Albacore

   Hi All 

I am seriously considering buying an Albacore as a second boat - mostly for club racing and possibly some opens or local regattas etc.

I dont want to spend a huge amount of time on maintenance but have always loved the all vanished hulls.

With modern epoxy and vanishes is it still a really major job looking after a wooden hull and can they be left out (under a cover of course) in winter ?

For my budget the choices seem to be a 5 - 6 year old Speed plastic boat or late 1980s woodie.

Any advice would be great - plus any general hints for buying.

Cheers

Rich

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rich96 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 20 Jan 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 596	Post Options Post Reply Quote rich96 Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Albacore Posted: 14 Aug 11 at 11:30am
	Hi All I am seriously considering buying an Albacore as a second boat - mostly for club racing and possibly some opens or local regattas etc. I dont want to spend a huge amount of time on maintenance but have always loved the all vanished hulls. With modern epoxy and vanishes is it still a really major job looking after a wooden hull and can they be left out (under a cover of course) in winter ? For my budget the choices seem to be a 5 - 6 year old Speed plastic boat or late 1980s woodie. Any advice would be great - plus any general hints for buying. Cheers Rich

kurio99 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Groupie Joined: 18 Dec 09 Location: Canada Online Status: Offline Posts: 65	Post Options Post Reply Quote kurio99 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 16 Aug 11 at 12:12am
	Plastic seems like such a ugly term. Fiberglass is light weight and very easily repaired. You can stow it behind some weeds and decades later, give it a good buff to bring back the shine. We like to reserve the word 'plastic' for the rotomolded boats. Yes, wood is beautiful but I see the guys sanding and varnishing these things every couple of years. There are going to be places with little to no air circulation, where it's going to be a constant battle against rot. In the winter, under a tarp, damp ground, and no air circulation may increase your chances of rot. I find that tarps are not always 100% effective - they sometimes trap a bit a dampness where they lie against the thing that you are protecting. Rot can move pretty quick. The best of both worlds would seem to be a hybrid (see JJ Boats, http://www.jjboats.co.uk/boats/albacore) where the hull is fiberglass and the deck is wood. You don't have to worry about leaks from rot and the deck is less likely to experience problems from rot than the hull. The hull is the part that takes the beating, so the easy repair nature of fiberglass helps there.

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6662	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 16 Aug 11 at 8:33am
	The main thing about wooden boats is that you have to pick up on minor problems before they become major ones. But if you do that they'll easily outlast plastic and won't need that much work. You just have to do it as soon as it needs it, not postpone it until you have a free weekend and suddenly its 8 weeks later... Frost is the big enemy so you need to have made sure every last bit of wood is protected before the serious cold starts. Other than that, leave the hatches open, get in the habit of leaving the end of the mainsheet looped out through the bungs to let water wick away and you will be fine.

patj Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 16 Jul 04 Location: Wiltshire Online Status: Offline Posts: 643	Post Options Post Reply Quote patj Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 16 Aug 11 at 6:49pm
	I know one of the eighties woodies currently up for sale has been very carefully looked after and garaged every winter and cost the owner a considerable sum and lots of sanding and varnishing time to keep it in good condition. Unlike our plastic one which just sat out in the garden! The class website has a number of boats for sale at present, including composites. Edited by patj - 16 Aug 11 at 6:52pm

Ruscoe Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 12 Jan 10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1514	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ruscoe Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 Aug 11 at 3:01pm
	Jim is right, Make sure you get a good quality breathable cover and if its an all varnished one try and get a cover with a longer skirt to protect from UV. Woofs, Kingsfields and late youngs are the hulls to have when it comes to wood. Although a boat builder friend and Albacore sailor says that the cascamite used to glue the wooden boats is now starting to fail (he repairs and varnishes lots of the wooden fleet in the area), its not a problem repairing, but can be laborous. I think there were build problems with the Speed boats, but i should imagine if they have got this far, tey will be sorted by now. The new Ovi boats look sweet and the JJ/GT racind composite Alb (ovi hull) that Mark Fowler and James Jarvey have devloped is a super slick peice of kit, very nice. My brother used to have an old Porter Albacore, its still at our club and still going as quick as the woof's we have their, it holds its own at opens and is very well made.


timeintheboat Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 01 Feb 07 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 615	Post Options Post Reply Quote timeintheboat Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 Aug 11 at 5:05pm
	Good to see that there are some Albs on the market again. I looked a few months ago and there was nothing. There looks some good stuff there now. Heart says wood is good, head says plastic. Time to take the tape measure to the garage. I am seriously considering one despite one sail to few as they do appear to be a formidable weight carrier. How comfortable for the crew in the light stuff (I will be asked!)
	Like some other things - sailing is more enjoyable when you do it with someone else