Some tips on buying an Albin 25

People have asked me several times what they should look for when buying an Albin 25

This sounds like a simple question, but to give a comprehensive answer needs more experience than I have. So if you have comments or suggestions on the buying tips below, please let me know. All comments, positive or negative are very welcome.

I can only share my thoughts and experiences. Hopefully you can use these suggestions as a first step on the way to buying your boat.

Perhaps the most important thing is to look hard and be critical. If possible, ask for help from a person that has more experence with boats. And do not be taken in by fine words from the seller - remember this boat is over 25 years old.

• Note 1: my references to sellers and their agents do not, of course, apply to fellow Albin 25 enthusiasts!!

• Note 2: these tips ara not intended to be a substitute for a professional survey - though they should help you to weed out the bad boats before you invest in a survey.

What should it cost?

If you looking on the internet, you see that most of these boats cost (in 2005) about  € 17.000, - some more, some less. Key factors affecting the price are the overall appearence, the general condition and the engine fitted.

The time of the year is also important. You all know that in Spring and Summer, everyone will be on the water and the price will be high. But at the end of the season, the owner must pay a lot of money for winter stabling and maintenance. Therefore he will want to sell his boat as soon as possible and what you must pay for the same boat can be considerably lower.

You have seen a nice boat, but what do you look for?

You have seen different advertisements, the price looks okay and you decide to look at your choice.
As soon as you meet the broker or mediator, the boat will be praised to the heaven. "You have never seen a boat as good as this, no troubles, nice paint, motor fully overhauled and the owners before where very old people - look his walking stick lies there etc. etc. "Also you will be told that this boat will sell very quickly so you will be advised to made your decision as soon as possible.

Don't be impatient - be very critical. Don't commit youself and do not decide anything for the moment. Even if it is "love on the first sight", please take a rest.

First take note of the tips below, check the boat over thoroughly and calculate what cost will be involved. Ask to see bills that give you a background and find out what you can about the history of the boat. Go home with all this information and your impressions and then decided what you want.

Here is the checklist we used when we bought Jellianne. 

1. How does the boat appear on the first sight. Is she clean or is she a dirty ship?

2. What do you smell inside the boat? If she is wet inside from leaks, she will smell damp and musty.

3. Is the boat hauled out for the winter or is she always in the water. I am told that the best place for a boat made of synthetic material is on the shore. But here the scientists are not yet entirely in agreement.

4. What is the condition of the deck and hull? Has she been re-painted several times or is the old gelcoat present. Rub the flat of your  hand over the deck and look to see if there is white powder on it.  If there is, then the condition of the gelcoat is very bad and repainting the whole boat is the only way. If you then choose a two component paint (this is the best) you must count on spending about € 3000. Please do not be fooled if the salesman says that the white powder is from a flour mill in the neighbourhood. We were actually told this once - we did not buy that boat!

   Look for fine surface cracking (crazing) in the gelcoat. Fine cracking in the deck and superstructure will be caused by the weather and can increase with age. This is also influenced by the production process (quality of the gelcoat)  of the boat. There are boats that never have this problem. Careful maintenance by using wax to prevent the damage by the sun slows down this proces. (but can make the deck very slippery and dangerious). If cracks are caught early, it is possible to use very fine sandpaper or rubbing compound to polish them away. But if this proces is in a too far advanced, there is nothing to do but keep the area will waxed and make regular checks on the moisture of the polyester. To re-paint this surfaces is not the way. Big cracks must be very well cleaned with abrasive and must also be cleaned and degreased before filling with a strong penetrated epoxycoating. When this has hardened it should be sanded again and carefully checked. Then if everything is okay you can re-paint it with a primer and then with a top coat. It is a very difficult job for an amateur. Therefore be very careful to see if there are cracks in the wrong places. 

   On a boat that is wet from rain, it is very difficult to see damage and scratches. Beware - even a poor boat can look beautiful when is is wet. If the boat has been painted, ask about the paint used - what type, make and colour.  

5. What is the condition of the rubber seals around the windows? If you see cracks on the corners, then there is a big chance that you must re-new them. Also check the front window of the main cabin and the stern window of the aft cabin. There will probably be crazing as they are made of acrylic glass. Renewing them in the future is the best way. The windscreen and side windows are made from toughened glass. Check if the windows rubbers are leaking - you can see evidence of it on upholstery and lining material.

6. The roof of the wheel house consist of two parts. I call it a roll-over cage (like on a care) and it needs careful inspection. It is very vulnerable. People will hang on this part of  the roof with the result that you see a lot of cracks. To repair this is expensive.

7. The lining inside of the both cabins are made of a kind of vinyl on foam. After all these years (about 25 years?) this foam will have totally decayed and mostly what you see is that the vinyl becomes detached. That is how it was with our boat.

8. The Engine.
   What kind of engine is fitted? Ask if there are maintenance papers or bill's for repairs. If the old engine is still present, appreciate that it is more than 20 years old - so it is possible that you must either overhaul it or replace this old engine with a new one. This is very expensive. It is also possible that the salesman will tell you that the whole engine is already overhauld. Ask for papers!! Some people mean by "overhaul" that only the glowplugs are replaced. Be very suspicious!!!

   a.) Before the salesman starts the engine, feel if he (not the salesman !) is warm. If it is, the only conclusion is that he has warmed up the engine so that it will start easily for you. Then, of course, you don't know whether the engine is normally a very bad starter.
   b.) Look and listen to the engine - does it run smoothly and without major vibration? Check the exhaust too and make sure it does not give a plume of smoke.
   c.) When the engine is running, pull out the dipstick and feel whether there is gas blowing from the dipstick pipe. This is a sign that the pressure in the chrankcase is too high. One reason can be, that the piston rings are worn (needing a total overhaul of the engine).
   Check the oil on the dipstick - there shold only be oil - oil with a lot of water in the crankcase is bad news.... yes, this is very important.
   If the colour of the oil is goldbrown, than the oil has been changed for sale. If the oil is black, it is possible that you can take a sample and send it to a special company who can let analyse it. The used oil contains very small parts and that company can produce a history report on the engine. I have also done this test on the engine of the Jellianne - and the engine was fine after 10 years.
   d.) Take a total view of the engine. Are there any parts bodged with tape and wire? Is the engine clean or coated in black oil?. If the engine leaks oil, it can be a sign that it is worn out.
   e.) Also take a look to the rubber water hoses. If you see cracks then they will need replacing - this can be expensive.
   f.) If the engine is running, also take a look to the instrumentation panel. Are all warning lamps out that must be out??
   g.) What is the condition of the batteries, are the terminals dirty and corroded?  Two batteries are normally fitted, one is for starting the engine. You can reconise a worn out battery because the cells near the positive (+)  pole signs of swelling. And what about the electrical wiring. Normally you can see that is okay, ..... or is it more like the "cobweb of a tipsy spider" A good circuit diagram is very nice to have to understand the wiring.
   h.) Also check the gearbox oil. When the engine running in gear, check for a rattle which might indicate that the damper plate is worn.
   i. ) Check the stern tub. Often the old propeller shaft is worn at the stuffingbox because someone has tightened up the gland too much. If this is the case this seal will leak more and more and the only remedy is to re-place the propeller shaft.

   If you not are confident to check all of this parts, ask someone that has a thorough understanding and knowlege of boats.

9. Below the waterline.
   If possible, ask the salesman to lift the boat out of the water and pressure hose the hull. It cost about € 50, but is well worth the money. (If the seller refuses - walk away as there is probably something wrong!)
   Take a view to the total underside of the boat.
   a.) What work needs to be done?
   b.) What kind of paint has been used?
   c.) What kind of anti-fouling is used ( is this system, copper etc. stil allowed in your area?
   d.) If it is hard anti-fouling, and there are many layers? If more than 4 or 5, then the time is coming to remove them all and re-paint with a new system. That is VERY hard job.I know it!!
   e.) Ask also what is the condition of the gelcoat under the anti-fouling. I have never heard that an Albin has osmosis. I think that the temperature control during the production process of the hull in the factory is so good that Albins never have trouble with Osmosis.
   f.) Check the propeller for damage. Record the information written on the propeller hub for later - for example: 16 1/2  x 12 RH.

10. Trail run.
    When you take a trial run, see how the boat handles.
    Check of the lever control works direct and smoothy. Let the engine temp. come up to about 80 - 90 degrees C. There must be a temperature guage be on the dashboard. Then if the engine is up to temperature, open the throttle wide. The engine must react very quickly and should not give a plume of smoke. If you not see any quick reaction, then the power of the engine is too low, or the pitch of the propeller is too small. If the pitch of the propeller is to great, the engine will not reach its max. revolutions. Blue smoke means that the engine is worn out. Black smoke means that the adjustment of the engine is wrong or that the injectors are dirty. Cruise for a long time on about max speed and watch for smoke, and listen for unpleasent engine noise. Also watch the temperature.

11. Sale agreement.
    If you buy your boat through a broker..... please read what it says on paper! Ask to speak to the owner before signing anything. If not,..... draw your own conclusions.
    Before you sign the sale agreement ask for a copy and take it at home to study the text - and make sure that it reflects all that has been said by the seller (in that way his/her assurances become part of the contract). It is essential to be very careful about this as after the contract is complete it is too late to argue unless the information is recorded. Buying a boat involves a lot of money and "love at first sight" is a terrible and expensive problem. Beware - there are always enough boats out there!

    If you buy your boat from a private person, make sure you have a formal sale agreement. In Holland we have standard agreements and it is possible to download one from the Dutch part of this site - there is the Dutch universal sale agreement and also a special for an Albin (made by Hugo Plokker). You may be able to find something appropriate for your country on the internet.

General:
See also on the chapter "Handbook/tests" the instruction book of the Albin 25. You can find a lot of information about these boats.

It is a lovely boat, but you must choose her carefully. Remember that she is over 20 years old and the dimensions inside are of a sailingboat. She is no superyacht!  The maximum height by the galley is about 1.75 metres. There is a toilet compartment on board, but a tall men and woman have very little space to turn around to take a piece of paper!

We whish you a good hunting.