Mainship Pilot 30 vs Albin 28

I realize that my posts on here seem all over the map, but here is a new question.* While I am drawn to the whole trawler idea/lifestyle, it looks like for our first boat at least, speed is going to be an issue.* This is due to the fact that we would like the boat close to home and there is a nice marina 15 min away (Redwood City, CA) but our anticipated uses of the boat (day cruising with perhaps a weekend thrown in) happen to be 25-35 miles north (San Francisco end of the SF Bay).* A 4 hour cruise one-way is just too big of a bite out of the day, but berthing the boat farther north just decreases the number of times I would get to the boat at all.

So in looking around, I have found these 2 boats that fit the bill (sort-of).* Any thoughts on the similarities/differences or desirability of each? Also, feel free to critique the thought process that came up with these 2 choices!* I know they aren't really trawlers, so I apologize for asking the question here, but I value the "trawler" input!

Thanks,

JC

P.S. A Camano 31 fits a lot of the criteria too, and is closer to a true trawler (I think?) but for now the admiral likes the downeast profile, and the extra speed)

Wow! This post reminds me of myself, about 7 years ago. I too wanted a little cruiser that could do exactly what you've defined the boat's mission to be. I looked at the Albin 28 and although it had a good turn of speed, it lacked the room and birth of the Mainship Pilot 30, so I bought the Mainship. I had the Mainship about 2 years and though it wasn't as fast as the Albin, it was a great boat. One of my main complaints* about the Mainship is that it's a little "tender" in a beam sea. ("Tender" means quite a bit of roll, back and forth when encountering waves on your beam.) The bed was OK but certainly not as good as the Mainship Pilot II. Seating for guests is along the sides of the interior and my wife and guests were not nuts about that. I then started looking at small trawlers and toured a Camano 31 in Seattle. Great little trawler, a fair turn of speed and the creature comforts are as good or better than I've seen in trawlers of that size. My heart, however, was with the Island Gypsy 32 even though for the most part she is a 9 knot boat. I learned to love that speed when cruising as did my wife. When she drives, things aren't happening so fast as to freak her out and the cruise is delightful!

All boats are a compromise and I think you'll find that speed is not on the top of the list. I did.

I agree with your wife about the "Down East Look". One of the main reasons I ended up with the Halvorsen Gourmet Ctuiser.

John Baker has a Mainship Pilot 30 and may shed more light on that boat.

Good luck in your search.

Walt



The first photo was my 1999 mainship Pilot 30
The second photo is Dave Hawkin's Island Gypsy 32 (great boat!)
The third photo is Morry Miller's Halvorsen Gourmet Cruiser 32 (Same as mine)











-- Edited by SeaHorse II on Friday 8th of October 2010 11:00:09 AM

The only Mainship I like is the Pilot 30 and I really do like it. One of our moderators has one and it even attracts lots of beautiful women. Of course I'm largely attracted to the boat. Tell us about your boat John. The Albin 28 is an Albin in name only * *...not made in Sweden like the older Albins and has no connection other than the name. They look like the've got lots of power, not much efficiency and seem to be built well. There are quite a few non-trawler people here so don't be shy about that. If you want speed (and are capable of and willing to pay for it) and are attracted to the trawler style the Camano Troll seems perfect for you. It's not a blue water boat by any stretch but very roomy, very stylish and I think probably quite efficient for such a fast boat. As for downeast boats there is almost an endless variety to chose from but not on the west coast. Ther'e are those here that know all about shipping so if it becomes an option * *.... ask. If you can afford the fuel or don't plan on going very far (SF Bay is not that big) a totally non trawler boat may be very attractive and used boats of that type are cheap now. The looking is over when it's over so enjoy it and consider it educational too.

JC wrote:


P.S. A Camano 31 fits a lot of the criteria too, and is closer to a true trawler (I think?) but for now the admiral likes the downeast profile, and the extra speed)

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The solution to your dilemma is dirt simple---- get an Eastbay.* If you want a flying bridge you can get it that way although I don't think it looks as good.....




*

Oh man... I wish I would have seen this earlier. I don't know if I have enough time for a full and proper response....but I will give it a go.

My first inclination is that both boats will serve your purpose just fine. If you just HAVE to have those few extra knots, then the Albin is the way to go. If you want style, then the Mainship is the way to go. The Mainship also is a bit more roomy inside. I wouldn't call the Albin ugly, but it sure isn't all that great looking in my opinion. Another thing, most Albin 28s cater to the fisherman...so it does serve well as a fishing boat(bait boxes...fish boxes,etc) if that means anything to you.

Now Walt might be able to help you out reference the engine in his boat and what speed it could make. But, I will warn you that if you are looking at "older models"(2002 and older), their engines were smaller and the hull shape was different. That means they are even slower than the A28. There is a guy in our Marina that has a 1998 Pilot with the same Engine as my 2004 and at 2800RPMs, his speed is 12kts....mine is 15kts. So the hull redesign did make a big difference. He feels he is pushing too much water at that speed and cruises in the 9-10kt range. My boat is quite happy at that power setting and doing 15kts....all day long. Anyway, 2003s and Newer are consdered Pilot IIs. If you are looking at new ones then they have since redesigned and they are now Pilot 31s(BTW, I love what they did with the boat).

With all of this said....I like the interior layout of the older boat. Granted, the bed area is a V-berth set up but the way it is done in my boat takes up the front 10 feet of the boat. You basically hit the landing from the companionway and there is a galley "module" to port...head to starboard...and berth ahead....kinda nowhere to go.

I don't know what your budget is and don't know how honest you are being with yourself reference how you will use the boat....but these boats are VERY nice day boats with over night accommodations. Do I spend the night on mine...sure. But you go below for a purpose(sleep,eat,pee,etc). You don't go down just to hang out. There just isn't enough room to feel leisurely down below. If you can afford it and you think you need more space below, check out the 34s. If what I described is what you are looking for, they are excellent boats and extremely efficient for a planing boat. I get 3+mpg!!!(15kts@5gph) with an overall average of 4gph due to idling thru no wake zones,etc.

I have to say, our boat does get a lot of comments ref her looks...a damn handsome boat for sure. they do look a lot better with the tan gelcoat versus the white.

Anyway, that is all I got for now...I gotta go fly the friendly skies. Please feel free to ask me whatever you want. My boat is for sale as well. Strictly because we want something bigger. Will let it go for a song. I realize you are in the bay area but my deal still might make it worth shipping and these boats ship very well since there is no flybridge and a relatively narrow beam.

If the cruising grounds are only 25-30 miles further then why does berthing the boat less then half an hour further by car reduce the times you'll get to the boat?

-- Edited by Daddyo on Friday 8th of October 2010 06:08:44 PM

JC wrote:

we would like the boat close to home and there is a nice marina 15 min away (Redwood City, CA) but our anticipated uses of the boat (day cruising with perhaps a weekend thrown in) happen to be 25-35 miles north (San Francisco end of the SF Bay).* A 4 hour cruise one-way is just too big of a bite out of the day, but berthing the boat farther north just decreases the number of times I would get to the boat at all.

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Hmmmm....* Your cruising grounds are 25-35 miles away.* That's what, less than an hour by car.* We keep our boat in Bellingham which is exactly*100 miles from our house.* We go up to the boat almost every weekend year round either to go out on it or work on it or, if the winds are too strong to go out, just stay on it like a getaway cabin.* Sometimes we just go up for the*day.*

One reason we keep the boat in Bellingham is that*we can be in the middle of*the San Juan islands in a couple of hours after leaving our slip.* People who keep*our kind of boat in the Seattle area*(and*who aren't retired) can take a cruise to the islands maybe*once or twice a year--- it's a day-plus run for them.**On a weekend you*just get in sight of them and you have to turn around and go home.* So they don't go*unless they take a vacation.

It takes us about an hour and a half to two hours max to drive to our boat from our house and the car we do it in gets 35 mpg.**Your drive would be way less than ours*if you kept the boat closer to your cruising grounds.* Your car will go a lot faster and use a lot less fuel than a fast boat that you run the 35 miles up the bay to where you want to boat.

Something to consider maybe.....

-- Edited by Marin on Friday 8th of October 2010 06:33:26 PM

Marin and Daddyo are spot on there JC. I used to lust after the concept of having a canal front house, with boat on a jetty/pontoon at the foot of the back garden - once. Ok, it would make working on it a bit easier, but when I actually got my boat, I bought a marina berth 33kn south of where we live in Brisbane, which was the nearest, but also opens out right into the middle of the lower part of the Bay. Ok, it takes me 25 minutes to be there by car, but then when we leave the marina, we are already in one of the best parts of Moreton Bay. By contrast, since I have now taken my boat upriver or canal past many of those same homes I envied, and realised how long it would take at the mandatory 6 kn max for a boat our size to even get out of the canals or river into the bay, let alone to somewhere pleasant to go, it became clear that 33 kms (x 5/9 for your miles) in the car was the quickest bit, and easily the best way to travel.
I often go back and forth on both Saturday and Sunday when working on it no problem, (it's an ok drive), and as long as you are careful to take everything you will need......all is well.* I have only once forgotten my marina security card & boat key....that was not a good day...he...he.

-- Edited by Peter B on Saturday 9th of October 2010 02:02:57 AM

Where JC wants to cruise are the highest slip rates in the US. I sure wouldn't want to keep my boat there. I think he's on the right track.

SeaHorse II wrote:

Where JC wants to cruise are the highest slip rates in the US. I sure wouldn't want to keep my boat there. I think he's on the right track.

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That's a consideration, too.* We're lucky in that in this area the closer you keep your boat to the prime cruising grounds the cheaper it gets.* Slip rates up north near the islands range from 1/3 to 1/2 of what the rates are in the Tacoma-Seattle-Everett area.

*

We had an Albin 28 Flush Deck for 2 years and loved it; *315 Yanmar cruised her at 18 kts, top end about 22. Fuel consumption was not something I tracked in that boat but I don't remember cyring at the fuel dock. It would handle 5 ft seas in the Chesapeake as well as our 42 GB but with a drier ride (the GB is a wet boat). The accomadations were Spartan but adequate. The dinnette dropped to a berth; the galley was tight but we usually ended up at a marina (no genset). We had a VacuFlush in the head. The Albin 32 (new builder changed the 31) is considerably larger with a separate dbl berth under the cockpit if you need more room. Albin went TU in '07 I think and C&C Marine is now building the 28, 32 and 35 in Rhode Island, they also build North Coast boats. When we sold the 28 it was shipped out to Marin's neck of the woods as I recall, maybe BC. Really wish I still owned it as she was solid.

An update...and thanks

After what has seemed like a long process, we are the new owners of a 2001 Albin 28. It is a Gatsby edition, so its a little more set up as a picnic boat than for fishing, with a back bench and a cushion for the engine box to provide seating in the cockpit. The larger open cockpit/smaller berth vs smaller cockpit/larger berth was what swung us to the Albin vs Mainship. I looked at a number of this vintage Albin, and ended up buying the one that was in by far the best exterior condition.* The only problem is that it is on the east coast, so it goes on a truck this week, bound for the SF Bay.

Thanks to all the members of this forum for putting up with my novice questions, and all the helpful input!* If anyone is interested, I will post a pic once we get her in her new home.

JC

PS The price of local slips was mentioned earlier in this thread.* For those of you who don't know, slips in the SF/Sausalito area go for $11/ft and up...down where our boat will be berthed is slightly less than $7/ft.

Congratulations!!! And don't apologize for asking questions....that is what we are here for!!!

Hiya,
** Congrat's on the new baby and what Mr. Baker said-Don't apologise for the questions.* Questions AND answers help all of us out.* I for one, would love to see pictures.

RT Firefly wrote:I for one, would love to see pictures.

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I'm sure RT meant "pictures of the boat".*

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause! You'll do well in your search as is evidenced by
your post.

*

Hiya,
** Mr. SeaHorse.* Of course pictures of the boat you silly goose.* What else would I want to see pictures of?

JC** I sailed SF Bay for*20yrs (although it's been ten yrs since), kept my boat in the marina at Emmeryville and drove down from Sacramento on weekends.* In fact, my boat was on the hard in the Berkley marina yard when Loma Prieta hit in 1989.* I do*remember that that on most weekends during the summer, when the Sac valley heated up, the wind would blow 30+ knots down the city front and be very cold.* If*the wind didn't blow, there was the famous (notorious) SF fog to deal with.* Sometimes both.* It seems that most of the folks with trawler*type boats*would head up*to the Delta where it was warm and sunny*with hundreds of miles of great cruising grounds.* There are many facilities on the Delta that cater just to cruisers.* Back on SF bay itself there aren't many places*to cruise to other than Ayala Cove at Angel Island.* Most of the cruisers that stayed on the bay just did marina hopping as it would get very "bumpy" out on the bay due to to the short but steep waves being funneled in through the G Gate.* I loved sailing on the bay, but the few times that I did go out in a power boat it seemed like we did a lot pounding.* There are a couple of nice places to cruise to*on San Pablo bay like China Camp and McNears Beach. The cruise up to Pt. Reyes is also a nice overnight trip if you don't mind going out on the ocean.**I also remember the channel into the Redwood City marina being very challenging, especially at*low tide.**It seems like*lot of folks with trawlers that live in the bay area keep their boats up in the Delta, mostly in the Stockton area all year and don't mind the drive.* Anyway, enjoy your new toy (I'm in the market myself).* I live in Folsom so if you need a hand with your boat , let me know.*****

-- Edited by KJ on Thursday 9th of December 2010 03:54:26 PM

KJ wrote:

JC** I sailed SF Bay for*20yrs ...

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Except for the periodic storms, Fall and Winter seasons are the calmest (least winds) in the Bay.* Spring and Summer winds (caused by the superheating of the inland "Great Valley") are frequently strong, and combined*with strong ebb tides, create extremely choppy conditions.* But then I suppose you all know that.

*

Hiya,
** Ah yes those ebb tides......(warning: NOT to be watched before your first cup of coffee in the morning...)

RT Firefly wrote:

Hiya,
** Ah yes those ebb tides......(warning: NOT to be watched before your first cup of coffee in the morning...)

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You must enjoy Bob Hope on Classis Radio also.

*

Hiya,
** Mr. JD.* Nope, not a big Hope fan

RT Firefly wrote:

Hiya,
** Mr. JD.* Nope, not a big Hope fan

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Jerry was a regular guest there.

*

JC wrote:

After what has seemed like a long process, we are the new owners of a 2001 Albin 28. It is a Gatsby edition, so its a little more set up as a picnic boat than for fishing, with a back bench and a cushion for the engine box to provide seating in the cockpit. The larger open cockpit/smaller berth vs smaller cockpit/larger berth was what swung us to the Albin vs Mainship. I looked at a number of this vintage Albin, and ended up buying the one that was in by far the best exterior condition.* The only problem is that it is on the east coast, so it goes on a truck this week, bound for the SF Bay.

Thanks to all the members of this forum for putting up with my novice questions, and all the helpful input!* If anyone is interested, I will post a pic once we get her in her new home.

JC

PS The price of local slips was mentioned earlier in this thread.* For those of you who don't know, slips in the SF/Sausalito area go for $11/ft and up...down where our boat will be berthed is slightly less than $7/ft.

Click to expand...

Are you keeping it at West Point or the municipal marina?* we really must talk!**

We cruise all the time all over the bay.** The wind machine usually does not turn on until 1pm so if it is going to be windy, just get to your destination early.* or*depending where you are going,*if the wind is with the tide it really isn't too bad, unless it is EXTRA hot in the valley and*thus EXTRA windy.**i forget, what is your boating experience?

I too like having the boat close.* It is 10 mins from my office and I frequently stop by during the day or after work and we stay on it almost every Fri & Sat.* we stayed on it last night.* If it was on the delta or closer to the main bay the drive to work this morning would have been a bear.* It just depends what your plans are!* we were offered to keep the boats slip in Sausalito but the traffic getting up there was horrendous when we'd gone to look at it.* I'd rather spend my time on the boat or on the water....

*