Possiable liveaboard conversion??

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albin43

albin43

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2009
Messages
233
Location
US
Vessel Make
Albin 43 Trawler
this boat is about 40-46 ft long, 1940's or maybe 50's era. Powered by a single detroit 6-71. originally used on seneca lake as a tug/ dive boat.

she has been on the hard for about 10 years and needs PLENTY of work in order to re commision her.

Possiable liveaboard conversion? build a cabin the length of the boat, diesel boiler system, lots of insulation....

this is my first winter as a liveaboard here in rochester NY onboard my albin 43..

i installed a nice boiler system and it keeps warm but there really no insulation in this boat.. so its got me thinking about the long run and maybe making something thats more suitable for WNY and the heavy ice we get. right now I have to run 3 bubblers 24/7.


tell me your thoughts or ideas..






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So, you have this nice looking boat, its warm, and you have to run bubblers 24/7. I have a great idea; just send me the 300-400K (or more) that it will take to fix up that boat and I'll buy you a nice little house here in Baton Rouge and pay your power bills for the next 5 years. Whatever's left over I get to keep. Sound good?
Mike
 
haha i know im a nut case... i love my albin but im obsessed with commerical boats.. something about them. plus im a welder so i could built everything myself.. running bubblers doesnt bother me, but if i had a steel hull i wouldnt need to. i dont think it would cost a quater of that price either
 
RT Firefly wrote:

Albin,
Get one of these...http://www.apolloduck.us/feature.phtml?id=56554
Click to expand...
oh i know alll about the T boats, i love them, thats MY DREAM boat. 100tons of amazing! haha but there a little out of my price range... plus id need to take it about 60 miles to haul out and the cost would be about 4k just for the rail....

maybe someday...

*
 
Why would you*want *to that boat needs alot of work ? save your money and buy a little tug if thats what you want.
 
Frankly I don't think there's enough reserve buoyancy in that hull to add a full deck house or much of anything else. I'm completely with you on the idea though. I'd say keep looking and keep thinking outside the box.
 
Looks like the after deck might be long enough to hold a small Airstream.

A 22ft is only 18 -19 ft with the tongue chopped off.

Nice cheap (a grand or two max) place to get away from the project.

Finished with heat water system , holding tanks sink shower , all the lifestyle , for tiny bucks.
 
Don't do it.
At the end of the day you would still have an old work boat that would only be marginal at best for live aboard purposes. To do it right, you would sink a boatload of money into it with little or no resale value. The old tugboats are sometimes hard to resist. What makes a tug good for towing-big deep belly/draft/weight/ horsepower also make it impractical for our purposes (no interior room). You can do better for a conversion! Some of the old military boats, or gov't agency patrol type boats are better candidates. Every boatyard has an "unloved" boat that some owner wants to "go away". These are the low money candidates you should try to find. especially in this economy!
 
Take this and turn it into this.
*Can you see the first boat in the second.* The problem I found in using something old (1954) and turning it into something new is I could never get my money out of it.* If you were to get that old tug for nothing*or very little money it may be worth it to build some kind of liveaboard out of it.* It would pay to stick to the original lines and maybe just a small cabin on the back.**Older tugs like these usually have a narrow beam and a little more draft than most would like.* Very little*usable space inside.* The key here is whether it is something you want to keep*for a long time.* When it comes to time to sell you may have a hard time.*
* I learned my lesson the hard way.* Lots of money to buy the original boat and just about had to give it away so that I wouldn't have two boat slips to rent.


-- Edited by LarryW on Monday 15th of February 2010 02:12:52 PM
 

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You want a commercial boat conversion for a liveaboard? Don't know about back east but out here you trip over candidates every time you turn around. Here are two of the best I've ever seen. The big one is a conversion of a 58' Limit Seiner that was done up in the Vancouver, BC area. The smaller one is a conversion from a salmon troller.

Not working boats in the manner of tugs, crew boats, oil-rig boats, forestry boats, etc., but stoutly built with superstructure lines that lend themselves to being extended very aesthetically if done properly.

There also all manner of coastal tugs up here and as they are replaced by newer, more efficient tugs the old ones come on the market from time to time.* I took the tug photo on False Creek in Vancouver and it's typical of the breed.



-- Edited by Marin on Monday 15th of February 2010 08:13:37 PM
 

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more and more i think about it i really want to keep what ive got
 
The Baton Rouge house idea is still an option, just let me know. We had a sunny and warm day today, temp 60 something. Out for a little ride tomorrow, should be nice.
Mike
 
I think a wise move, unless you're bored and have plenty disposable dollars.
 
i just have to draw the line between liking commerical boats and wanting to live on one. i have a great boat and just invested alot into a heat system.. im gonna sit tight with this and enjoy it.
 
Look for a finished conversion. Someone else with the desire to have a converted workboat, who has already spent the $500k that the conversion cost, and who will happily sell it to you for $100k, cause that is all he can get for it, and the sale will relieve him of the further expenses of hanging on to it. There are lots of them around. Good luck in your search.
 
BornSailor2 wrote:

Albin 43 - I believe you made the right decision at this time to stay put but if you have that dream about the commercial boat I believe you should go for it some time in the future. I have been around commercial boats all my life and nothing compares to them for interior room safety and price. Some of the figures that have been stated to refit are way off course. A sound commercial vessel can be purchased at a lower price than a glass one. And the money invested is gradual and fun to do. The reason I believe is that most cruisers and live aboards state differently are they have a female partner who needs to have the 'pretty ness"......... :).
It only takes about $50,000.00 to take a nice sound commercial boat to that stage. So keep that dream alive and go for it some day. Especiially if you can do your own welding. All you need is a good Miller 115/230 mig. You should see the interiors of some of these conversions. Room to spare - stand up engine room with shop - some have double plated bows for ice for the northern live aboards. When you see one ask the owner to look around and and you will be surprised. They are also the most popular boats at the marinas for getting to know that future special female also - They are attention drawers......... :)

BS
Click to expand...
Thanks for the kind reply, i agree with you on the 50k mark. the 200-300k stated earlyer is insane. my father did a nice conversion of a ferry for that number and it was done first class.

ill keep looking, someday ill be in a better position to do so. untill then this albin will do just fine

*
 
BS, ive got my 100 ton ticket, i dont have sail endorsement but i do have assist towing.. id love to go down the hudson to NYC, ive never been much past kingston NY.

what do you do for a living?
 
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