The Albin Restoration

Time to paint the non-skid...

2010-06-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

With all the other improvements being made, we felt that the non-skid should have some attention too.

We used the same paint for the non-skid and re-painted the windlass to freshen it up.

The platform and ladder steps are here and installed. Another great accomplishment!

We removed the painted ALBIN 36 and ordered new A’s from Albin.

The main cabin floor and access hatches were sanded and given several coats of fresh varnish.

The dash overlay is in place. The color matches the non-skid paint. Now there will only be holes for the electronics that we will install.

The new name (and old nick name) was installed with the new port of call.

The rotted portion of the mast was cut out and replaced with new wood. Thank you Dad! Then both it and the boom were repainted.

Originally on the port side of the aft cabin there was a low teak grab rail. We had that replaced with a full stainless steel rail to mirror the starboard side. Thank you again Randy!

The teak (Thank you Kyle!) for the new exterior window trim is milled and is being installed

The interior trim is also beginning to be installed.

The port lights have new glass and are back in. Thank you Paul!

ok, finally time for an update...

2010-06-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

The last step for the v-berth was re-installing the shelves.

The aft head formica that came off in 2 inch chips is now being replaced with new white formica. Thank you Bob!

The aft cabin was given a fresh coat of finish.

Compartments and shelves are being scrubbed, scraped and re-painted

The abandoned holes in the bridge dash were something we wanted to address. After careful consideration we decided to overlay the existing fiberglass dash with a piece of powder-coated aluminum. We made a cardboard template, had a friend help us cut the aluminum and sent it off to be powder-coated. Thank you Randy!

The bow pulpit received an overhaul. There is a new stainless steel wrap and reinforcement.

We found replacement faucets for the forward and aft heads.

The swim platform, grab rails and ladder steps are being manufactured out of Plasteak. We decided we did not want to refinish these pieces but want to keep the teak look.

Teak refinishing isn’t just sanding – we needed to use chemical stripper on some of the pieces. We found liberally coating them with chemical stripper and then wrapping them in plastic kept the stripper working longer.

Re-attaching the bridge was our largest project and biggest challenge. We couldn’t have accomplished it without the help of a friend who had done a similar project on his own boat recently. Thank you so very much John!

First we needed clean glass. Everything was sanded and some areas were ground out to clean glass.

Sand, fill, repeat…

We were not only re-attaching the bridge that was removed for shipping but repairing some spots in the brow that appear to have had sanding blemishes from the past.

The ends of the bridge had teak caps but now we’ve glassed them instead.

Primer was the next step.

Varnish stripping continues during the bridge project.

The Sampson post is being re-painted.

Final coats of white on the bridge! It is looking AMAZING!

Reminder: it came to us in a separate piece on the trailer!

While painting, we’re re-painting the hull stripes – but we’re covering the bright blue with navy.

The navy looks great! And so does our hull. It was wet sanded, buffed and waxed. Thank you Jim!

Coming next is the painting of the non-skid...

Launch day is quickly approaching!

2010-05-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

A photo from 4-19-10

Launch day is almost upon us and there is still much to do. Once she's in the water and in the slip, we will make time to bring the site up to date and show the end product of the first winters work. She's come a long way in eight months, yes there is still a to do list, but we feel pleased with our efforts thus far...

Coming Soon...

2010-04-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry that there have been no recent posts. Our launch day is quickly approaching and there it much to accomplish yet. We have recently made great strides with the help and guidance of dear friends, new posts coming as soon as possible.

Food for thought...

2010-03-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

To accomplish great things we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe.

-Anatole

The V-berth project...

2010-03-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

The forward wall was soft at the base and needed to be replaced, and the vinyl didn’t come clean enough after bleaching and scrubbing.

First the trim was all carefully removed.

Then the forward wall was torn out. After the wall was removed we had a clear view of the chain locker and the Sampson post. Fortunately, again not rot..

We stripped and scraped all the foam backed vinyl off the v-berth walls.

We added aluminum reinforcement on the post since we had things torn apart that far (just for extra support.)

The forward wall of the v-berth was replaced with marine grade teak and re-fiberglass tabbed into place.

Next the vinyl was replaced. First we installed a foam backed vinyl and then covered it with the same marine vinyl that is on the backs of all of our new upholstery.

The wall was stained to match the trim which is starting to go back in.
(Note: the wall is from the same sheet of wood as the lazerette cover.)

This project in now complete with the exception of some misc. small pieces of molding here and there. Photos to come in the next post.

The blog is now current with the "up-date" book that was created for the prior owners to follow our progress. Now, as we add pages for them we will also add posts here too... We are however running several weeks behind "real time" with the up-dates. Should be adding something new about anytime...

Putting things back together...for a minute....

2010-03-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

The glass is tinted to cut down on heat and fading. The glass looks far darker in this photo than it is while you are standing on the deck.

The first of the window glass is in! The aft cabin stationary window glass in installed.

The teak around the aft port window that was water damaged is going back in.

The slats on the wall next to the aft bed have also been replaced.

Sanding continues on the exterior teak.

The cracked formica has been stripped from the forward head.

The interior of the cabinet above the sink and under the sink have been painted.

The formica around the port in the forward head has been replaced – it was a priority replacement to be ready for window reinstallation.

The window installation continues.

These shots are the interior and exterior view of the aft head. (Note: the formica is back on the wall around the window – it had been stripped)

And going...

2010-03-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

The deck fittings and cleats have been removed to allow access to sand the rest of the decks, and to clean and re-bed them.

The deck fittings and cleats have been removed to allow access to sand the rest of the decks, to clean and re-bed them.

before...

and after...

The teak pads under the cleats will be replaced with new pads made of starboard.

The damaged plastic engine vents in the starboard side of the hull were replaced with stainless vents (matching the port side vents that were replaced prior to our ownership.)

Pieces of our new upholstery continue to trickle in. We had covers made for each of the teak hatches.

This picture shows the forward hatch cover.

Below is the aft hatch after sanding and re-caulking.

Most of the galley settee cushions are complete. We are still waiting on the corners.

Still going...

2010-03-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

The window removal project continued through the week between Christmas and New Year.

When the galley windows were removed, we also removed the corian backsplash to cut it down to “standard” height instead of meeting the window trim.

The teak plywood in the main cabin surrounding the windows and exterior doors will be replaced with laminate.

There was quite a bit of damaged finish on the teak. We decided that since we couldn’t be 100% certain that we had repaired all the points of water intrusion to use laminate. We did not feel comfortable replacing it with new teak that could be damaged. The laminate will lend a lighter look to the main cabin and will be easy to clean. We’ll still have all the teak accents and trim. Only the side walls framing the windows and doors will be replaced with the laminate instead of the teak plywood. We were pleased that the removal of the windows and plywood did not uncover any core damage to the boat – it was only cosmetic.

The laminate in the aft head was cracked in some places and some was damaged during the window removal process. We chipped and scraped the laminate on the two walls around windows, the ceiling and the wall next to the tub to prepare for replacement.

The port lights from the v-berth have been polished and prepared for the new glass.

A new lazerette cover has been constructed and the grooves cut in and caulked to match the surrounding decks. It will look like this cover has always been part of the boat.

The cover in process of caulking

This is the old cover

The finished lazerette cover in place in the aft deck. The band around the cover is part of the deck. Only the “striped” portion inside the frame is new.

The window projects continue. We glued and screwed the window trim back into framed units. They will not be installed until all of the new windows are in place but it is part of the prep work.

The interior window trim is all sanded.

The Lass received a few Christmas presents this year. We have a new anchor and chain. Mike worked on all the connections including reattaching them to the existing rode on our living room floor (the bucket is filled with 60 feet of chain.” We also received bath towels embroidered with “The Lass” on them.

Up in the air...

2010-03-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

After I got used to the bridge being up I spent hours sitting underneath scrubbing out the mildew and painting all the compartments under the seats and bridge.

The white stripe is cleaned with bleach....not painted............

The hole without a hose leading to it was one of two drain holes for the bridge area that were under the bridge “wings.” The brass that is showing was not originally there. The holes had previously allowed for moisture to penetrate into the wood of the boat on both sides (port side is just forward of the door, starboard side is just about between the two windows.) Mike cleaned out and enlarged the holes and fitted in the brass drain tubes so that the water can still get out but it cannot penetrate the wood of the boat. The hose is connected down to a new drain hole we drilled. This one connects up to the ice box which previously drained out to the floor under the bridge – no hose, etc. Mike also added additional insulation to the bottom side of the ice box where there was none.

We replaced the plastic lights in the v-berth with small brass lamps.

The table arrived! Thank you Gordon and Cathy for finding and shipping this to us! Any guests for drinks or dinner or those making the seating area into an overnight berth will be most grateful as well! This picture shows that the settee upholstery is still in process.

Also two of the speakers for the stereo can be seen here. There is also one next to the pilot’s seat, one in the aft cabin and two up in the bridge. The stereo unit itself is under the pilot’s seat near the starboard entrance. There is a plug that leads from the stereo to a cord inside the “nothing drawer” where an iPod can be plugged in.

We installed a 12-volt plug to charge cell phones, iPods, etc. This is located just inside the v-berth so that items can rest on top while charging and it kept wires close together instead of strung far and wide.

Finally! The v-berth cushions are done. The settee seating is still in process but at least we can cross the v-berth upholstery off the “to-do” list. This was scheduled to be done the first of November (all, not just the v-berth) and only the completed v-berth and pilot’s seat were delivered at the end of December. Even with all of the projects we have going on the boat it has been our biggest source of frustration.

The next big project is window removal. We are removing all of the aft cabin windows (five) and four windows in the main cabin – two over the galley and two over the settee. There was broken glass in three windows and we had water damage concerns from others. We are having new windows built with screens in all the opening units (seven of the nine.) The glass will be lightly tinted to aid in keeping the cabins cooler. We knew this was going to be a major project and has required all available hands. The adhesives were like tar and some of the exterior teak was so dry that it wouldn’t come off in one piece. And, because of the damaged glass, the windows did not come out without broken glass.

The window removal process (repeat nine times):
• Remove 14 teak bungs (chip out the teak plugs)
• Clean out the screw heads that were under the bungs
• Remove the screws
• Pry, chisel and scrape a section of exterior teak window trim off the glass and fiberglass while scoring and cutting away all of the black adhesive holding it on – and any newer silicone adhesive that was used to prevent leaks

• After the teak is removed, there are another 14 screws that are in the fiberglass. The adhesive must be cleaned out of those to remove them
• Remove glass panes – this required more scoring and cutting away of adhesive and hoping that the glass wouldn’t break in the process.
• Remove window tracks and blocking (again pry, chisel, scrape)
• Remove interior teak trim (more prying, chiseling and scraping)

We were able to save all of the interior teak trim except for a few pieces in the head. We plan to replace that with a starboard trim instead of teak since it is in the shower stall.

We have teak on hand to build new exterior window trim after the new windows are installed.

• Hang plastic over the window openings to keep dust out of the interior
• Lightly sand the gel coat to remove excess adhesive and old varnish
• Sweep up the mess
• REPEAT NINE TIMES!

let the work commence...

2010-03-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

With our new project tucked away for the winter we started deep cleaning, removal of bad interior wood, and things to be refurbished.

The three port lights have been removed to clean the bronze and have the fogged glass replaced. This is something we did on our sailboat too but those were stainless.

The window over the berth in the aft cabin has leaked quite a bit. The wall next to the berth had to be replaced because the wood was rotted and the window has been removed to be replaced also. We’ve had Glass Enterprise out to measure for replacing multiple windows and plan to do that before this coming spring. For now, that window over the aft berth is out and the wet wall was removed and replaced.

We removed the carpet and sanded the main salon floor – it was our second project with the industrial sander. Shortly after this project we celebrated when we received the news that the original salon table and legs had been found in Florida and were being shipped to us. Thank you! Building a new table wasn’t a project that we were looking forward to. We knew the exact fit was important to having that area convert into a berth when we had overnight guests aboard. It is a relief to have the original table.

We’ve sent the bimini out to be re-stitched where the stitching had come loose and he is also making us matching covers for the two hatches – fore and aft. We have new upholstery coming for the main salon and v-berth but it isn’t completed yet. The pilot’s seat shows the fabric that will be used.

We rented the big sander again and worked on the bridge deck. Being bent over for four hours at a time is the reason Mike didn’t finish the first or second time we had the sander. The back and arms can only handle so much.

The bridge was set back on the boat when we trucked it into the building but it wasn’t permanently attached at that point - only set on top. All the old adhesive needed to be cleaned off and holes patched. We lifted the bridge back up over the boat – suspended with winches to the steel ceiling supports in the building. We knew it could be done because the person who had their boat in the same spot in the years before us did the same thing and gave us some pointers. Even with pointers, this was a stressful day for me (Melissa.) Only Mike and I were there – though I’m sure there were other people working in the building who heard me panic and watched from afar. Remember when it was set before there were six guys and a hi-lo to do the job. When we lifted it pulled forward. I had terrible visions of disasters to come. I was a shaky mess and didn’t sleep well the first night it was up in the air.

heading for storage...

2010-03-11T14:08:00.000-08:00

Boat Logistics then took the boat from the marina and headed a few miles back up the road to the storage building. There were people on the deck of the boat armed with push brooms to push the overhead wires, traffic lights and branches out of the way. I rode along in the car in front so that he knew the way to the building while we drove into oncoming traffic to move cars to allow room for the boat to come up the road, then came the semi with the boat in tow and Mike followed in his suburban to keep traffic from trying to pass by where there wasn’t room. Boat moving is not for the faint of heart. But by the end of the day on September 25, 2009, “The Lass” was tucked away for a winter’s worth of TLC.

Projects begin – Mike rented an industrial sander and sanded the main decks. They were much darker than the rest of the teak and we weren’t sure what the condition of the wood would be underneath the layers of varnish. These pictures show the first patch we cleaned away on the back deck and then more (you can really see the contrast where the lazerette cover is not sanded and the deck is.)

We hung plastic from the ceiling to the floor to keep our dust to ourselves and off any neighboring boats, motor homes and cars stored nearby.

Cleaning out all the interior compartments is Melissa’s task. This was under the bed in the aft cabin. The photos are an example of the before and after. Re-painting will come later.

Sanding the cap rails and hand rails is another project. Each stanchion is being removed with the stainless being polished and cleaned.

The next steps....

2010-03-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

Now the next steps were making sure the documentation was set, taking the boat out for a sea trial and prepping the boat as much as we could for shipping while we were in Florida. Getting the documentation squared away was a bit of a headache and the only stress of the trip but in the end, all was well.

Gordon took us out for a spin down the river and out toward the Gulf. We saw dolphins off the bow for a few seconds but they didn’t stick around. Mike and I both had a turn at the helm and enjoyed the ride completely. This was the high light of the trip for us.

We spent that afternoon and the next day prepping the boat up for shipping. We took down the bimini and side curtains. We took down the mast and boom. We packed up the electronics and anything else that we could to try to ensure nothing was damaged in shipping – and anything we did ourselves would (in theory) make that much more sense when it came time to put her back together. Mike labeled wires that would have to be disconnected when the bridge was removed and I wrapped things in towels and stowed them away in drawers and cabinets.

We flew back home September 15 eagerly awaiting status reports from the marina who was removing the bridge and the trucking company that was taking her home. We were like expectant parents. But by September 17 we already had news that “The Lass” had a haircut. The bridge was removed and she was ready to be shipped. The trucking company would be there September 22 to load.

Boat Logistics went to Marco Island, FL, loaded the boat up and headed for Home. It was a long week. They were routed and re-routed and came through a lot of rain but arrived at Anchorage Marina on September 25 – our anniversary. They were at the marina to move from one trailer onto another one that would place the boat in the building. They were also setting the bridge back up on the boat.

The first days...

2010-03-11T02:27:00.000-08:00

Gordon and Cathy ended up being more than pen pals. September 12 we flew down and were met at the airport by two smiling faces. G&C graciously opened their home to us instead of having us stay in a hotel and instead of a rental car they generously picked us up at the airport and offered us the use of their car. In crazy world of mixed up people, we were blessed with meeting a truly wonderful couple. I don’t know that I could have done it with anyone else after meeting someone from a boat ad online and having only a few weeks of phone calls and e-mails. And I wouldn’t suggest to anyone else looking to buy or sell a boat that they put themselves in the same position but it worked out perfectly for us. We were more than comfortable with them and very thankful for their hospitality.

Gordon took us to see the Scottish Lass at M.R.M. the afternoon we flew in. Because of the survey we had our eyes wide open to what we were going to find at the marina but we were still nervous heading out to the boat. Was it going to be more than we thought we could handle maintaining? Was it going to be better or worse than the pictures? Was it going to be exactly what hoped for? Then we were walking down the dock and we each knew. We found our boat.
We spent time crawling all over the boat while taking lots of pictures and continuously asking each other questions like – “Are you sure?” “Are you ok with this?” “Can we do this?” Each of us was worried that the other might not be as committed to the boat as the other one felt. Gordon patiently answered technical questions, showed us where things were and how they worked.

Listing......

2010-03-11T02:04:00.000-08:00

The next step was listing our sailboat. That had to be gone before we took on another boat. We had done the two boat owner road before and didn’t want to store two, maintain two, etc. We posted our boat online and a few hours later the first call came. It was amazing – but it wasn’t sold yet. She was sold in a matter of weeks. It was the longest few weeks that we could imagine. It was also going to be hard watching someone else tow our boat away – our family’s summer home for 5 years.

We toured a few trawlers and viewed countless trawlers online while waiting for the sale of her to be final and decided we wanted the double cabin layout. We were excited. We knew what we wanted. We even found what we thought we wanted and made an offer. When that offer was declined we weren’t as unhappy as we should have been – in other words, it obviously wasn’t the boat for us because instead of disappointment, we felt relieved. Mike and I spent countless hours in the evenings and on weekends combing through trawler after trawler. Sending inquiries, compiling questions and still we searched.

We were searching for Marine Traders when we stumbled upon an ad that we couldn’t ignore. It wouldn’t leave our minds. It had all the qualifications of what we wanted but it was an Albin. Our focus changed entirely in some ways. It was more than we intended to spend but looking at the boat was looking at a boat we could have forever. We stopped looking at Marine Traders and re-focused on the Albin. We contacted the owners of the Scottish Lass – the owners became our pen pals!

The biggest problem with Scottish Lass was her location. We were in the Mid-West she was in Southern Florida. We didn’t have a month of vacation time to bring her home up the river system. If this was to be our boat, we had to look at trucking her north. It was September – and here that means all the marinas are lining up to fill heated storage buildings. Timing was going to be crucial to get the boat, have it trucked home and be inside the building before we lost a premier spot to work on the boat all winter. We had a survey completed on the boat, talked to the shipping company about costs and timing, reserved a spot in heated storage, talked to the bank about the documentation paperwork and scheduled a tour with the owners of the “Scottish” We couldn’t commit till we went down to Florida to see the boat for ourselves.

The beginning......

2010-03-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 2009 it was official. Our 25 foot sailboat was too small. We wanted something to keep our family boating together for as many years as possible. We made our dream list of what we wanted, in no particular order;
1. Room for our family,
-comfortably sleep 6 (the two of us, the kids plus room for friends)
-a full and dedicated galley
2. Dedicated head
3. Full standing headroom
4. A real shower
5. Cockpit space to entertain guests comfortably
6. Enough weight to be stable at sea an anchor
7. Diesel, no speed records, just steady and reliable
8. Trawler - we were done sailing, and usually motored the last two seasons
9. Deck space to maneuver without stumbling over lines etc.

Under construction....

2010-03-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

You have found the new location for our project documentation. Both the blog and the boat are currently under construction, please hang in there while we figure this all out.