NEW BOAT NEWS
By Tom Dove
Albin Express Trawler
Albin had a great success with its trawler yachts a decade ago, and they remain in great demand on the used market. This cruiser is the company's latest take on the trawler concept, a marriage between a liveaboard cruising layout and powerboat speed. While the length on deck is 33 feet, the swim platform adds another 3 feet, and the builder describes the boat as a "33 plus 3" vessel.

A look a the specifications shows that this is a totally different kind of boat from the classic displacement hull, low-powered, long-range double-cabin trawlers of the 1980s. The modified V-hull has a deadrise of 12 degrees, and with a fuel capacity of 380 gallons and big diesels, this boat is clearly intended to go faster for shorter distances. It's aimed at the kind of coastal cruising most families do, not at crossing oceans.

The main saloon and galley are up, providing a fine view of the world either at rest or under way, and also gives easy passage to the covered afterdeck. The slightly raised helm station overlooks a salty-looking forward raked windshield, and gunwales offer security when moving onto the foredeck. Anchoring and docking should be easy with this sort of access. There's a nice flybridge with ample seating, and the hardtop over the afterdeck looks like a natural space for a dinghy. From all angles, this is a handsome vessel.

The boat can handle either single or twin engines. With twin 270-hp Cummins diesels, the boat cruises at 16 knots, burning about 12 gallons per hour and topping out at 20 knots. At displacement speeds, it burns around 5 gallons per hour with the twins.

Chesapeake Bay Magazine June 1999
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