Looking @ 36 Express

[KGB]

Hi all
New to this site and am looking to upgrade from my 31 Mainship sedan bridge.
Looking for all and any info on a 99 - 02 with single or twin power.
just for starters, any comments?

[jcollins]

Hi all
New to this site and am looking to upgrade from my 31 Mainship sedan bridge.
Looking for all and any info on a 99 - 02 with single or twin power.
just for starters, any comments?

KGB,
Welcome to Albin Owners Group. The Mainship is a nice boat. The Albin will be a little nicer. Check our For Sale forum.

[Mariner]

We have one and enjoy it very much. It does have it's quirks, though, and you should know about them before buying.

Are you considering a single or twin-engine model? What year? There were only about 35 or so of these boats built, so the history of any indvidual boat is not all that hard to discern. I have collected a lot of that information if you let me know which boat you're looking at.

My biggest complaint about the boat is it's relatively small main salon for the size of the boat. That is the tradeoff for the wide walkarounds. Also, ours has a tendency to develop a starboard list. People gather around the cockpit table, and fuel starts to flow from the port to the starboard tank, and the list becomes uncorrectable. The only way to prevent it is to hop down into the engine room and close a fuel valve as soon as you moor. Running usually equalizes it again as the fuel system is recirculating at a fairly high rate. In general, I think the hull of the boat is too narrow. When you look at it from the stern, you will see the extreme flair that is carried all the way to the stern. This puts a lot of the weight out over the water, making the boat somewhat top-heavy. Not enough to cause instability, but I think it is to blame for this listing issue, and does seem to cause a little more rocking in heavy seas.

Our 420hp single Cat is a great reliable strong engine, but it is loud. The sound deadening is minimal, nothing like what is found in higher-end boats like the Nordic Tug, Selene, etc... It is also not terribly fuel efficient at higher speeds. Speaking of higher speeds, don't expect this boat to plane out with a single engine. Though, it is quite fuel efficient under 10kts. The drainage on the flybridge is poor. Quite a few times, we've had the drains under the seats plug up, which causes the water to accumulate in the lockers and eventually drain down the conduit behind the cabinets in the galley. For some reason, it leaks into the cabin. This was solved, though, by installing a bimini on the flybridge. The small amount of rain that finds its way into the flybridge is easily drained.

But, despite all that, we realy like the boat. It is sturdily built, all of the equipment on the boat is absolutely top of the line, and the installation work was well done. There are now quite a few boats out there in the size range with two cabins, and of perhaps even higher build quality. However, the prices of those boats are so astronomical, they are really not even in the same market. A used 36 ET can be had for under $200,000. A new Coastal Craft is nearly $700,000. Same look, same ammenities, completely different market.

Bottom line, Nordvika isn't going on the market any time soon, if that gives you any idea of whether we're happy with our selection.

[whwells]

Mariner: Very nice presentation of the boat both pros and con. I personally respect an honest statement and evaluation. Look forward to seeing the boat up close.

whwells "Howard"