Arcticspud
Veteran Member
Here are some photos from our cruise this summer.
Albin 36 Express Trawler
- Thread starter Arcticspud
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Here are some photos from our cruise this summer.
ltgoshen
Newbie
Hey are you still around? Would love to talk to you about your Albin. She looks like the one i am going to buy in January.
Thanks,
Thanks,
South of Heaven
Guru
- Joined
- May 11, 2017
- Messages
- 1,167
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Slow Lane
- Vessel Make
- 2005 Silverton 35 Motoryacht
Itgoshen: I'll post a message from an Albin 36 ET owner that I was emailing from last summer. The Albin 36 ET was on my list as a possible next boat but I have since moved on from it. Hope this helps.
"So, my first advice would be to head on over to Albinowners.com if you haven't already. I wouldn't say it's a WEALTH of information, but there's probably more information on the 36' ET there than in any other single location.
Cored hull: I believe the consensus is yes, but no one seems to know for sure. I've never done any thru-hull cuts and don't plan to. Our hull is still very solid after 15 years.
Speed: I have the single 420hp Cat, so speed is not so much it's strong point. I cruise at 10 knots and can make 17 when light on fuel and passengers in the right conditions. Top speed when fully loaded is more like 13-14 on a good day. Basically, the single engine just doesn't quite have enough "oomph" to get it up on a plane, and the skeged prop and rudder are a lot of additional drag versus the more traditional hull shape of the twin engine model. I would definitely make sure you get the performance you are expecting on a sea trial before purchasing.
Other notes: After 13 years of ownership I have developed a long list of pros and cons for the boat. I'll start with some of the cons, because those are the ones no one will tell you when they're trying to sell. First, ours feels a little "tippy", especially when at rest. Underway, the dynamic forces of the hull keep it on the level, even in heavy seas, and the recirculating fuel system keeps the tanks evenly distributed. Also, the progressive flare that carries all the way back to the transom increases stability as the boat rolls, so that even though the initial roll can be unsettling, it stabilizes quickly. That said, when we're sitting at anchor, if too many people pile onto one side or the other, the boat will develop a list, up to about 5 degrees, which can get worse, as fuel starts to shift from one tank to the other (with the single engine, the tanks are located outboard of the engine, connected via a small belly-tank aft of the engine. We can prevent this by proactively closing the fuel valves, but it is a hassle. We've been able to mitigate this somewhat by placing heavier items on the port side.
The walkarounds on both sides are wondeful, but they come at a cost, and that cost is that the main salon is cramped for the size of boat. This is especially noticeable when you're cooking in the galley, since the only cabin door is blocked. Also, the dinette/seating area is awkward. The slope of the seats, and in our case the vinyl upholstery makes them slippery and just a little uncomfortable for lounging. We removed the original table and replaced it with one that only takes up about half of the space. This gives a little more standing room and is just a little more functional. There's no forward facing indoor seating for a passenger. The spouses all hate this, and I don't blame them. Resist the temptation to add a pilot chair to the countertop above the fridge. You don't need it and counter space is at a premium.
We have the centerline berth forward. At 6'1" this bed works for my wife and I, but my feet hang off the end. We actually now prefer to sleep in the aft/side cabin. The bed is larger and there's less wave noise when on the hook.
The flybridge doesn't drain properly. Basically, the water has to drain through the underseat lockers and then out small scuppers and down the side of the boat. Those scuppers get clogged with shells and such from the birds, and then the water backs up into those lockers and eventually down the rigging tunnel into the hull. We also had some water damage in the cabin as a result. We added a full bimini (no sides, just the top) and it has basically eliminated this problem by shedding the bulk of the rain over the side, and discouraging seagulls from hanging out on the flybridge. I also closed up the rigging tunnel with expanding foam, so it wouldn't find it's way in there.
The boat is not exactly loaded with accessible storage. There's the cavernous area under the main salon, but that's hard to get at, and not practical for day-to-day stuff like clothes or perishable food. Stuff that gets put down there tends to get forgotten. This is more of an issue now that we are a family of four and have all the stuff that comes along with that for extended cruising. We can't simply toss our duffle bags on the unused bed anymore.
Sound deadening from the engine is almost non-existant. And the Caterpillar engine is LOUD. It's fine in the cabin, but we envisioned lounging in the cockpit while putting around the sound, and it's just not practical. That's not a terribly pleasant place to be when the engine is running. This was an adjustment for us after coming from the Camano with all it's sound deadening and that smooth-running Volvo 200.
That's about all I can think of for the "cons". I need to break this message into two parts, because I'm over the character limit, so stay tuned."
"
The pros are pretty straightforward.. probably the same stuff that attracted you to the boat. The covered cockpit is great. We added a canvas enclosure, which makes this a nice space all year, although we mostly remove the canvas in the summer. There's been a lot of discussion between owners about the use of the cover for storage. We actually installed a power davit and have an 11' RIB with a 20hp outboard up there. It seems to present no stability issues whatsoever, and in fact helps the boat sit more level, since the engine sits on the port side. We did add a reinforcing post amidship at the transom. The ample seating on the flybridge is great for entertaining and lounging when underway. The build quality is quite good, and all of our boat's components seem to be of top quality. We've had very few equipment failures over the years. When we bought it, we gauged it only one step above a Bayliner, but after 13 years of ownership, it's far superior. Not on par with a Nordhavn or similar, but definitely on the higher end of the spectrum. Probably one step above the Mainship (We also looked very closely at the Mainship 400 back in 2005 when we bought this boat). It's perhaps a step below the Camano, though.
Another thing I really like is the forward-raked windows. These are a nice thing to have in our wet climate. At slow speeds, this keeps rain off the windows. One of my main gripes with the Camano was the vertical windows. At night, they seemed to reflect every little light directly into your eyes. The raked windows don't do this. They can be forward or aft-raked, but the forward rake has some benefits, including additional space on the flybridge.
Ultimately, I'm not sure that this boat is still the right boat for us with two small kids. I'm considering getting away from a flybridge boat altogether, but we'll see. I want to try an extended trip with the kids next summer and see how it goes. The last couple years we've mostly used our smaller 23' cuddy cabin speedboat for day trips and have done very little overnight boating. I'd like to change that, but I don't like that the kids are always going up and down the ladder, or that they're so far away from me down in the cabin, when I want to be up on the flybridge. Instead, I'm thinking an express-style fish/cruiser like a Tiara or Pursuit with a skip-top hard top and canvas enclosure."
"So, my first advice would be to head on over to Albinowners.com if you haven't already. I wouldn't say it's a WEALTH of information, but there's probably more information on the 36' ET there than in any other single location.
Cored hull: I believe the consensus is yes, but no one seems to know for sure. I've never done any thru-hull cuts and don't plan to. Our hull is still very solid after 15 years.
Speed: I have the single 420hp Cat, so speed is not so much it's strong point. I cruise at 10 knots and can make 17 when light on fuel and passengers in the right conditions. Top speed when fully loaded is more like 13-14 on a good day. Basically, the single engine just doesn't quite have enough "oomph" to get it up on a plane, and the skeged prop and rudder are a lot of additional drag versus the more traditional hull shape of the twin engine model. I would definitely make sure you get the performance you are expecting on a sea trial before purchasing.
Other notes: After 13 years of ownership I have developed a long list of pros and cons for the boat. I'll start with some of the cons, because those are the ones no one will tell you when they're trying to sell. First, ours feels a little "tippy", especially when at rest. Underway, the dynamic forces of the hull keep it on the level, even in heavy seas, and the recirculating fuel system keeps the tanks evenly distributed. Also, the progressive flare that carries all the way back to the transom increases stability as the boat rolls, so that even though the initial roll can be unsettling, it stabilizes quickly. That said, when we're sitting at anchor, if too many people pile onto one side or the other, the boat will develop a list, up to about 5 degrees, which can get worse, as fuel starts to shift from one tank to the other (with the single engine, the tanks are located outboard of the engine, connected via a small belly-tank aft of the engine. We can prevent this by proactively closing the fuel valves, but it is a hassle. We've been able to mitigate this somewhat by placing heavier items on the port side.
The walkarounds on both sides are wondeful, but they come at a cost, and that cost is that the main salon is cramped for the size of boat. This is especially noticeable when you're cooking in the galley, since the only cabin door is blocked. Also, the dinette/seating area is awkward. The slope of the seats, and in our case the vinyl upholstery makes them slippery and just a little uncomfortable for lounging. We removed the original table and replaced it with one that only takes up about half of the space. This gives a little more standing room and is just a little more functional. There's no forward facing indoor seating for a passenger. The spouses all hate this, and I don't blame them. Resist the temptation to add a pilot chair to the countertop above the fridge. You don't need it and counter space is at a premium.
We have the centerline berth forward. At 6'1" this bed works for my wife and I, but my feet hang off the end. We actually now prefer to sleep in the aft/side cabin. The bed is larger and there's less wave noise when on the hook.
The flybridge doesn't drain properly. Basically, the water has to drain through the underseat lockers and then out small scuppers and down the side of the boat. Those scuppers get clogged with shells and such from the birds, and then the water backs up into those lockers and eventually down the rigging tunnel into the hull. We also had some water damage in the cabin as a result. We added a full bimini (no sides, just the top) and it has basically eliminated this problem by shedding the bulk of the rain over the side, and discouraging seagulls from hanging out on the flybridge. I also closed up the rigging tunnel with expanding foam, so it wouldn't find it's way in there.
The boat is not exactly loaded with accessible storage. There's the cavernous area under the main salon, but that's hard to get at, and not practical for day-to-day stuff like clothes or perishable food. Stuff that gets put down there tends to get forgotten. This is more of an issue now that we are a family of four and have all the stuff that comes along with that for extended cruising. We can't simply toss our duffle bags on the unused bed anymore.
Sound deadening from the engine is almost non-existant. And the Caterpillar engine is LOUD. It's fine in the cabin, but we envisioned lounging in the cockpit while putting around the sound, and it's just not practical. That's not a terribly pleasant place to be when the engine is running. This was an adjustment for us after coming from the Camano with all it's sound deadening and that smooth-running Volvo 200.
That's about all I can think of for the "cons". I need to break this message into two parts, because I'm over the character limit, so stay tuned."
"
The pros are pretty straightforward.. probably the same stuff that attracted you to the boat. The covered cockpit is great. We added a canvas enclosure, which makes this a nice space all year, although we mostly remove the canvas in the summer. There's been a lot of discussion between owners about the use of the cover for storage. We actually installed a power davit and have an 11' RIB with a 20hp outboard up there. It seems to present no stability issues whatsoever, and in fact helps the boat sit more level, since the engine sits on the port side. We did add a reinforcing post amidship at the transom. The ample seating on the flybridge is great for entertaining and lounging when underway. The build quality is quite good, and all of our boat's components seem to be of top quality. We've had very few equipment failures over the years. When we bought it, we gauged it only one step above a Bayliner, but after 13 years of ownership, it's far superior. Not on par with a Nordhavn or similar, but definitely on the higher end of the spectrum. Probably one step above the Mainship (We also looked very closely at the Mainship 400 back in 2005 when we bought this boat). It's perhaps a step below the Camano, though.
Another thing I really like is the forward-raked windows. These are a nice thing to have in our wet climate. At slow speeds, this keeps rain off the windows. One of my main gripes with the Camano was the vertical windows. At night, they seemed to reflect every little light directly into your eyes. The raked windows don't do this. They can be forward or aft-raked, but the forward rake has some benefits, including additional space on the flybridge.
Ultimately, I'm not sure that this boat is still the right boat for us with two small kids. I'm considering getting away from a flybridge boat altogether, but we'll see. I want to try an extended trip with the kids next summer and see how it goes. The last couple years we've mostly used our smaller 23' cuddy cabin speedboat for day trips and have done very little overnight boating. I'd like to change that, but I don't like that the kids are always going up and down the ladder, or that they're so far away from me down in the cabin, when I want to be up on the flybridge. Instead, I'm thinking an express-style fish/cruiser like a Tiara or Pursuit with a skip-top hard top and canvas enclosure."
ltgoshen
Newbie
Thank you for the reply
I am so excited to be closing on hull # 11 from Savannah The "Sassafras" Very well maintained Albin 36-ET.
I have a notebook full of things that need to be done and upgrades I want to make.
I cant hardly weight to get started. If I know how to load a photo I would show you her.
Merry Christmas everyone. Thank you for all the help I have revived thus far.
Any advise on the leaking that has not been talked over. I would love to here. like the wiring harness and the window tracks being cleaned?
What about the black upper rub rail and the stainless trim ? Do they cause a problem? Fly bridge to house mount? Thanks again.
Have a great new-year.
Capt, Curtis McDaniel
I am so excited to be closing on hull # 11 from Savannah The "Sassafras" Very well maintained Albin 36-ET.
I have a notebook full of things that need to be done and upgrades I want to make.
I cant hardly weight to get started. If I know how to load a photo I would show you her.
Merry Christmas everyone. Thank you for all the help I have revived thus far.
Any advise on the leaking that has not been talked over. I would love to here. like the wiring harness and the window tracks being cleaned?
What about the black upper rub rail and the stainless trim ? Do they cause a problem? Fly bridge to house mount? Thanks again.
Have a great new-year.
Capt, Curtis McDaniel
