36 in moderate chop and river current

[whytrabbit]

My wife and I have started to look for our Great Loop boat as we approach retirement. The Albin 36 is on our very short list. We currently have a 330 Sundancer with twin small blocks. We are new the trawler world..but love the idea of slow and steady wins the race. Sorry for the long intro..but my question is this. How does the rather heavy and low powered trawler do in confused seas and a strong current? We recently took an hour long cruise up/down the Detroit river and between the wind and current and other boat traffic it was not ideal. My 330 handles that without a problem, but I had to power up from cruising 8knts to 20+ rather quickly at times to keep position and momentum. It made me wonder how the Albin would do in those circumstances?? Do you ever feel like the little engine that could? Any Albin owners in the Detroit area (DYC members) want to take us out and show us what we are missing..we'd love to see your boat and meet some new friends.

[WillieC]

Very interesting question. First extended trip for us in our 25 found us caught in a small craft advisory stuck "in confused seas and a strong current(s)" being buried in the wakes of the super boats passing us with no regard for distance just because they could?! I see the draw to mutliple engines and damn the economy where you can just get on top of the mess and go like hell to the next tiki bar. Me? I'll work on my skills because I now know firsthand that the boat will do just fine. Maybe better with a skilled pilot.

[whytrabbit]

Thanks for the response, I figured the full displacement hull would help a bit, but lots of talk about anti-rolling had me wondering if it would have been a wild ride. Sounds like the answer is yes, especially from the bridge seat.

[jleonard]

Any semi displacement hull is going to roll a bit. Yes sometimes I feel underpowered but we always get there. Also sometimes we have to crab a bit to keep our direction but so what you just have to learn the boat.

[flmtbiker]

I just retired, ex-sailor, looking to buy a trawler and wonder how hard is it to maneuver in a marina with a single engine trawler, with a crosswind? I would think it would be difficult. I want a 36 maybe 40-foot trawler, would 2 engines be a lot easier? What is better for maneuvering a bow thruster or two engines? also picking up a ball in windy conditions must be hard. Also, why is an Albin more expensive than a Marine Trader for what looks like the same boat? Sorry for all the questions. Is Albin still building boats? easy to get parts? Any info would be appreciated.

[jleonard]

I just retired, ex-sailor, looking to buy a trawler and wonder how hard is it to maneuver in a marina with a single engine trawler, with a crosswind? I would think it would be difficult. I want a 36 maybe 40-foot trawler, would 2 engines be a lot easier? What is better for maneuvering a bow thruster or two engines? also picking up a ball in windy conditions must be hard. Also, why is an Albin more expensive than a Marine Trader for what looks like the same boat? Sorry for all the questions. Is Albin still building boats? easy to get parts? Any info would be appreciated.

I put my single engine 40 anyplace I want to. I have a hydraulic stern thruster.
Never missed picking up a ball (first mate is excellent with a boat hook).
What's better is what you get used to and practice with.
Most parts are easy to get. The Ford-Lehman is still supported by ADC in Virginia. Most of the other parts are common to other boats or generic.

Why is a Grand Banks more expensive than an Albin which looks like the same boat? Perceptions, justified or not.

[crowra]

We have a single engine 36 with no bow or stern thrusters and never really needed them. There may have been a time or two where a bow thruster would have given me a little more 'finesse'. First mate is very good with lines when we have had to do some 'tricks' docking/pulling out (when the wind was blowing the bow off). She's also very good with a boat hook for mooring buoys. Dunno about Marine Trader vs. Albin.

[mike66]

I'll echo the above. We switched from a 29 Blackfin (one of the best handling boats out there) to a single Albin 40. Our first trip taking the boat home was through the rips off of Westerly, RI. Suddenly the boat had (to me) a mind of its own. Wildly turning the wheel, we got through it, and the rest of the trip was fine. Four years later, I wouldn't really notice the rip much. So after practice and getting used to the boat's characteristics, it becomes easy to handle. The key is to take your hand off that bowthruster and put the time in learning how a single screw works. I'm sure sailboats have their own learning curve.
As far as mooring, our bow is pretty high, so my wife just catches it alongside and we just walk it forward. Simple. But mostly we anchor.

[flmtbiker]

Any big difference in the ford leaman 120 and the later model 135? Is the 135 more dependable? Does the 135 give more authority in chop and current? I'm trying to choose between several Trawlers and I have to think the 135 is more improved over the 120. Thanks for your feedback.

[WillieC]

Just read this thread on Trawler Forum (with absolutely no disrespect to AOG.)

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s6/f ... 779-3.html

FWIW I have a Volvo Penta Green Death engine in WillieC so I have no axe to grind on the FL. I have heard they are great engines and then I read this article. Sounds like the problem has to do with water jacket maintenance and has an easy fix once you get it cleaned up.

On my recent VP MD17C refurb proyecto, I had the whole top end torn apart. I contemplated leaving the liners in the jugs, but that is where the seals are so that all came apart. I even removed the casting plugs in the heads so I could better access water passages. I soaked parts in CLR and soaked them again. Took the heads and ex manifold to a rebuild shop where they cold tanked it. I built an electrolytic parts cleaner hoping to bust some of that rust loose and ended up spending many hours scraping rust with tool steel scrapers and picks.

Put it all back together and the antifreeze turned ugly brown in the expansion bottle in a matter of days. So I googled what to do, drained anti-freeze and ran dishwashing soap through entire system with thermostat removed and rinsed the crap out of it. Now the antifreeze is looking good and not turning brown anymore.

Point is, it's all about maintenance. I don't know if the water jacket fix for the 120 is the same or even required on the 135. Then again, there is plenty to look at on a used engine/boat. My tendency, though improving vastly in my experience, is to gloss over obvious problems. It's all expensive to fix. Hold out for the best one you can find. Plan on paying for it.

[davb1947]

I JUST bought an A36 twin screw so have very limited experience, but I did spend some time practicing close quarters maneuvering and was favorably impressed. I could put her bow or stern wherever I wanted and hold it there. In and out of the slip was a piece of cake - especially when compared to my same-length, same-weight, single screw, full-keel sailboat. Two props, one LH and one RH, give lots of control at idle speed.

I, too, am curious about handling in wind, wave and weather. I’m thinking that proper prop size and pitch will produce no shortage of power, even though speeds will be slow.

I would love to hear the experiences of those with more hours than I.

[ppmeis]

Welcome aboard Dave. You will love the boat. I love mine,single engine. They will catch some wind but current doesn’t effect much. Those are big wheels, rudders and a substantial keel. Boat on brother

[coolchange]

I have just spent a month on a 36 up in British Columbia..Braughtons, Desolation and lots of big "chop" and current...this is the third trip up there in this boat. This is a wonderful cruising boat..solid, quiet, dry and lots of room. It is heavy enough that confused seas, wind and currents are less than I experience in my 27FC but it is still a 1 prop pony....which means: lots of practice. It is clearly easier to handle with a deck hand but my friend/the owner spends much of his time single handed (with a few stories of close calls...but hey that is true for any single-hander). With any 6-8kt boat you will need to learn a lot about currents, backeddies, tides and wind AND plan your trips with those in mind