Considering becoming an owner to a 31 TE in the PNW

Post by **shrsmoore** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 11:31 am

Hi everyone! We are consideing purchasing a 2001 31TE here in Anacortes, WA. We have previously owned a 42' Ocean Alexander and a currently a 26' Carver. We want a boat that is built for stability, reliability, fishing and cruising through the PNW waters, including Desolation Sound. The boat we found is perfect except for one thing.... it is twin diesels and we would much prefer a single. However we are up for considering it. Can anyone here tell us your experiences with a twin? We know it will burn more fuel, but what should we expect? We would like to run it mainly at the 10-12 knot area, but like the option of moving faster when need be. Also, what should we expect on maintenance costs for this boat? The engines are twin 300 hp Yanmars...600 hp total. Any info would be greatly appreciated because we are really "diggin" this boat!

Post by **DesertAlbin736** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:20 pm

Welcome aboard! Can't really help with what you're asking about, but someone over on the Tournament Express 26-35 page might be able to. Try posting your questions there. Salish Sea is our favorite cruising grounds too, so much so that we've trailered our Albin 25 all the way up from Phoenix, AZ four times since 2014. We've launched from Bellingham a couple times & lately from Blaine due to long term truck-trailer parking options. Can't imagine having 600 ponies under the hood when we putt along on 24 HP. I imagine burning more fuel is an understatement when we run at 0.45 gph at 6.5 knots. Fast can be fun, but so can life in the slow lane.

DSCN4192.JPG

Post by **gerber30** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 8:25 pm

I currently have a 31TE with twin Cummins 370’s. I too was initially looking for a single, but and very apply with my twin. More maintenance but I can cruise at 21knots with a good load. I do most of the maintenance on mine so it helps keep some cost down. Maneuverability is just fantastic with the twin. Access to the engines is pretty good too. My previous boat of 7 years was a engine box 28TE which i also loved...

Post by **shrsmoore** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 11:59 am

Thank you both to Desert Albin and Gerber for getting back to me. I will definitely go post this over in the other forum thread. Gerber - we can do routine maintenance as long as there is ease with which to get to what we need.

Post by **shrsmoore** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:02 pm

Hi everyone! We are consideing purchasing a 2001 31TE here in Anacortes, WA. We have previously owned a 42' Ocean Alexander and a currently a 26' Carver. We want a boat that is built for stability, reliability, fishing and cruising through the PNW waters, including Desolation Sound. The boat we found is perfect except for one thing.... it is twin diesels and we would much prefer a single. However we are up for considering it. Can anyone here tell us your experiences with a twin? We know it will burn more fuel, but what should we expect? We would like to run it mainly at the 10-12 knot area, but like the option of moving faster when need be. Also, what should we expect on maintenance costs for this boat? The engines are twin 300 hp Yanmars...600 hp total. Any info would be greatly appreciated because we are really "diggin" this boat!

Post by **go.boating** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 10:24 am

Hawk?

I considered that boat when i was looking.
i also considered single engine boats.
I got my 35te from canada and it has twin qsb 380 Cummins

so happy i dint get a single, i had a post with old Detroits that did 20 tops. this boat does 30 no problem and can push her to 35
its nice to be able to out run a storm or just get home faster after a long day.

so 2x the maintenance, its a small price to pay. i was out about a month ago and lost port engine. was able to get back home
ended up being a simple fix. but it was so nice to figure that out at the dock vs in 3-4ft seas

My 35te is the best boat i'm so happy with it. i wanted an albin for years and looked at 27,31 and 35
so glad i got the boat i did.

Post by **shrsmoore** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 1:13 pm

Yes! Hawk.... was there a reason you passed it up other than finding a 35te?

Post by **go.boating** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 4:01 pm

nope, just finding the 35te

Post by **RobS** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 7:56 am

There is another big factor in comparing the single vs twin 31TE .... the skeg keel..... the single has it and the twin screw does not. For some the keel and the protected running gear is a must for those deadheads and sandbars. That comes at a price as the single 31TE is a tank but it in no way can be compared to the performance of the twins where you are not only adding HP you also have a much more efficient hull without the keel. "Twice" the maintenance?... maybe twice the cost of parts but the labor is maybe 50% more, not 100%, as there is more in the overall time it takes to do a job than the actual wrench time. Another bonus with the twins is that you always have the second engine setup to use for comparing and troubleshooting and when you are down the center in the engine room you have two different sides of the engines both in your face so when it's time to go out to the tighter hullside to do work you have learned what you need to learn of that side of the engine in the convenient space at the centerline.

Post by **ESpiegel** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:55 pm

I have a single Cummins QSB5.9 480 HP in my 2009 32TE (Shamrock built 31TE). WOT is at 3400 RPM at 22 knots and 23 GPH. I generally cruise at 3000 RPM at 18 knots and 18 GPH.
The single engine Albins are tanks. I had mine out at Swiftsure bank this summer and had 10-12' seas. Boat handled them great, until I had 12' following seas on the way in and that had me concerned, but mostly due to my lack of handling experience on this hull. It rode sideways on a couple of the big swells and had my passengers flying across the deck, but I slowed way down and didnt have any issues after that.
I've upgraded my acoustic dampening/cladding on my boat, and at WOT with the back door closed the helm airborne sound level is about 82 dB. Really easy to carry on a conversation at WOT. I measured my buddies 31TE with the twin Peninsulars at WOT at 87 dB.
Hope you find the boat you are looking for....

-Eric

Post by **MadMoney** » Mon Sep 28, 2020 2:07 pm

shrsmoore wrote: ↑Tue Sep 08, 2020 1:13 pm Yes! Hawk.... was there a reason you passed it up other than finding a 35te?

Hello Shrsmoore - I noticed the "Sale Pending" was removed from the Yachtworld posting on the 31 Albin "Hawk" in Anacortes - what happened? Survey issue or did you simply change your mind?

Thanks,

Anthony Warren
1999 28' Albin Mad Money

Post by **shrsmoore** » Mon Sep 28, 2020 8:50 pm

Actually, we aren't sure why they took the pending sale down because we are still in the inspection phase. The survey has been done and now we are awaiting oil samples to come back. If akl goes well with that it is possible we will be Albin owners!

Post by **MadMoney** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 11:18 am

shrsmoore wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2020 8:50 pm Actually, we aren't sure why they took the pending sale down because we are still in the inspection phase. The survey has been done and now we are awaiting oil samples to come back. If akl goes well with that it is possible we will be Albin owners!

Any updates to share? Fingers crossed for ya!!

Anthony Warren
1999 28' Albin MadMoney

Post by **shrsmoore** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 11:59 am

LOL....still pending. There was a slowdown because our mechanic was just too busy to get things done quickly. Thats okay with us as we are not in a hurry. Hopefully we will hear something back this week from the mechanic.... just waiting on oil samples.

Post by **Mark Laurnen** » Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:57 pm

Congratulations shrsmoore! I have noticed Hawk on the web ... looks very nice. I have Freedom , stored dry at PMC Anacortes. With the same arrangement that you are considering I’m burning about 1 gal/mile fully loaded at 20 kt. This is FULLY loaded and not on flat water. With limited time, I’ve typically been in a hurry to get to the fishing grounds at Port Renfrew or Lapush. I hope to have more time in the future for more leisurely cruising and expect to see significantly improved economy. I fished all day (12 hr.) out of Sekiu, a slow alternating engine troll, and burned 14 gal. Of course at Sekiu you practically start fishing when you pass the breakwater. These boats are perfect for our PNW climate. I hope to see you on the water.

Albin Owners Group

Albin Owners Group