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Much easier to find good outboard mechanics than good diesel mechanics. The outboard boat is super easy to repower, the diesel inboard is probably so expensive to repower that when the time comes it will be cheaper to junk her, especially if the motor is discontinued (a common problem with diesel engines). The outboard boat will be MUCH faster. There is a reason small diesel CC's are extremely rare....
i have to disagree with most ofthe point that sven brought up as it applies to the cape cod/albin 26 other than the mechanic part. the difference in repower cost over twin outboards is about the same. the albin cruises at 35kts. the construction is the big difference between the boats you asked about. regulators and that type boat in most cases are built like brick sh*thouses. honestly i wouldnt buy a baseball hat from albin because i would be afraid it would fall apart and my bald head would get sunburned. ive have been around the cape cod boat since it was the cape cod 25 and have always felt it was very over rated and very over priced. the fit and finish of the boats has always been a joke and still is. you cant polish a turd i always say. there are some very nice and very fast inboard c/c boats under 30 ft. i looked at a couple of pursuits with yanmars for very reasonable prices and most of the custom florida builders will build straight inboards. there are a few conch 27 kicking around with inboards as well although they have alot of the same issues that the albin does in my opinion. there are a couple of boats like mine kicking around with diesels as well and dont forget shamrocks. my point is although not that popular there are alot of options out there
__________________ 1988 Wellcraft V 20
Evinrude 225 looper
I was going to say read the Spectra article in the latest MotorBoating as well, the numbers were pretty astonishing, IMO. I have fished a conch 27 with a single inboard, and it was a fabulous boat. Just tremendous as a fishing boat. Personally, I would take the diesel option any day. There are plenty of good mechanics around for diesels ( I dont trust my two yanmar 420's being fooled around with by a yahoo with no clue!! haha), the fuel cost is cheaper with a diesel, better mpg, and on top of that, you have a whole transom to play with! I would check the boats abone, and also, look for a 26 strike. Another great boat for a cc diesel. ( that did have a jack shaft to put the engine under the CC, I think)
Good Luck!
Ryan
__________________
Lets have a Sexy Party! 38 Henriques FB 2000 ~ 17 Montauk 1978
What do you guys think? What are the pro's and con's. Lets say between the Albin Cape Cod 26 center console and a Regulator 26 fs?
Man, that's a tough question esp considering you've picked two really top notch boats to choose between and its a question I've been tossing around for quite awhile myself. I should say I haven't sea trialed the Regulator yet but by all accounts it's one of the best in her size category. However, I have noticed that they seem to burn a lot of gas no matter how they are powered.
Now on to the Albin. I sea trialed one of these this summer. They are very impressive boats with the following exceptions:
1) the 370 hp Yanmar was incredibly loud (not sure I could handle that all day)
2) fish boxes on the '05 model I tested were teeny tiny (seems to be a problem with most Albins)
3) without a bow thruster this boat is not very manueverable around the dock. It backs hard to starboard and if you slip your boat backing into the slip could be a nightmare esp with heavy wind and current.
4) fit and finish were dissapointing
Other than that the Albin is an impressive boat.
Do a search, I posted my sea trial results sometime this summer along with photos.
I like a diesel inboard. They don't have to be slow, it's just that few companies have tried to make them fast.
Fast as outboards? No. But how fast do you usually run? Really? I'll bet there are plenty of diesel boats running at what most would consider a realistic cruise speed. Burning 5 gallons per hour.
If I wanted fast, I'd be running a Big Block Eliminator.
More outboard mechanics? Sure, becuse they're needed.
You'll think you've done something to put 2k hours on an outboard. You can expect close to 10k from a decent diesel.
And perhaps my favorite feature of an inboard, a clean transom!
I'm not a fan of io's, give me a straight inboard w/ a tunnel.
Much easier to find good outboard mechanics than good diesel mechanics. The outboard boat is super easy to repower, the diesel inboard is probably so expensive to repower that when the time comes it will be cheaper to junk her, especially if the motor is discontinued (a common problem with diesel engines). The outboard boat will be MUCH faster. There is a reason small diesel CC's are extremely rare....
The diesel will be MUCH more efficient and will last 5x as long. There goes the repower cost argument.
SeeVee make some very nice CC boats with inboard diesl power. They burn 50% less fuel and can still cruise at 30kts.
50 MPH in an ouboard CC is great......but there are very few days you can cruise faster than 27 or 28 kts, at least in the NE or MA.
I have been aboard the Albin. Spent about an hour with the salesman. I would rate the boat poorly in design and construction. Lifting the console would be a nightmare. They had is rigged up with a cable, hook and electric winch like a boat trailer. DUH! Fish boxes were not insulated by anything but the side or bottom of the hull. Under gunnell raw fiberglass. Baitwell in the floor under the leaning post DOUBLE DUH! ISNT THAT WHERE YOU NORMALLY KEEP A COOLER??????????????????
Since it was over a year ago I can't remember any other details. Many people don't know this but the hull was made from a 23" SeaCraft stretched 3ft. All in all it looks pretty but at 115k no way in hell.
As for gas mileage according to Powerboat reports it tops at 35kts and cruises between 25-30kts at 3mpg. A 26 regulator with 200 hpdi's will get 2.6 mpg at it's most efficient cruise.
Are you guys sure that a small, higher aspirated diesel run at higher rpms is that much more reliable than a modern 4 stroke?
I have been told by reliable sources that this may not be accurate. I agree that a regular diesel will be generally more reliable and last longer than a modern outboard in its traditional use.
A few boats that might be better comparisons would be Seavee, WHitewaters and Conch's. That way you are comparing apples to apples. Perhaps this helps.
I have to echo some of the comments regarding the Albin. My buddy and I stepped on board at the Newport Boat Show and instantly had the same response. The hatches flexed noticeably and the boat would be an absolute nightmare to keep clean with all of the recessed floor hatches. I love the idea but I think Albin has missed the mark.
I happen to own a Conch 27 and I have to disagree with some of the things that are being said. I can't compare my boat to an Albin since I have never been on one but I will give you my opinion of my boat. The Conch 27 is built like a brick $hit house. There are some guides in the keyes that have over 10,000 hours on an original hull. The Conch really doesn't compare to any of the boats mentioned. These are commercial boats built for guides. None of those boats hold 200 gallons of live well as mine does. I assure you I will put the storage of my Conch against any of those boats and none of them will compare. The Conch is really a commercial hull. I run mine with a single outboard (Suzuki 250 , 4 stroke) get 2 mpg while turning 5000 rpm and that will translate to about 30-32 mph depending on sea conditions and load. The boat is also wide, 9' beam and made to hold allot of electronics. the single outboard gives me the ability to have a walk in center console with a head in it. If I wanted to re power I could do it for a couple of grand once I sold my current motor. I don't want to insult anyone but I don't think the Conch compares to any of those boats. It is just in a different league. I will get off my soap box now. If you have any questions about the Conch let me know.
uggh. the albin is NOT a new design. it started out as the cape cod 25 and then the cape cod 26 and it was built by cape cod marine in dennis mass for probably the last 15 years or so. it was designed as a commercial rod and reel boat not as a recreational fishing boat. what i feel having fished both this boat and the conch, which were both made up here in mass, is that both boats are no frills work boats and that is reflected in the fit and finish. they are totally different animals than a high end recreational fishing boat and you have to take that into account when you look at them. if these boats had the fit and finish of the regulator and such it would be DESTROYED and impossible to maintain.
__________________ 1988 Wellcraft V 20
Evinrude 225 looper
I see your point and agree with you that if you are looking for pretty fiberglass work the Conch is not the boat. It is ment to have thing dropped on it. There are no embossed logos on the hatches on any Conchs although mine doesn't look to bad. Sorry did not mean to hijack this thread. You should take a look at the Orion 27. It is made by Roberto Poussant in Miami. Good value and a good person to deal with.
dorado, not to derail the thread, every boat with a variable deadrise hull thinks that they have been cast from the seacraft mold. its all b.s. one of the things that made the 23 seacraft such a great riding boat was that moesly and potter adhered closely to the 3:1 length to beam ratio giving the 23 a narrow 8'2" beam. i cringe when i see a certain 9' beam 23' boat being sold as a "inspired by the seacraft design".
__________________ 1988 Wellcraft V 20
Evinrude 225 looper
Just a couple points. I agree with an awful lot of what redseacraft said about fit and finish and placement of things like the rediculous livewell. The hull sides were 'wavy'. As far as being a "stretched" SeaCraft......hmmmn I dunno, this thing is 24 degrees and I thought the SeaCraft was 22. As far as a speed of 35 knots, I say bullfart, unless its got the 440 Yanmar. The one I rode with the 370 hp got roughly one 1 mph per 100 rpm. At 3,200 rpm she was somewhere around 32 - 34 mph not knots. This correlated very well to speed trials done with a radar gun on this very hull. Fuel burn is around 10 - 12 gph which is great!
As far as the regulator 26 fuel burn.....when owners on here have posted their fuel burn numbers they have been no where near the 2.6 mpg number someone posted, more like 1.2 to 1.4 depending on power. They are a heavy boat (which is good).
Inboard diesel CC or a twin outboard gas CC? 
