Albin AD-21 engine on boat in Mexico

[chowdan]

Hey everyone,

I am looking at purchasing a boat down in Mexico. She's a Coronado 35 CC ketch with an Albin AD-21 diesel onboard. The owners replaced the heat exchanger in 2015 with a new one and they say she runs great.

The boat will be used to sail the Sea of Cortez and possibly the Pacific side of Mexico.

I was hoping to get some insights from some of you on the engine and if they are of concerns. They dont seem to be a common engine in the Americas(seems like they are a Europe/Sweden based engine) so I worry that something breaks, shipping parts in is going to be costly(rebuilding seems like the way to go if something goes haywire?)

Any tips/insights would be great about this engine!

[Cheechako]

I dont know too much but have heard getting parts is very iffy. Also, the Coronado is a very old boat, almost to the point of being a near free boat even up here in the states unless it's in prime condition. There are many for sale at 15k or above but they never seem to get sold. Often boats left in Mexico or other places get neglected a long time. Owners get down there and it's a tough road back up. They get disillusioned. Keep that in mind... so dont pay much at all for that boat.

[chowdan]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I dont know too much but have heard getting parts is very iffy. Also, the Coronado is a very old boat, almost to the point of being a near free boat even up here in the states unless it's in prime condition. There are many for sale at 15k or above but they never seem to get sold. Often boats left in Mexico or other places get neglected a long time. Owners get down there and it's a tough road back up. They get disillusioned. Keep that in mind... so dont pay much at all for that boat.

Thanks for the tip! I had wondered about the Coronado as well. We have a maximum budget of $15k so we'd like to spend less to give us some extra change for possible upgrade/repairs.

The engine was the biggest thing that turned me away from that boat, but figured I'd ask around and see what some say.

Our boat deal fell through in February so we packed backpacks and spent the last 5 months in Europe (return to the US for a wedding in Sept) and we plan on spending next sailing season in Sea of Cortez, so hoping we will be able to find a 32-35foot boat in our price range.

[Cheechako]

For a Coronado located in mexico, I'd definitely do some low ball offer on it. maybe $5k. All depends on condition and gear really.
Got a link? Maybe some of us can try to assess it. The boat is 40-45 years old. But at least the 35 had a skeg supported rudder... IIRC. Some other models had a spade rudder on a rather small shaft, again.... IIRC.

[chowdan]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

For a Coronado located in mexico, I'd definitely do some low ball offer on it. maybe $5k. All depends on condition and gear really.
Got a link? Maybe some of us can try to assess it. The boat is 40-45 years old. But at least the 35 had a skeg supported rudder... IIRC. Some other models had a spade rudder on a rather small shaft, again.... IIRC.

Wow when you said low ball, you really meant it! I did quite a lot of searching for reviews on them, but very little info is out there on them. Here is the link to the listing.

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/66347

The boat would be used in Sea of Cortez, and maybe brought back up to the US in the Baha bash, but likely would be left down there and sold when we are done, granted plans change so who knows what will happen.

[Cheechako]

sent you a pm.

[svrodeorm]

Albin was a small engine in Sweden that was bought by Volvo Penta ( Penta also was a small engine maker in Sweden)

This was how Volvo became a player in the marine engine business. They never produced any small Diesel engines originally by their own design.

Albin are good engines but spare are likely not that easy to find anymore.

More modern "volvox" are Perkins with a Volvo sticker in them. The latest generation are Shibaura, a Japanese brand, since Perkins no longer make their own small Diesel engines either. Volvo buy them thru Perkins so just another middleman really.

Volvo policy on spare part price are all known, and best avoided IMHO, but they market their engines aggressively on the OEM segment, I.e. Boat builders. Many new boats come with Volvo as default, the owner then paying it over the life span of the engine in terribly expensive parts

[jamhass]

Have a GOOD diesel mechanic inspect the engine. If in La Paz, I can recommend a local mechanic if you PM me.

[capt jgw]

A couple years back I repowered my 1969 Columbia which had an Albin in it. There are NO parts available for this engine in the US. Couldn't even get raw water impellers. There was a guy in Denmark who had some parts, but I dont know if he's still around. Unless you're planning on repowering, run away.

[zeehag]

mexico is a huge place with many cities and repair locales. where is this located.

[Dave22q]

If you take 5 minutes and Google Albin AD21 parts you get lots of hits. I don't know about prices but parts availability seems to be a non issue. http://www.albinmotor.com/AlbinMotor...delarStart.htm

[zeehag]

availability if items in mexico depends on location. many parts are available for many items. the only difficulty is the shipping. ha haha that can be a major challenge. same the duty.
\i found it easier and most efficient to buy in mexico and allow the mechanic machinist to buy the parts and reimburse him later.
that seems also to solve the duty issues as well as the delivery issues.

[Lepke]

Ad sounds like the owner thinks they've put in a lot of money. Good luck on a low ball price. It's a long sail to Seattle and we're coming up on the difficult season.
Volvo has no interest in selling parts for older engines unless they can scalp you. You probably don't have a choice on changing engines. Ask the owner, maybe it's an opportunity to talk reasonable price.