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Review of Albin Nova


Albin Nova
Albin Nova anno 1984. Sommer 2008 in Sonderborg


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Albin Nova is a sailboat designed by the Swedish maritime architect Peter Norlin in the early eighties. Several hundred boats have been produced. The Albin Nova is built by the Swedish yard Albin Marin AB.

Looking for a new boat? Find an Albin Nova 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.
The hull is a double hull which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.
The deck is a double deck which improves the indoor climate.


Interior
Interior
Interior of Albin Nova anno 1985.

The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.
The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 6 berths, a galley, 105.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

Note: the boat has also been sold to be self-made/-interiored, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.

Galley
Galley of Albin Nova anno 1985.

Rig

The Albin Nova is 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 gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.


Keel

Fin keel

The Albin Nova 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 keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated. As the surface of a fin type keel is just a fraction of the total wet surface, the difference between an iron keel and a lead keel can in reality be ignored for cruising yachts.

Albin Nova can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.69 - 1.79 meter (5.54 - 5.84 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar 2GM diesel engine at 15 hp (11 kW). The speed is 6.5 knots.

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.

The fuel tank, which is made of stainless steel, has a capacity of 40.0 liters (10 US gallons, 8 imperial gallons).


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 Nova is 1.94, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - 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 6.9 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 Nova is about 168 kg/cm, alternatively 945 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 168 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 945 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 Nova is 23.6.

Low High 46% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 46% 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 Nova is 3.13.

Slim Wide 58% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 58% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Albin Nova is 40%.

Low High 46% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 46% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just below average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Albin Nova is 239 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

Heavy Light 54% 0 50 100
54% 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 Nova with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.9, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 19.4.

Low High 54% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 54% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 66% 0 50 100
The Albin Nova has more rig than 66% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly overrigged.


RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Albin Nova is 76

Slow Fast 76% 0 50 100
The relative speed performance is 76 which means that a it is faster than 76% 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 29m2 (312 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 genoa specifications spinnaker 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 31.6 m(103.5 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard31.6 m(103.5 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker halyard31.6 m(103.5 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Jib sheet 9.9 m(32.3 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Genoa sheet9.9 m(32.3 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Mainsheet 24.6 m(80.9 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker sheet21.7 m(71.2 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Cunningham4.3 m(14.1 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Kickingstrap8.6 m(28.2 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Clew-outhaul8.6 m(28.2 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

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



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Albin Nova 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