Newbie... Advice on A36 needed

[Thumper57]

Newbie. Lifelong boater but never more than a 23' center console. Looking for a Trawler to do Great Loop. How much trouble can I get in with a 1984 Albin 36 with 1200 hours on Lehman 6, for $40k ? Original owner used as condo... not much underway. Core construction below water line (probably some moisture), Boat is in NC. Teak decks all grey. Original Teak windows ( probably leaking ), All bright work needs refinish, No Thrusters. Alternator needs replace, original tanks ( not black iron). Pictures look pretty clean. Three owners. Marginal glass and elec skills. I enjoy some work but dont want to take on total rebuild. Looking at boat Saturday. Comments so much appreciated.

[Thumper57]

According to BoatUS review the A36 only used core above water line:

The hull of the Albin 36 is a solid fiberglass laminate built in a method typical of similar Far Eastern-built boats of similar style. The fiberglass lay-up of the hull is substantial and is generally well supported by fiberglass-encased stringers, frames and plywood bulkheads securely tabbed to the hull. Construction of the decks, cabin house and flybridge utilize cored fiberglass composites in a number of areas and, on most Albin 36 models,

[rebuckley]

My 2 cents - obviously the money spent on a survey/mechanic will be money well spent! - the "not much underway" is always something to watch - engines only have issues when you run them (otherwise you never know). The 1200 hours is not huge for the diesel - but the question still remains - how "well" the 1200 hours were - maintenance etc). The decks and windows will leak unless they have been re-bedded. I don't think anyone with original teak windows had not had leaks - but again - look to see how bad. Go under the aft bed and under the salon couch - you can access the area under the lower teak deck and see what the water intrusion is like. In the forward stateroom - open the anchor locker door and you can see how that part of the deck is holding up. Simple things I would do - open oil cap and smell - see how good/bad the burn smell is (especially if it is not run often), check the filters to see if dates are written on them (many owners who do regular maintenance will put change dates (just a good practice)). Look at the sea-cocks and in the aft lazarette to see if the grounding system is all intact (each should have a green wire - and be grounded to the stern - unless owner has modified it) . Push the teak around the windows with you finger to see if rot has been hidden behind and it is soft/squishy (always best check after a rain or washdown). Alternators are not a huge expense, and simple to change - American Diesel has them and Amazon. On the tanks - look around the fill tube and the vent for any major corrosion issues - as well as the leveling valves (seems to be keen to spot there). Look at the decks to see how many screw heads are visible (sign of leaks) and see how separated the caulk (black caulk) is - it will pull away from the wood over time. In general look at corrosion around electrical wires and their connections. Also look for any "non marine" electrical work - use of wire nuts or non-shrink connectors, use of non marine wire (can be hard to tell if you cannot see the labeling in the wire. Those are some ideas - - - still a professional is the way to go - there can always be hidden gremlins!

[Mark Deeser]

Welcome to the form, me thinks you just got some great advice from redbuckley. Albins are great boats, but as with any boat know what you are getting into.

[Nepidae]

We bought an '86 43 sundeck. Less than 400hrs on the engines. A 1 owner boat.
You definitely want to get a survey.
Now, there is some damage under the main saloon windows, interestingly, no damage after we bought the boat in 2010 (we make sure the windows are closed when it rains). There is some damage to the bulkhead in the fwd V. I found the cover to the anchor locker was off on our trip to bring the boat home. Interestingly, no more damage after we bought the boat (we make sure it is close, capped, when we aren't using the anchor).
She is a solid boat, original decks.
I have a leak in the aft head, after a rain, which I think is due to needing some caulking on 1 of the steps to the sundeck from the side decks.
I had to exercise the seacocks but after a few times, no issues.
You may want to check the rudder packing, but even if it leaks changing and adding new packing isn't that difficult.
Before you change alternators, stop and thinks what you want to do with the boat. Buying a std alternator wouldn't be wise if you plan to put in a house bank and want to charge that. We replaced our alts with Balmar 125A when we put in a 2400Ah house bank.
Check the bilge, it will tell you volumes if there are leaks, either fuel or other troubles which are expensive.
Check to see if you have a centerline set of fuel tanks. They are referred to as day tanks. We removed ours to put our batteries in that location and found the bottoms almost rusted through. We weren't using then but they still had 60G of fuel in them when they were removed. Would have been a mess if they rusted through.
Leaking side decks may require re-caulking which is cheaper than replacing and I also know of people using truck bed paint on the sides and teak to stop leaks. Grey teak on the decks isn't necessarily an issue.
I've been proceeding with ours and, knock on wood & my head, haven't come up with anything catastrophic.
$40K is probably high and with a survey you may have room for negotiation.
As you proceed, any questions, drop me an email (​Nepidae.trawler@gmail.com) and we can talk.
Good luck, my take, if she's the right boat, she's found you.

[Thumper57]

Here are some of the pics on the Albin 36. Some of the issues are obvious of course but where is Waldo ? I'd love to hear what other flags others may see here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/sIp8HhUS8OuIqgRv1

[rebuckley]

Wow - plenty of pics.
Still - get a survey!!! - they will tag everything - and then gives you an idea of "fix this now" vs - you can live with it if you want.
Overall the leaking it has by windows seems to be in the typical places - it just looks like no one ever fixed any of them - in particular when it is leaking enough moisture to let green stuff grow.. My guess would be it spent a few winters uncovered.
So a few things I see - Lazarette cover (pic 6) - looks to be individual wood planks? That cover you will probably want to replace as I am sure this just lets rain right in and I question how sturdy it is underfoot?. (Pic7)- Looks like the H2O tank in laz - what is the rusty thing on the left of the picture? (pic fill hose on H2O tank is shot - but cheap and easy fix. Interesting that it is an old sewage hose now...weird - but due to where the crack is - I wonder if the tank moves underway? The wood that was used to hold the tanks will rot over time - check those (not hard to replace). (pic 9) exposed screw head - every one of those (if there is one - there are more) is water going someplace you don't want. So look internally in those areas to see damage. (pic 13) Hatch cover looks homemade - and "duct tape?" I would question water proof of that - and what kind of wood was used.(pic 14) hairline cracks in gel - these can be repaired - and if not significant they probably are not leaking. Not unusual around the hatches. (pic 15) looks like the repair job on the fiberglass crack was to paint over it - (15,16,17) My guess here is someone tried to fix water intrusion under the teak - cut the teak away and didn't fix the glass properly, the seats and brow sit on top of the fly bridge - water getting in here "should" drain out on the side drains from the fly bridge. - I suspect this was a DIY find and fix a leak. Not a good repair on the glass - but if you are good with fiberglass it is not a very hard fix. Pic 19 - DIY Breaker/switch panel . As the boat is not covered all the time - this panel should really be H2O proof - and probably fused. I would be curious what condition exists behind it and wire condition. Pic 22 - GPS wire - should at least have a water shield to try and keep water from getting in. Pic 23 - looks like they didn't cut the teak here like they did on other side - and still tried to fix. Again - I assume this was chasing a leak. Pic 38 (front window) - edge looks like either sanding rub from doing teak , teaking without taping or some staining due to caulking or weather striping front window. Pic 46 - batteries scare me (and maybe it is just me) I am anal about red/black or yellow/black - this looks to me like a "use what ya got" wiring job - I would address that right away. (plus any survey guy will tag this for no safety caps on the terminals - plus the wing nuts are really a no-no for ABYC). Battery still - fused wire looks broken? typically those small wires are for a bilge pump - so you may not have that working. Also - wire nut near terminal looks like a non-shrink - which I try to change out with marine hook ups. Engine pics - it looks like the oil coolers (trans and oil) have been replaced (originals would have been red) - exhaust elbow is very different than the ones I am used to seeing with a lehman - and with the base of it as rusty as it is - that may need to be looked at. Brand new exhaust tube and clamps, and the fact it has been sitting makes me think it was just changed prior to showing - for some reason (actually the muffler looks like a new addition as well). Starter - yeah that just looks shot - as well as wiring around it (and solenoid) . Raw water pump - looks pretty corroded - cover can be cleaned or replaced - pretty easy - if the pump is still in good shape (replacing the pump is not too hard either). Engine mounts look pretty new. Septic smell - my guess is leaking around tank or macerator (if they still have it) - or could be permeating through sanitation hoses depending on age (and how long waste was allowed to sit). Saloon (fridge image) - they cut the wall off the left side to fit a bigger fridge. Curious how this effects that counter stability.

[Panhdjoe]

Hello, I just took the time to look over all the photos. I am thinking that this boat has some real problems, more than most. My 36 has been a project but not as much as this one will be. This is just my opinion but I think you can do better than this one. unless it's being sold really cheap like 15 to 20k range I would pass.

[Panhdjoe]

Another thought, I believe that some of the best used 36's that come on the market are on the Great Lakes. Fresh water boats that are usually hauled and stored inside big buildings during the winter, not to many hours ect. When we were shopping I ruled them out because of the difficulty getting one transported or the long trip back to South Carolina by water. If I had it do over I would not be afraid of bringing one back by water.

[bondboy]

I see a 36 for sale on Long Island for 20k...craigslist