Received my new 30mm cutlass bearing from Albin Motor. Notice anything strange? No bronze bushing now! Just a thick Bakelite sleeve with the rubber donut.

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Last, I'm having a new prop shaft made. They said just ship the ends, so here they are:

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Seriously, I'm having S&S Propeller in Flushing, NY make a whole new shaft. They suggested rather than driving 90 miles (each way) to deliver the old shaft so they could copy it, "Just cut it and send the ends...". Done! Next stop: UPS store. S&S will cut a new shaft (a longer one) and machine the ends to match my pieces. That way we'll both know it will be right.

[WillieC]

That is the same bearing I got. I freaked when it arrived because it didn't weigh anything. I hesitated opening it, thinking they only sent the rubber piece...I finally opened it and discovered that must be what is called composite. No rust, rot, dezincification...priceless.

So you decided to stay with the 30mm. Lots behind that decision. I may go that route myself as my shaft is as straight as my prop guy could get it. This way you get to keep all the parts: Shaft split coupler, shaft seal, cutlass that actually fits the A25 hull, existing prop. Will you also get to keep the handy dandy fine thread nut behind the prop that serves as the built in prop puller? I think I'll keep my bent shaft a while longer just for that feature. I see yours didn't have that nut. Again, priceless.

[hetek]

One of the conversations I had with the prop guy was him asking "Are you sure you have a 30mm shaft?". "Uh... Pretty sure". "How much is pretty sure?" "Well, I'd say 99.9% sure". "It would be better if you were 100% sure"...

And so it goes. I'll mail you the ends and you can see what I'm working with here. It is what it is. No sense changing it now, unless it is made of Unobtanium and I absolutely have to. ...And I'm still only 99.9% sure it's 30mm.

Maybe it was my comment about needing a 92-3/8" 30mm shaft that gave him pause. Much like the joke about the guy who went into the hardware store asking for 1/4" metric bolts.

[WillieC]

My propshaft is a bit under 84". Of course, I have the MD17C with the 2 inch longer transmission than the original RB that came with the MD3B. I shifted the mounts forward as far as I could so the transmission would fit the box.

Lots of pieces to this puzzle, for sure. Beta Don has the best idea. Buy the repowered boat with all this work done. Me, not so smart. Then again he swapped engines THREE TIMES before he figured it out. HA!

I sure hope they have a 30 mm shaft. One of my POs thought that 5/16" bolts were close enough to 8mm. Sort of... I went round and round trying to fit all these pieces together and resigned myself to buying an SAE prop and using a conversion spacer to fit the metric 1:10 taper. Then my prop guy said that you can still get metric props, just have to wait 8 weeks. (You can also import from UK, but I did not need a $XXX table weight if I screwed a measurement up.) It was closer to ten weeks, but I had plenty to do while waiting. Fits like a glove.

Bottom line, if the VP craps out, I'll have to give the boat to somebody so THEY can spend the Fifteen Large to upgrade. And have a boat worth 15 thou. Or buy one of Don's boats.

[hetek]

My motor is a short Vetus M3.09 diesel with what has to be the most compact Hurth gear made. The old shaft from tip to tip was 82", but that was coupled to a Westerbeke 50 hp. I moved the Vetus as far aft as I could and the shaft was still 10-3/8" short. I have lots of working room around it though.

Good news: The 30mm shaft stock is available and on-order from their supplier. Now some bad news: It is only available in 12' lengths and I have to buy the whole piece. One more bit of good news is that the supplier will cut it to 8' and can now ship UPS (huge savings over truck shipment). They can also ship the final product to me UPS so I save twice.

Saving money while building a boat? Hahahahahaha!!! What was I thinking?

[hetek]

Got wood? The A25 sure does!

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Here are many of the panels from the interior - both fore and aft cabins - and the cockpit floorboards.

Almost all the panels here are reproductions. The originals were just too far gone to put back into service but there was enough left to use them as templates for the new.

My brother the carpenter made them from 3/8" marine grade plywood and gave them 2 coats of West System epoxy.

[tribologist]

we should do a go-fund me effort so you could trace those on rosin paper...

[hetek]

Nice thought, but not necessary. Everything you see here is removable and if someone ever needed a certain panel, I'd be glad to trace it, gratis.

The cockpit floorboards are my best-guess design (because I had none before to trace) and they are still a bit of a work in progress. The goal was to provide standing headroom at the helm without my head peeking out the top.

[hetek]

Update time! Fuel system - Done!

My spotlessly clean (inside) tank with new hose barbs, hoses and a new sending unit...

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My new Racor fuel filter with shut off valves...

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And last, an overview of where I am in the engine department. A bit dusty, but getting there...

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I also tested the sending unit with the fuel gauge and it reads correct for both full and empty settings (a rarity!).

The prop shaft is still being made. It's in the hands of the machinist now. Hopefully, soon.

[WillieC]

Looking good. I try to keep stuff that can leak nasty stuff over the engine pan, the pre-catcher before it overflows into the bilge and the Puget Sound. I know it gets crowded in there, but, just in case...

[hetek]

Whole heartedly agree, WillieC. Wish I could, but space is tight. I assume you are referring to the placement of the fuel filter/water separator.

A properly placed catch-tray (with great care) will have to suffice.

My plan is to hinge the aft deck panel so that the necessities such as inspecting the fuel filter bowl and raw water filter are in plain sight. Easily tended to with the caveat that one must take care if maintenance involves diesel fuel. Duly noted.

The stuffing box is there also, so you get three for the price of one. A quick inspection - Then, go boating!

[WillieC]

I was trying to be subtle, Jon. Placing a catch pan sounds like a great solution. I find it interesting the differences over the years. Mine has the fully removable, no hinges, no latches engine cover. No need to do anything with the seat, and it came with the removable floor section you describe, in two pieces. The frontispiece uncovers the back end of the engine pan and encloses everything back to my R&D flexible shaft saver. I was able to tuck my Racor in the starboard corner. Although as I think about it, it could easily drip into the fresh air duct, not the engine pan. hmmm. Maybe a drip catchment pan is in my future , too.

The back floorboard uncovers everything back of the engine pan and the actual boat bilge, all two feet of it.

I have yet to see an A25 with the engine cover like mine and it used to hurt my feelings, but seeing what others have to go through to gain full access to the engine tempers my wistfulness. I actually like the full and fairly easy accessibility I have. With this old engine, my routine is to check it every running day, or the evening before, depending on how hot the beast is. Now if I had a nice new shiny red engine that never needs checking, I might just glass it in.

I appreciate your documentation. DA is trying to talk me into buying another A25 that is a project in progress. Oh to be younger. Knowing what I have gained from these five years of ownership, I think I could do a full makeover for 30 or 40 large and end up with a 15K boat!