My 1977 Albin 25 Deluxe rebuild thread

[dkirsop]

Best piece of advice I ever got was "remember, it's just a boat".

[DesertAlbin736]

WillieC said,

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!

Yeah but, 90 % of the work is done on that boat. It is close to stock, no hard top & lacks a trailer, but $10K for a boat with a $7K Yanmar engine sitting in it, lacking only final hookup & alignment.

Oh to be younger for sure. Just today brought our boat by the house to change oil in the engine. 107* inside the pilot house, and that was with all hatches open & all canvas sides rolled up. Not planning to take the boat out on the water until late October at least, but read it's not good to let dirty oil sit in an engine, especially in this heat & oil change was 30 engine hours overdue.

But then it's "messin' about in boats", so it's all good.

20180625_210945.jpg

[hetek]

You made me chuckle, WillieC! I once took a $3k boat, put $9k into it and sold it for $6k. ...And I never even put it in the water when I was done!

I might have the same engine cover as you but I put the hinges on it (to replace the PO's hinges). 100% removable with a smaller "inspection cover" in the back of the top.

[hetek]

Found this in my archives...

IMG_1518.JPG

I drew it once upon a time to remind myself how much work I had to do to my boat.

Good news is that the "only" thing left to do now are the engine control cables, connect the fuel gauge, reinstall the windshield (I have new gasket and locking strip already) and the prop shaft when it arrives.

Oh yeah, reinstall the interior...

You can tell it's a deLuxe hull by the hook in the bottom near the transom!

[DesertAlbin736]

Hopefully your interior will look something like this when finished....

Albin wardrobe.jpg

But not cluttered like this....

DSCN3634.JPG

[hetek]

I can only hope. Actually, I'd take either version at this point, DA. She looks comfortable.

I have a four-step approach to my build...

1. Running. Almost there, now. Still waiting for the new prop shaft.

2. Floating. Almost there, too. I just have to plug the holes in the bottom of the boat with a prop shaft and rudder!

3. Weather tight. I've been working through a pair of "zipper doors" in the shrink wrap this year. I have cockpit canvas ready but want to make a simple hard top for the pilothouse.

4. Interior. I need to replace some plywood panels that were water damaged and the rest is TLC and some varnish.

Making progress though. Heck, after I finish #1 and #2, I can use it as a daysailer!

[hetek]

Small bit of progress, but any progress is good progress.

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Unfortunately I took the panel picture before I did the housekeeping and it shows.

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According to an old Albin diagram, the fiberglass pad I mounted the battery switch to is actually a mount for the cabin heater... which I do not have. It is now repurposed for the battery switch.

Yes, only one battery for now - a dual purpose group 24, but there is room for two group 27's.

Right now the controls and cables have been removed and measured for new cables. I'll pick them up during lunch tomorrow.

I won't share my minor setback(s) just yet. Hopefully they remain "minor".

[ssrig]

You are doing a great job! Nice work and keep it up!
If it was me I might have already abandoned the whole project just from being overwhelmed, its much easier to re and re something than to completely design from scratch.

[hetek]

Thanks for the encouragement ssrig!

When I worked at a marina many moons ago, I was a "rigger". I would get a new boat sales order from the boss. It would detail which boat, which motor, which controls, which battery, electronics, fuel system...etc. Then I would would build the boat that was on paper for the customer.

This is very similar, but with one HUGE difference: I'm spending money rather than making money!

[hetek]

No much to report on lately except I've been priming and painting. Not much in the way of "eye candy" to post, but then today I picked this up...

IMG_1903.JPG

There she is! In all her 30mm glory! YES!!!

Bought a new coupler too because the other was not correct for my repower with the ZF Hurth gear. It must have been for the original Volvo, I'm guessing.

The prop place actually mates the coupler to the shaft and then machines the face of the coupler to ensure it is perpendicular with the shaft.

As an added bonus, I don't have as much money to count now. (It was a bit pricey.)

[WillieC]

Oh, yeah. That stuff is gold. And I have a tinfoil budget. It's a one time expense, until you wrap a dock line around the prop, so I read here. I am jealous. My prop guy did all he could with my propshaft and it is WAY better than it used to be, but it still has a bit of a harmonic doo-wop to it. I'm fine with it as it only turns up to 1000 rpm. Now if I had a fancy new engine, I'd have a fancy new shaft, too.

I understand facing the coupler. What I don't get is, does anybody face the other side of the coupler? Was it made in a zero gravity environment that will always only be square and true? Obviously, the output shaft, running in bearings, is about as true as it is going to get. At least it might be worth checking with a dial indicator? Maybe only if there are suspicions. Might be a good way to use up the rest of the spare change in your pocket.

Looks very good, Jon.

[hetek]

Thanks, WillieC!

What I'll never understand is, they face the coupler to eliminate possible wobble by shaving a thousandth or so, to get it perfectly perpendicular, but then there are those two ginormous set screw bolts 90 degrees to each other.

Seems to me that THAT would cause an imbalance that may be just as vibration inducing than some slight imperfection in the coupler face.

I mentioned the balance of the coupler (referring to my old one that was pretty beat up) and they didn't seem concerned at all. Guess I shouldn't be either.

[WillieC]

Yes, I was going to mention that salient little factoid. How about this? Thank you for facing my coupling which is mounted to the shaft that I will have to remove and reinstall once I get back to the boat. I am highly confident that I will get it exactly back in the same position, as well as the key, and torque the "two ginormous set screw bolts 90 degrees to each other" to the same spec under the same atmospheric conditions when it was turned on the lathe.

Yesterday I went for five hour run to test my puke bottle for blow-by. Funny how the boat sounds like it is going to disintegrate during the first fifteen minutes of every voyage. Then it all sort of calms down (as my ears continue to degrade). But every ripple on the water elicits a slightly different "voice" from the prop/rudder/hull orchestra. I guess that is boating, we are still "new" to the family, five years in. Early on, just learning how to drive, I was slightly unnerved how she handled even in fairly calm water. I just knew the struts were shot or the wheel bearings were loose or it needed a full four wheel alignment, given the way she had a tendency to go wherever she wanted.

Seriously, you take care of the things you have control over, because there are plenty of things on these old boats you don't. (Be sure to paint the bilge before you reinstall the shaft. HA!)

[hetek]

Very true!

Here's one: For those wondering, I did the math... The shaft cost $10.83 ... an INCH!

It was more a "flat fee" price (material and machining) but that's what it came out to be.

Guess I shouldn't have looked at that calculator after all.

And yes, my bilge has a fresh coat of paint!

[WillieC]

That sounds about right. And I really hope it is a one-time cost for you. I am hyper aware of where I am and what's in the water and I have an old twisted shaft half eaten through ready to fall into the Canal! Think how obsessed I would be with a NEW one! Have you seen the prop guard kerrye has on his? Looks like something you'd see in a hydroelectric project spillway guard. Surely that has to shave a few knots! But I like the concept.

Do keep track of your expenses, but you can't look back. We have all spent way too much time, energy, and money on these old hulks. Horrible financial considerations, but life ain't all dollar signs. Can't wait to see yours in the water.