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Review of Albin Express


Albin Express
Albin Express.


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Albin Express aka Express is a sailboat designed by the Swedish maritime architect Peter Norlin in the late seventies. A few thousand boats have been produced. The Albin Express is built by the Swedish yard Albin Marin AB.

Looking for a new boat? Find a Albin Express or similar boat for sale

Hull
Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.
The deck is a double deck which improves the indoor climate.

Interior
The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany.
The boat is equipped with one cabin, 4,5 berths, a galley and toilet facility.

Rig
The boat equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a genaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Keel

The Albin Express is equipped with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.45 - 1.55 meter (4.76 - 5.06 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case Albin Express will typically require a power of 4 - 5 hp, alternatively 80 - 96 lbs thrust if you prefer an electrical motor. Electric outboards are becoming popular for sailboat owners who want clean instant power with less noise and no exhaust fumes.


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Albin Express is 2.07, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.


Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.3 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Albin Express is about 111 kg/cm, alternatively 623 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 111 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 623 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Albin Express is 16.1.

Low High 34% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 34% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.


L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Albin Express is 3.11.

Wide Slim 66% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 66% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more speedy hull design.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Albin Express is 44%.

Low High 69% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 69% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just above average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Albin Express is 170 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

Heavy Light 76% 0 50 100
76% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Albin Express with ISO 8666 reference sail is 20.3, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 23.5.

Low High 86% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 86% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 86% 0 50 100
The Albin Express has more rig than 86% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.


RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Albin Express is 95

Slow Fast 95% 0 50 100
The relative speed performance is 95 which means that a it is faster than 95% of all similar sailboat designs.


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 20m2 (215 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.


Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

mainsail specifications headsail specifications

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale



If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 25.1 m(82.2 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard25.1 m(82.2 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Spinnaker halyard25.1 m(82.2 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib sheet 7.8 m(25.5 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Genoa sheet7.8 m(25.5 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Mainsheet 19.4 m(63.8 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet17.1 m(56.2 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Cunningham3.4 m(11.0 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Kickingstrap6.7 m(22.0 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Clew-outhaul6.7 m(22.0 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Albin Express it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.



References