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We just bought one. This is a boat that we considered briefly a few years ago, but did not pursue as there were none available at the time. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), the 31' Camano Troll we eventually purchased at that time was destroyed in a marina fire earlier this year. The Albin got a second look, and we found a (barely) used one in California and purchased it.
The boat seems to be of fairly high quality, but I'm wondering if anyone else has experience with Albins. I did a search, and found a few references to the 26' and 28' models, but none of the 36'. I'm a little disappointed in the support (or lack thereof) from the manufacturer. They apparently do not provide manuals with the boat, aside from a box full of literature from various equipment suppliers. I have questions about the electrical system (how it's wired, what powers what, etc...) that I need answers to.
The 36' was a short-lived model, discontinued last year, so I doubt there will be very many out there. But I'd be interested in hearing what anyone has to say about them.
I was with an Albin dealer. I am fond of their 32+2 as well as the 31 TE, nice boats. The 36 Fast Trawler was never a good seller for them for various reasons. Over all, they are a pretty well built boat with a good turn of speed. If I remember correctly, they do use a cored hull, below the water line, so be certain that you keep all your through hulls properly maintaintained and caulked. As far as getting information form Albin, First, Good Luck...... Second, have you tried calling their offices in Cos Cob, CT? If not, give them a call and ask for electrical, fresh water, and waste water schematics. I hope you get lucky and can get the information you are looking for. Even as a dealer, we never got the support from the factory that you seek. One of the (many) reasons we dropped them.
I was with an Albin dealer. I am fond of their 32+2 as well as the 31 TE, nice boats. The 36 Fast Trawler was never a good seller for them for various reasons. Over all, they are a pretty well built boat with a good turn of speed. If I remember correctly, they do use a cored hull, below the water line, so be certain that you keep all your through hulls properly maintaintained and caulked. As far as getting information form Albin, First, Good Luck...... Second, have you tried calling their offices in Cos Cob, CT? If not, give them a call and ask for electrical, fresh water, and waste water schematics. I hope you get lucky and can get the information you are looking for. Even as a dealer, we never got the support from the factory that you seek. One of the (many) reasons we dropped them.
Thanks for the info. I did email the customer service rep at their offices. I got a semi-satisfactory response from them once before, so I'm hoping this time I will get something. There was a factory rep at the boat show in Seattle this year showing off the new North Sea Cutter and he basically explained the logic behind dropping the Express Trawler. What he said was that the boat was simply too expensive to build at a price that people would buy it. In short, they were losing money building a high quality boat, but selling it at a competitive price. He said that there was something like 3000 man-hours that went into each one, which I can understand is pretty high for a boat that costs under $300,000. My thinking is that if they had marketed it better, they could have charged a lot more money for it than they realized. We chose it over the 37' Nordic Tug ($500,000) not because of price, but because of layout and features. Perhaps they would have had to step a few things up in the production process, but it could have worked. Or perhaps the market for a fast trawler with a full displacment hull that looks like a fishing boat just isn't that strong.
This boat would be much more appealing if it had a semi-displacement hull with a flatened stern and could turn a little higher speeds. (we were only able to make 14kts, compared to 20 in the Nordic Tug)
What engines did you get? I note that they came with single engine from 450 HP up to twins to twins (315 HP) 630 hp.
This cuould give a huge difference in performance.
Nice boats.
On getting satisfactory after sales service from Albin, also good luck to ya. The marine industry as a whole has a terrible reputation for service once the boat is sold. Yes, there are exceptions. They need to look at how the RV trade handles their customers. Course there is alot more competition in the RV trade.
I'm on my second Albin. The first was a 27 aft cabin bought new & kept from 1986-2000. Builder service notwithstanding, it was a good boat with few builder issues. My current Albin is a 1996 32, bought late in 99. We put almost 40 nights per year onboard so I guess we get some heavy use out of the boat.
I was also sorry to see the 36 discontinued. It is too much boat for our kind of use but it is very different from from anything else in its class & size. It's designer, Terry Compton, also designed the 32+2 which is also like nothing else in it's size. Terry is English & they think a little different over there when it comes to boat design. He has since left Albin to form his own company & is now producing the Compton 33, a boat that stores it's dinghy UNDER the cockpit.
Yahoo groups has an Albin owners group that has a very dedicated following. Can't recall seeing a 36 fast trawler owner there but one may be lurking. Most of them are fanatical, with good reason, A25 & A27 owners so most of the posts relate to those boats. However, there are also posts which are relative to all boats.
Enjoy your 36
To get a little more of an Albin 'fix' check out my photos in the Album section
I sold Albins in the mid-90s and although I don't have any experience with the 36 Express Trawler, I know the inner workings of the boats fairly well, so I may be able to answer any specific questions you might have. PM me and I'll try to answer.
On getting satisfactory after sales service from Albin, also good luck to ya. The marine industry as a whole has a terrible reputation for service once the boat is sold. Yes, there are exceptions. They need to look at how the RV trade handles their customers. Course there is alot more competition in the RV trade.
I'm on my second Albin. The first was a 27 aft cabin bought new & kept from 1986-2000. Builder service notwithstanding, it was a good boat with few builder issues. My current Albin is a 1996 32, bought late in 99. We put almost 40 nights per year onboard so I guess we get some heavy use out of the boat.
I was also sorry to see the 36 discontinued. It is too much boat for our kind of use but it is very different from from anything else in its class & size. It's designer, Terry Compton, also designed the 32+2 which is also like nothing else in it's size. Terry is English & they think a little different over there when it comes to boat design. He has since left Albin to form his own company & is now producing the Compton 33, a boat that stores it's dinghy UNDER the cockpit.
Yahoo groups has an Albin owners group that has a very dedicated following. Can't recall seeing a 36 fast trawler owner there but one may be lurking. Most of them are fanatical, with good reason, A25 & A27 owners so most of the posts relate to those boats. However, there are also posts which are relative to all boats.
Enjoy your 36
To get a little more of an Albin 'fix' check out my photos in the Album section
This boat has a single Caterpillar 3126B, which is a 420hp electronic controlled diesel. We wanted a single screw for the protection the keel offers from logs and debris. A friend has a Sabreline 36 Express with twins and he's already bent two prop shafts. The performance is fine, but was advertised as being significantly better.
I sold Albins in the mid-90s and although I don't have any experience with the 36 Express Trawler, I know the inner workings of the boats fairly well, so I may be able to answer any specific questions you might have. PM me and I'll try to answer.
I guess the biggest concern I have is about the lack of any wiring diagrams. The boat has five battery banks. Two large 8Ds labeled "engine" and "house". Also one small 12v for the generator. That's all very simple. But then, it also has a set of four 6v golf cart batteries, in two banks each wired in series to give 12v. They are not labeled and I cannot figure out what they are for, how they are accessed, and what they power. All I know is that upon delivery, they were bone dry and engine would not start (showing low voltage) until we first fired up the generator to get some juice. We replaced all four golf cart batteries and the large starter battery and everything works fine now. But it would have been nice to know what was what before spending $600 on batteries.
Sounds like the golf cart batteries may be used for an inverter. Does she have an inverter? You may want to track down the previous owner(s) to see how she was equipped. Chances are, you will be able to get better information from previous owner than from the factory......particularly on non factory options. I don't remember the inverter being a factory option on the 36 Express trawler, but, don't trust my memory. You should be able to trace the cables back to the inverter itself. There should be a panel switch labled for it somewhere.
Agree that the golf cart batteries are for an inverter, probably added by the original selling dealer or owner, not the factory. The smaller generator battery may have been added as well. How many battery switches do you have?
I don't know what you were hoping for from the single but keep in mind that builders often give performance specs using a boat with a clean bottom, a clean wheel, maybe half fuel & little else. Obviously this is not the real world of cruising where all kinds of 'stuff' finds its way onto the boat.
This is only a very rough comparison but my 1996 32 which weighs, according to a travelifts scale, over 17,000# loaded, is lucky to give me 17 or 18kts with it's 315hp Cummins & a clean bottom. I would not expect much different from your heavier single loaded up for cruising.
Good choice & good reasons for going single. We don't have logs here but the old outboarder in me frequently has me taking the boat into skinny water. It is much better to go 'bump' on a full keel than hear the expensive noises of props & rudders hitting reefs.
I guess it makes sense that it would be for the inverter, given the characteristics of the golf cart batteries. And yes, it does have an inverter. The problem, of course, is that I still can't figure out how it all is hooked up. I guess I'll just have to spend a day crawling around and create my own basic wiring diagram.
As far as performance, we're happy with the speed it makes. We knew exactly what it was before buying and recognized it was a compromise. But it seems like a 36' boat with a 420hp engine ought to be able to do closer to 20 knots. The 37' Nordic Tug will go 5 knots faster and burn less than half the fuel. The more I look at it, the more it is clear to me that the difference is likely due to the shape of the hull in the stern. Our last boat (A 31' Camano Troll), and the Nordic Tugs share a semi-cisplacement hull shape where the deadrise in the stern is almost zero. This creates a lot of lift back there and improves fuel economy and speed dramatically. The tradeoff, however, is that the boat is a tad uncomfortable in a following sea. The solution to that was always to simply out-run the waves and eliminate the factor of the following sea. Given that the waters we cruise in (Puget Sound) are relatively calm, I am not overly concerned about broaching.
Regardless, I spent all day yesterday toying with all the systems on the boat. We've had larger boats before, but this one is by far the most sophisticated and loaded one yet. The air conditioning is a luxury I'd never considered and thought useless in our climate until I realized yesterday that it can also heat the cabin. It's not as strong as the deisel heater, but it doesn't use diesel, which is a definite advantage when you're at a dock with shorepower.
Agree that the golf cart batteries are for an inverter, probably added by the original selling dealer or owner, not the factory. The smaller generator battery may have been added as well. How many battery switches do you have?
There are only two main battery switches. I think you're dead-on about this. Probably added by the dealer. I think I will get in contact with them regarding these questions.
pglein - 10/30/2005 12:17 PM
There are only two main battery switches. I think you're dead-on about this. Probably added by the dealer. I think I will get in contact with them regarding these questions.
I'm pretty sure then that the boat came from the factory with only the 2 8Ds and everything else was added later. The separate battery for the generator is necessary if the generator has an alternator.
I had the factory install a generator in my boat, and I have 3 4D batteries and 3 battery switches. Another 31 owner that drops by this board from time to time does not have a gen set and has 2 8Ds and 2 switches.
We both have 450 Cummins and cruise 18 - 20 knots. Since you have a lot more boat, 14 seems reasonable. Besides the deadrise issue, the skeg and rudder are huge drags.
When running, I have all 3 battery switches set to ALL (my gen set does not have an alternator). I need at least 2 of the 4D batteries to crank the engine. At anchor, I can rotate which battery I use for house power, but it's not straight forward. Battery 1 is the house default, so switch 1 set to position 1 with the other 2 switches off draws power from battery 1. If I want to use battery 2 for house power, I set switch 1 to position 2 and switch 2 to ALL.
The dealer rep had to have the electrical guy at the plant explain this to him.
pglein - 10/30/2005 12:17 PM
There are only two main battery switches. I think you're dead-on about this. Probably added by the dealer. I think I will get in contact with them regarding these questions.
I'm pretty sure then that the boat came from the factory with only the 2 8Ds and everything else was added later. The separate battery for the generator is necessary if the generator has an alternator.
I had the factory install a generator in my boat, and I have 3 4D batteries and 3 battery switches. Another 31 owner that drops by this board from time to time does not have a gen set and has 2 8Ds and 2 switches.
We both have 450 Cummins and cruise 18 - 20 knots. Since you have a lot more boat, 14 seems reasonable. Besides the deadrise issue, the skeg and rudder are huge drags.
When running, I have all 3 battery switches set to ALL (my gen set does not have an alternator). I need at least 2 of the 4D batteries to crank the engine. At anchor, I can rotate which battery I use for house power, but it's not straight forward. Battery 1 is the house default, so switch 1 set to position 1 with the other 2 switches off draws power from battery 1. If I want to use battery 2 for house power, I set switch 1 to position 2 and switch 2 to ALL.
The dealer rep had to have the electrical guy at the plant explain this to him.
That is definitely a weird setup, but I guess it works. I wonder if that is how ours is set up. Like I said, I will have to crawl around and figure it out. Haven't had time yet.
Oh, and took it out yesterday and played with the trim tabs a little and got it up to 16 knots. I would never cruise it at that speed as the vibration is unimaginable, but it's nice to know that it is performing closer to what seems reasonable. Also, we got to thinking and it occured to me that with the boat full of fuel, it's carrying a lot of weight (350 gallons), and perhaps with the tanks a little lower it will pick up some speed.
Regardless, the speed issue is really not a problem, as it cruises comfortably right at the speed we like (10-11 knots) and clearly has the ability to get up and get out of the way of freighters and ferries, which are our main concerns. Although, the fuel consumption is going to take some getting used to. At full throttle we're burning 24gph. That's $1.20 per minute!
Oh, and took it out yesterday and played with the trim tabs a little and got it up to 16 knots. I would never cruise it at that speed as the vibration is unimaginable, but it's nice to know that it is performing closer to what seems reasonable.
Even at this speed you should not be experiencing any vibration, particularly any that can be characterised as "unimaginable". You may have a prop or shaft problem, if a prop problem, this may also explain the lower than expected performance.
When you purchased the boat did you have both the hull and the propulsion system properly surveyed? As well has having the engine and hull surveyors accompany you on the sea-trial to test the operation at various RPM's (up to and including the Maximum)? Matter of fact, a good surveyor should have been able to explain your battery/inverter question.
If you did not have a survey and you are experiencing such serious vibration, I would strongly suggest that you have that checked out by a qualified tech as soon as possible. This could lead to many more problems down the road if not corrected properly and in a timely manner.
I think the vibration is caused by a shaft zinc that was installed prior to launching here in WA. (we bought the boat in California), as it did not do this on the sea trial in San Francisco. Yes, we did have it surveyed and it turned up nothing significant, although, we were not able to attain speeds this high on the sea trial due to a dirty bottom. If the vibration is indeed caused by the zinc, my opinion is that it's probably worth it, as I would rather have some vibration at high speed than a corroded shaft and/or propeller. Also, as time wears on, so will the zinc, mitigating the problem. Like I said, the vibration only appears at speeds above where we would normally cruise anyway.
Also, the vibration that I characterized as "unimaginable" may very well be normal to most people. We're used to a Camano Troll, which is one of the most solidly built and best built boats I've ever seen.
I may have a diver remove the zinc and see if the problem goes away. If it doesn't, I'll have a mechanic check the shaft for alignment.
Am looking at a 36 albin fast trawler. I used to own a 31 ft TE and loved the boat .However, I am concerned about the hollow cored bottom. Are you sure about this? Was the 31 TE also hollow cored?
I thought it was a solid hand laid hull.
The 36 is a single engine 450 Cummins.Seems to be pretty slow and I'm afraid it's going to be really thirsty if I cruise at 10 to 12 kts.
Anyone out there have any input ??????????
I really like the profile of the boat (since I came from the NW).Don't know if this profile will make the boat more desireable or not. Just know I like it.
Am looking at a 36 albin fast trawler. I used to own a 31 ft TE and loved the boat .However, I am concerned about the hollow cored bottom. Are you sure about this? Was the 31 TE also hollow cored?
I thought it was a solid hand laid hull.
The 36 is a single engine 450 Cummins.Seems to be pretty slow and I'm afraid it's going to be really thirsty if I cruise at 10 to 12 kts.
Anyone out there have any input ??????????
I really like the profile of the boat (since I came from the NW).Don't know if this profile will make the boat more desireable or not. Just know I like it.
Thanks
Larry B
I can't say for sure how it would perform with the Cummins as we have the Caterpillar. I can tell you that, with the Cat, I burn about 10gph at 10 knots.
As for the cored hull, I still don't know the answer to that, and even if I did, I couldn't say for sure on any given boat. There is a ton more info from our members over on www.albinowners.com. I highly suggest you join the site if you are considering an Albin.
Albin 36' Express Trawler 
I would never cruise it at that speed as the vibration is unimaginable, but it's nice to know that it is performing closer to what seems reasonable. Also, we got to thinking and it occured to me that with the boat full of fuel, it's carrying a lot of weight (350 gallons), and perhaps with the tanks a little lower it will pick up some speed.
