Engines and fuel consumption with the A-25?

[Scudrunner]

I'm interested in knowing the differences between engines with the A-25.
Engine make and model.
HP
Idle consumption gph
Cruise consumption gph
Cruise speed
Give me your thoughts of your engine.
Thanks

[WillieC]

1973 A25 SuperDeLuxe, 36hp Volvo Penta MD17C
36
Idle consumption...I don't idle any more than necessary
Cruise, 3 Quarts per hour...ish...one of the smallest expenses of owning an A25.
Cruise speed, generally 6 or 7 knots. We are using the current charts much more to our advantage than when we first bought the boat.

I have had this engine apart three times now and I think I am as happy as I will ever get with it. It is old, noisy, stinky, but proving its dependability, and I know it quite thoroughly. I am fairly confident it will not strand me. Brand new red engines require maintenance too, and ignorance, in-curiosity, fear of things mechanical are more likely to cause problems than what color the engine is. (Still, a brand new engine would be nice...)

These old boats are a bit of an acquired taste. I like taking three days to get to Bellingham, a trip I can make in about two hours by car. If you have the money, you have lots of options to go boating. You can go fast, you can write checks for maintenance and upgrades, you can have a crew staffed and ready at your beck and call. Or you can spend all your money a little at a time as you become intimately familiar with all the quirks of the A25, from leaky rudder seal to WTH is a joker valve? And have a hell of a lot of fun(!?) in the process.

The boat is so much more than its engine.

[tribologist]

I got an Industrial Isuzu 3CB1. Essentially a Yanmar3YM30 or 3TNV76. At 2300 rpm it does about 7 mph at 0.6 gph.

[dkirsop]

1971, AD21, 2cyl. 1.3 to 1.6 L/hr @ 1600 RPM and 6.0kts average cruising speed. Engine was reconditioned in 2017. All mechanical parts within spec and very little wear. Seals and gaskets brittle and leaking.

[Scudrunner]

Awesome information... I've loved the A-25 and the right boat and money at the same time. Retirement is getting closer and some money... Soon the right boat

[DesertAlbin736]

1971 early full displacement hull version, repowered with 1980s vintage Yanmar 3GM30F engine (love it!), 24 HP, turning 16 inch prop, cruising speed 6.5 knots at 2,200 to 2,350 RPM. Fuel consumption 0.4 to 0.5 GPH (1.5 to 1.9 liters).

Difference between early versions and later "DeLuxe" is flared bottom at the stern to make it "semi displacement", HP increase from 24 to 36 HP, cruising speed increased to +/- 8 knots. Just about all from 1972 & '73 model years and up are DeLuxe versions. Minor differences in engine box design, but otherwise besides the flared bottom, increased HP, & the word "DeLuxe" added to "Albin 25" logo trim piece on the cabin truck they are indistinguishable.

[LopezMike]

Caprice with a Yanmar 3GM30F. The previous owner kept consumption records on his last trip from Desolation sound to Alaska. At a steady five knots he consumed 1.09 liters per hour.

Going slow has things to recommend it.

[DesertAlbin736]

Caprice with a Yanmar 3GM30F. The previous owner kept consumption records on his last trip from Desolation sound to Alaska. At a steady five knots he consumed 1.09 liters per hour. Going slow has things to recommend it.

I've kept meticulous consumption records on our boat too, from the time we first got it in 2014 with 537 hours on the meter until now with 1,210 hours on the meter. Overall average 0.4 GPH or 1.5 L. We generally run at 2,200 to 2,350 RPM excluding idling & docking.

We were in Fishermans Bay for 4th of July 2019. On that cruise we ran down the west side of San Juan from Garrison Bay to Fishermans Bay on 7/2/19 via Cattle Pass in a vain hope we'd see some Orcas & got caught in the tide rip washing machine in Cattle Pass & ducked into Barlow Bay to wait for calmer water past the peak currents & saw an A25 on a mooring near the south end of that cove. Was that your boat?

Lopez Village 4th of July Parade, 2019

20190704_112406.jpg

Fishermans Bay raft up with friends & sister & bro in law

20190704_204735.jpg

[Plum76]

Our Albin is a 1970 by serial number, has the original AD21 2cyl diesel. Reported to be rebuilt ~500 hours ago (now, was ~400 hrs when we got it). Not entirely sure depth of rebuild, but likely due for an injection pump rebuild in the next seaon or so, leaking oil from the 'throttle' lever on the pump.

Fuel consumption is ~0.5 gal/hr at cruising speed, which is ~6-6.5 knts at 1800 rpm. No idea what idle consumption is, don't really idle for more than a few minutes to get untied or off the mooring, so not a lot of tracking there, it figures in with cruising consumption.

Engine is simple, dealing with 50yo engine has it's quirks, but parts have been surprisingly easy to find via Albin motor. Biggest hassle is the nuisance oil leaks, which I have been tackling as opportunities arise. Injection pump is likely the next item to be addressed..

Plum

[ssrig]

VP 55hp, We spend a lot of time idling while fishing or raising the prawn trap and started to cruise a bit faster as I found the boat handled better when I did, so we cruise at 7knots at just under 2000rpm and consume between .6 and .7 Gph.

[DesertAlbin736]

Our Albin is a 1970 by serial number, has the original AD21 2cyl diesel.
Plum

What's your hull number? You may likely win the prize of having the oldest A25 on AOG. I've not seen or heard of any other A25 older than 1971 nor newer than 1978.

[Plum76]

Perhaps, mine is hull 597, serial 2. I cross checked a hull timeline some time ago and found it in the 1970 range for original layup. Title says 1971, which I assume was when it was first sold/registered.



Plum

Our Albin is a 1970 by serial number, has the original AD21 2cyl diesel.
Plum

What's your hull number? You may likely win the prize of having the oldest A25 on AOG. I've not seen or heard of any other A25 older than 1971 nor newer than 1978.

[realslimshady]

Our Albin is a 1970 by serial number, has the original AD21 2cyl diesel.
Plum

What's your hull number? You may likely win the prize of having the oldest A25 on AOG. I've not seen or heard of any other A25 older than 1971 nor newer than 1978.

You forgot about mine DA- hull number 138....

[img]/https://albinowners.net/aog/download/fi ... =15822&t=1
sorry that doesn't work very well. The original pic is on this thread-

https://albinowners.net/aog/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=10761

[Burton]

As you mention retirement, money, and such, here are some thoughts:

The more "extras" you can get with a boat, the better. Of course, that goes without saying. But it is so easy to not realize just how true it is.

These are old boats and the more quality upgrades on a boat, the MUCH better. It is cheaper to buy the upgrade already done on a boat than to do the upgrade yourself. For instance, we are re-wiring "Slow Motion" and I just ordered close to $2K worth of stuff...not including electronics....just wire, fuses, terminal endings, cabin lights, switches, a couple fans, new wiper assemblies, battery cable, battery manager, etc.. A more expensive boat initially may actually be cheaper these days as parts are getting very expensive. And, if you have to pay for the labor to do these upgrades--woah!

DC current on a boat is dangerous due to the potential for shorts. AC, shore power, if not done right can kill people who jump in the water near the boat. (A nine year old boy died from this, and his mom nearly died trying to save him.) A good education is "Pacific Yacht Systems" on YouTube. Nigel Calder's books on marine systems is a good buy.

A re-power will probably be around ten grand. Yes, some re-power with an outboard, but that is its own hassle. (The stern was not made for large outboards--it is relatively thin. Then there is the weight issue, and Albin's stability curve and weight distribution with the design of engine low and center).

We picked up our A25 for $4,000. It had a low-time Yanmar, the hull was good, but no trailer. It had sat for 18 years--the aft cabin door was rotted off, aft cabin all mold and rot. We found a trailer for $1,500, put another few hundred into the trailer, but what a slow and difficult process getting it set up. It is wise to really consider the trailer issue-- to not get a good trailer with the boat is a real problem in the making. We have a pretty complete shop...three welders, many stationary and portable tools...boat stands, jacks, etc., and it was still a major job setting up a trailer. Also... this boat has no bimini nor frame. Thankfully, Pat C. sent us their old bimini for a pattern from a posting on this site. And that is the good news--there is a lot of help here. The posts by Steve E., Desert Albin are fantastic with lots of good pics.

Our boat had a low-time Yanmar, but the Yanmar motor mounts were shot. I replaced ours with Iso-flex--fantastic mounts. This was because the Yanmar parts dealers are so pathetic I could not get any help from them. But since the swap of Volvo to Yanmar, the old Yanmar mounts were not put in right and it was several days of labor to do the epoxy glassing, etc. The lesson here is that one look at the low-time Yanmar said "all is well". It might not be! When looking at the boat I could not see the mounts were shot....the Racor filter internally tired... So, a few hundred bucks and some difficult labor working in the bilge...we are with new mounts and the new Racor is waiting installation.

These are great boats. For their size, the only disadvantage we experience is the snap roll. Hang on! They do not have self-bailing cockpits and green water over the side should be avoided.... Oh-- the original alcohol two-burner stoves are great. The Origos. Ours was missing, (We don't want propane on the boat.) By the way, I'm happy to pay a hundred bucks for a two burner, plus shipping. Anyone?

[Dieselram94]

As you mention retirement, money, and such, here are some thoughts:

The more "extras" you can get with a boat, the better. Of course, that goes without saying. But it is so easy to not realize just how true it is.

These are old boats and the more quality upgrades on a boat, the MUCH better. It is cheaper to buy the upgrade already done on a boat than to do the upgrade yourself. For instance, we are re-wiring "Slow Motion" and I just ordered close to $2K worth of stuff...not including electronics....just wire, fuses, terminal endings, cabin lights, switches, a couple fans, new wiper assemblies, battery cable, battery manager, etc.. A more expensive boat initially may actually be cheaper these days as parts are getting very expensive. And, if you have to pay for the labor to do these upgrades--woah!

DC current on a boat is dangerous due to the potential for shorts. AC, shore power, if not done right can kill people who jump in the water near the boat. (A nine year old boy died from this, and his mom nearly died trying to save him.) A good education is "Pacific Yacht Systems" on YouTube. Nigel Calder's books on marine systems is a good buy.

A re-power will probably be around ten grand. Yes, some re-power with an outboard, but that is its own hassle. (The stern was not made for large outboards--it is relatively thin. Then there is the weight issue, and Albin's stability curve and weight distribution with the design of engine low and center).

We picked up our A25 for $4,000. It had a low-time Yanmar, the hull was good, but no trailer. It had sat for 18 years--the aft cabin door was rotted off, aft cabin all mold and rot. We found a trailer for $1,500, put another few hundred into the trailer, but what a slow and difficult process getting it set up. It is wise to really consider the trailer issue-- to not get a good trailer with the boat is a real problem in the making. We have a pretty complete shop...three welders, many stationary and portable tools...boat stands, jacks, etc., and it was still a major job setting up a trailer. Also... this boat has no bimini nor frame. Thankfully, Pat C. sent us their old bimini for a pattern from a posting on this site. And that is the good news--there is a lot of help here. The posts by Steve E., Desert Albin are fantastic with lots of good pics.

Our boat had a low-time Yanmar, but the Yanmar motor mounts were shot. I replaced ours with Iso-flex--fantastic mounts. This was because the Yanmar parts dealers are so pathetic I could not get any help from them. But since the swap of Volvo to Yanmar, the old Yanmar mounts were not put in right and it was several days of labor to do the epoxy glassing, etc. The lesson here is that one look at the low-time Yanmar said "all is well". It might not be! When looking at the boat I could not see the mounts were shot....the Racor filter internally tired... So, a few hundred bucks and some difficult labor working in the bilge...we are with new mounts and the new Racor is waiting installation.

These are great boats. For their size, the only disadvantage we experience is the snap roll. Hang on! They do not have self-bailing cockpits and green water over the side should be avoided.... Oh-- the original alcohol two-burner stoves are great. The Origos. Ours was missing, (We don't want propane on the boat.) By the way, I'm happy to pay a hundred bucks for a two burner, plus shipping. Anyone?

By any chance do you have any pics of the motor mount repairs?
Thanks