Pride albatross

[xjonox]

Just bought an old 83 albatross. 17.3ft powered by a 90hp, late 80's evinrude.

Im used to taking out my snipe tinny thats something like 13 ft, so as youd imagine,

for me its gonna take some getting used to such a big boat.

Havent launched it yet,,,i dont really know how these boats handle but i guess ill find out.

Any advice from launching/retrieving,,,, to pushing my luck offshore would be greatly appreciated.

cheers

[deckie]

They're nice boats with the added benefit of a great big cabin for its size. I think they were more designed as a family cruising "allrounder" rather than serious fishwork, but you can look at that as a positive coz its easy to set it up for fishing and you get the benefit of lots of weather protection, plus the ability to sleep onboard/o'night fishing/weekends coz from memory the bunks are pretty generous for its size. Added benefit of lots of fwd storage, and u can easily make lots more coz the lengthwise side pockets in the cabin are shrimps compared to what you can mae them. Beware though...lots of people modify glass boats and dont realise even something like cabin side pockets can be an integral structural part tying it all together. The rear seats are easy chopped and shaped for more space if u want it but no real need. Freeboard not great but they give u the impression they'd look sweet and be functional with full length shaped 22mm stainless rails starting at the helm all the way back. I'm spending your hard earnt already ;D.

Couple of things...not a deep hull but there's another aspect that shows it wasnt really meant for offshore work and thats the big front windows on the cabin...they look like they'd cave straight in with any serious water over the bow. Went out on one maybe 20yrs ago a cpl of times and thought it was brillaint but from memory we werent offshore. For a <6-7m ish trailerboat heading offshore i like seeing a rounded front with no windows and a truly solid/ reinforced or fwd facing windscreen. This one has none but remember if you have any common sense its highly unlikely you;ll ever need it anyway. If conditions are borderline just say NO. She might skate a bit downhill in following swells so you should get plenty of practice at bay/harbour entrances that dont have a bar to cross. Stay away from any sort of bar crossing and lauch somewhere sensible with flat water to start. All boats this size can broach badly no matter what they say and its more about the skipper than the boat. Easy to head into a choppy sea in most boats but the true test is coming home after the wind gets up...in a shallower draft 5m rig thats the stuff to practice before thinking you can tackle those 5mile reefs..especially coz you;re coming off a smaller v light rig.

Handling is about the skipper rather than the boat you're on, especially offshore....i;d rather be on a 4.5m rig with an experienced skipper than a new 90K cruisecraft with a novice at the wheel, or at the wheel of a rig they dont know. Slowly get your confidence up.

I assume u checked the transom and underneath so i wont go there other than to remind you how important it is to have a boat that floats..choppy offshore tests every aspect. Motor is a little underpowered for her for offshore, and once again that needs to be totally reliable. To be honest basis your motor i'd be looking around now for a reliable latish model auxilliary for the back...main thing tho is not to be out in any poor conditions in the first place with a donk thats aging/unreliable.
Sealed deck from memory which is good but go around checking for hairline cracks where the deck meets the hull. Especially look around your feet at the helm where the sidepockets meet the main cabin bulkhead...look for any signs she's been stressed or flogged badly in the past...you;ve got no control over what other people do to rigs. Definitely invest in a biggish emergency bilge pump in case u take any green water over the back...not a bait pump, something at least around the 2500+gph...cheap necessary insurance. Put an outlet about 25cm back from the transom out the side about 2/3 up from the waterline.
For your first trip out try to pick a weekday and leave the bunk cushions at home and grab some heavy bags of something...if u have/need some pebbles/sand for the garden use them. What u want to do is experiment with weight up fwd and see how it handles. Helps bigtime later on and can help plenty of older hulls get better performance/fuel savings especially with only an 80 on it. They werent designed for big transom weights so dont go thinking about a big 4 stroke on the back for xmas. Check the specs/weight rather than hp rating if the hull...if updating a good second hand 115 2stk would make her ming along tho and give the grunt u need for the close offshore stuff u might want to do. In the meantime at least consider that small auxilliary option with a VHF onboard if heading out.

Check ALL the safety gear on board and update coz its your life and those onboard...place things whilst imagining an emergency rather than where they fit. Make up a solid rope about 30m as a tow just in case your motor isnt all u thought it was. Maybe think about a full service with your local guy and a comp test for peace of mind...ask him to replace the impellor and check the water pump...or at least check the telltail/exhaust first trip out to make sure plenty of water is being pumped...assume nothing has been checked for 10yrs.

Hand winch or electric ?..not a heavy boat for size at all but try to at least pick a shallower type ramp for first time. Same deal you;re used to with the tinnie but its your first chance to see if the rollers actually roll. If she doesnt come off easy assume that first trip u need to park her tied up then go check out the trailer properly in the carpark...take some tools with you and have a real good look. Afterall she's useless if you need to be king kong just to get it on and off. Before you go check the eyebolt and winch cable condition and consider a new cable/spectra before first trip if it looks rusty or the clip looks dodgy....keep the boat lightish first up and the shallower ramp. You can expect to few light cracks/groans as u winch but if excessive have a good look. Check the battery NOW coz things dont work well without a good one. Consider taking a second batt or jump starter on first trip if batt isnt newish just in case. Check the fuel lines arent cracked/old and especially the bulb and its connection to fuel lines...common easy fixed issue is fuel line connections on older second hand donks coz they're often in the sun for yrs and yrs.

Take one with you and get new bungs...cheap peace of mind and dont forget to whack em in before letting her slide off ;D. Assume power tilt and flat water for first trip...tilt motor down to take off then gradually up on the plane and play with tilt to trim nose up..you'll hear the engine note change and speed rise. Something you need to get used to and will need in any sort of following sea. The ride will alter a lot depending on your trim. Sick of typing hope that helps a little.

[oldie]

is that a few pages from your personal memoirs deckie?!! great advice all round,

i have a 96 caribbean and have only had it out a couple of times, newer hull shape and tried my best to nose dive it today and it powers thru no broaching what so ever, got a bit wet but feeling confident the 120V4 has a Shite load of power on the back, more than i need looking to down grade to a 90HP 3 cylinder, so if you are chasing a reliable 94 model 120HP for the new albatross give me a PM I love the Caribbean Boats old and new Enjoy the new rig

[stue2]

Hi Jono. I fished out of one of these for years. caught a lot of fish. Only remember putting the nose under once in real short sea. It went well but it ran a 120 evinrude which was heaps.
If you have a mate with a boat make a run with the two of them untill you become familiar. I think you will find that the albatross is'nt tough to handle.

As Deckie states take a spare battery, check your fuel leads and impeller on the muffs at home before you launch it.

BTW dont unhook it untill it's in enough water to float. I have seen plenty of heavier glass boats with bad scratches on the keel.

cheers, Stu

[xjonox]

Nice Work deckie!
ive read your message about 3 times and ill be reading it a few more to soak it up,,,Also oldie how much you selling your 120hp for? what brand is it?
And Cheers for the ramp advice stue.

had a boat inspector go over it before sale....
Yep transom was a little weak on inspection, (we jumped up and down on the shaft to see if it moved) it did, but was told to install a 15mm alluminium plate to spread the load and that should last for years to come.

Outboard starts first time which is handy, Telltail all good too.

also i did plan on including an auxilary motor and spare battery before putting my nuts on the line offshore. And yeah ill have to pick my days cause ive been told when it chops up, im gonna want as much power as i can get, to get the hell outta there as fast as possible.
Also great advice about the trailer, its a hand winch btw.
Deckie thanks heaps for the advice mate, your a champ. ill be taking her out (just in the bay) next week.
Cheers

[stue2]

I've got a feeling that this boat will only get better.

Enjoy.

As much as you can cause its good for the steering cables

[oldie]

the 120HP is an Evinrude (OMC) so same as johnson price wise not sure have to think about it, prob close to 3k based on whats online for sale