LIST OF POSTINGS

I got caught up this summer in updating Drifter’s Log & also trying digital photography – so decided to post the results in the hope that you might find something of interest. Comments on the site or specific content would be appreciated. JB

Friday, September 29, 2006
Cruising Accommodations – Camper Style (13 pages)

Thursday, September 28, 2006
Cruising Log & Aids (24 pages)

Tuesday, September 26, 2006
A Boat of Many Bilges + Stuffing Box Info (16 pages)

Monday, September 18, 2006
Nissan LD 28M & Equipment on Drifter (8 pages)

Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Nissan LD 28M Specifications & Performance

Thursday, October 13, 2005
Nissan LD28 Parts Sources

Monday, October 03, 2005
Nissan LD20M & LD28M Owner/Operator Manual (20 pages)
Nissan LD20M & LD28M Service Manual Sources

Sunday, September 25, 2005
Jabsco Engine Cooling Pump Manual Source
Hurth HBW 250 (ZF 25M) Transmission Manual (2 excerpts)
Drive Damper & Coupling Sources

Sunday, May 15, 2005
Dinghy Choice (Dinghy & Motor Storage) (4 pages)

Saturday, January 22, 2005
Soundproofing

Sunday, January 16, 2005
Logo
A25 & A27 Generic History & Description (4 pages)
Drifter Picture
Drifter Ground Tackle
A 25 Internal Pictorial View
A 25 Flyer (5 pages)
A25 Advertisement 1976
A25 Advertisement 1973
A27 Express 1992 Plan
A27 Power Boating Report 1989 (6 pages)
A27 Power & Motor Yacht Report 1985 (3 pages)
A27 Flyer (4 pages)A27 Announcement 1983

Saturday, January 15, 2005
A27 Advertisement (1983?)

CRUISING ACCOMMODATIONS – CAMPER STYLE

Donna & I spend our summers, 2 to 3 months each year, on Drifter on the North Channel of Lake Huron. Some of the features we have added to our “summer cottage” are described below. We made an early decision to seek low tech “appropriate” solutions to our cruising needs (except for navigation & then we have low tech back up) & enjoy their relative reliability. One example is the solar “sun shower” laid flat on forward deck for heating & suspended on a tender spar over the swim platform for a shower. Donna often uses it as a source of hot water for washing dishes. Other examples are the use of a Colman catalytic heater & a propane barbecue grill (used placed on the flat sole of the tender).

The Albin 27 “Sports Cruisers” have a very large aft cockpit. Our full enclosure converts the open space to a multi-purpose “sun room”. The Sunbrella enclosure has doors port & starboard just aft of the pilot house. Two of the side windows & the aft window have screening to allow ventilation and also have plastic windows that Velcro & snap in place for inclement weather.

The aft “door” rolls up for easy access to the tender & swim platform.

The sun room gives a panoramic view of our anchorages. All windows also have Sunbrella privacy covers that Velcro in place.

With folding table & chairs the sun room serves as a spacious dining area & indoor/outdoor carpets add comfort. (Note blue plastic milk cartons – which serve as portable book cases)

The table stores behind the helm bench seat when not in use,

In keeping with the low tech philosophy a Colman “Xtreme” cooler gives us a 6 day cruising range before looking for ice. It does double duty as a convenient coffee table. Our family room easily accommodates 6 on folding chairs.

We have also found the side decks on the cockpit very convenient for storage of long equipment. With the addition of 2, ¾ “ marine plywood brackets under each deck they becomes convenient storage areas for such items as, dinghy sail rig, spars, oars, paddle, boat hook, mop etc. The space below the brackets is still available for loose or boxed storage.

We were very disappointed with the original sleeping accommodations & decided that luxury on a small boat would be a comfortable full sized bed. We created ours by permanently lowering the dining table and adding a firm 4” foam mattress (48” x 72”) and a 1 ½“ memory foam topper.

A small shelf was added to support the edge of the mattress.

Since the bed is permanent we added a larger shelf to the cabin bulkhead & will replace the smaller shelf with a second larger one in the spring.

To provide privacy & keep an uncluttered look we made “eyelids” from plastic chopping boards (from dollar shop). They are cut to fit inside the ports but are ½’ taller so they stay in place due to spring tension. They store easily flat under a mattress.

Privacy and sun protection is provided in the pilot house by Textilene Sunshure snap on sun screens. They are semitransparent & allow a fair view out.

Also note the white tarp covering the canvas cockpit enclosure. We find that on hot sunny days blue canvas acts as a solar collector & heats up the interior. The white tarp keeps the interior at the same temperature as outside air.

We also added Rain Hoods to the aft ports, port & starboard to allow ventilation on rainy days.

Also note the solar “anchor” light – probably not up to standards but they are a very practical solution to being seen at night.

The GPS receiver for the laptop, an Altina G Mouse designed for car use, sits on a home made mount at the aft of the pilot house roof.