94 Albermarle 24

[Dschaffer]

1992 Albermarle 24

I am interested in y’all’s thoughts about a 92 Albermarle 24.
There is one for sale locally and while it does not have the cabin space I am looking for, it seems to be a good layout for fishing and a pretty good deal with an asking price of $12,900. I have yet to see it in person but the pictures look solid. It is an i/o with a 20hp Nissan kicker that has speed control for trolling. Also a really nice triple axel trailer. I am reading that they are popular boats with quite the following but I can’t help but wonder if it would be that much of an improvement over my V20. I’ve been looking at other boats only because I want something bigger and with a cabin. The Albermarle probably does not make sense but compared to the prices I’m seeing in comparison, its pretty tempting. Thanks in advance for any insight. Cheers

 

[charlie_the_tuna]

Never rode in one but man, it’s a good looking boat. That seems to be around the going rate. Looks like it’s a nice ride.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

There is no comparison to a 24 albemarle and a V20. The 24 albemarle is built using the old 233 formula hull, probably the most copied hull if all time. It is a very deep V hull that slices through the nastiest of chop, but it is also a power hungry hull, and they're known to snap/whip while on a drift because of that super deep 24 degree deadrise hull.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Albemarle & Carolina Classic were and are very nice boats. Very similar , maybe shared hulls but different liners. The companies have merged recently.

The next one up from the 24 is the Carolina Classic 25 Express...Like a V20 on steroids. Fishing machine! Often came with single duoprop I/O..even some deisels. A lot are being converted to outboard brackets.

Others in that genre are the old Northcoast 24 and the Blackwatch 26

 

[Dschaffer]

Given the DEEEEEP V, do you guys think it would feel tippy while trolling for salmon on the Great Lakes? Trolling is how I spend 95% of my time on the water. I’m usually fishing within 5 miles of port so travel is minimal. I understand that the Albermarle is great at cutting the chop but if it dosn’t troll at least as good as my V20, its probably not for me.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

I don't have personal experience on one, but I would expect it to roll more than other boats with less deadrise. From everything I've heard, it's not unbearable as it isn't supposed to snap you from side to side, but it will get swayed around with the currents. If you're looking in that size range with alot of cabin space, Wellcraft made the 248/250 line from the early 80's to around 93/94 in the sportsman/coastal I believe they called it that had massive cabin space, but still more than enough cockpit space for 4 full size adults. But it's a trade off hull, it has a nice bow shape to cut, but only moderate deadrise at the transom, and it transitioned fairly far forward to give all that cabin space.

 

[Dschaffer]

I don't have personal experience on one, but I would expect it to roll more than other boats with less deadrise. From everything I've heard, it's not unbearable as it isn't supposed to snap you from side to side, but it will get swayed around with the currents. If you're looking in that size range with alot of cabin space, Wellcraft made the 248/250 line from the early 80's to around 93/94 in the sportsman/coastal I believe they called it that had massive cabin space, but still more than enough cockpit space for 4 full size adults. But it's a trade off hull, it has a nice bow shape to cut, but only moderate deadrise at the transom, and it transitioned fairly far forward to give all that cabin space.

If I come across a 2500 sportsman in good shape in my area, that would be awesome! I didn’t know about those boats until recently. The layout is pretty much exactly what I am looking for. They are few and far between though so it feels like a long shot.

 

[bgreene]

I’d expect to find sub surface wood rot related water damage based on age and assorted reports.

Likely worth the cost to hire a qualified and capable marine surveyor if you want that boat pending survey.

Best of luck

 

[spareparts]

the 24 Albemarle is unequaled in its class, more than a step up from the V20. Its the same hull that Sea Vee, Contender, Apollo, White Water, and Formula all had to start with. Its the hull that beat the Bertrams in the Miami to Nausau race back in the 60s. Albemarle built them heavier than all the other companies that used that hull, they do take a bit of hp to make them run. The deep Vee eats up sea conditions that keep most other boats at the dock. I've worked on and driven several 24s over the years. I'm not a fan of the jack shaft models, they drive weird to me, especially on calm waters. The standard sterndrive models run fine. I've spent a bunch of time fishing a 233 Formula with twin Aq151 volvos. We went out when nothing else our size was out there, fished the Georgetown Hole and the Ammo dump out of Charleston. We didn't bottom fish any, but trolling the boat was fine. I have a complete Volvo 5.7 GXI repower package sitting on a shelf, waiting for me to find a 24 Albe

 

[Dschaffer]

the 24 Albemarle is unequaled in its class, more than a step up from the V20. Its the same hull that Sea Vee, Contender, Apollo, White Water, and Formula all had to start with. Its the hull that beat the Bertrams in the Miami to Nausau race back in the 60s. Albemarle built them heavier than all the other companies that used that hull, they do take a bit of hp to make them run. The deep Vee eats up sea conditions that keep most other boats at the dock. I've worked on and driven several 24s over the years. I'm not a fan of the jack shaft models, they drive weird to me, especially on calm waters. The standard sterndrive models run fine. I've spent a bunch of time fishing a 233 Formula with twin Aq151 volvos. We went out when nothing else our size was out there, fished the Georgetown Hole and the Ammo dump out of Charleston. We didn't bottom fish any, but trolling the boat was fine. I have a complete Volvo 5.7 GXI repower package sitting on a shelf, waiting for me to find a 24 Albe

Thanks for the insight. The boat I am interested is still in storage so I have yet to see it. From what I’ve gathered so far it has alway been a freshwater boat. It sounds like maybe it was slipped for most of its life so that has me a bit concerned about rot. I found a forum where a guy picked up an Albe that appeared to be in good shape. The previous owner had removed the teak inlays from the floor and had filled it in with epoxy. The new owner wanted to restore so he removed the epoxy and just kept digging as most of the stringers were rotted out. It sounds like the screws that hold the teak inlays in the floor lead water right to the stringers. The fiberglass is so thick that most people have no idea that the wood is all rotted. Not the kind of project I am interested in. Hopefully I find that this boat has some good history. I’ll see if I can post some pictures on here. Thanks again for the info.

 

[Dschaffer]

A couple of pictures

 

[Dschaffer]

Hard to tell much from these pictures. Hopefully I can see it in person soon.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Hard to tell much from these pictures. Hopefully I can see it in person soon.

Looks like a volvo duo-prop outdrive. This would deter me personally because I know how expensive replacement parts are for them? I know they're really good drives, but you plan on 3 times as much money for a volvo duo-prop outdrive as you do say a mercruiser bravo 1.