Albin Vega 27 vs Albin Ballad 30
Last reviewed: - Vadim Nareyko
Albin Vega 27 vs Ballad 30 on Nordic shortlists: Per Brohäll 1965–1979 (~3450, 8.25×2.46, modified long keel) versus Rolf Magnusson 1971–1982 (~1525, 9.14×2.95, fin and skeg). FairHelm fork: mass-classic liquidity versus IOR-era cabin volume. Reject Brohäll or S&S attribution for the Ballad.
Ownership study
On Blocket and Scanboat the "Albin" filter often returns a Vega 27 and a Ballad 30 in the same northern-classic shortlist. The buyer sees a shared Kristinehamn badge; the designer plate and the keel underwater already argue. The Vega 27 is drawn by Per Brohäll: years 1965-1979, about 3450 hulls, overall length 8.25 m, beam 2.46 m, displacement about 2.3 t, modified long keel, rudder on the keel. The Ballad 30 is drawn by Rolf Magnusson: main Albin window 1971-1982, about 1525 hulls, overall length 9.14 m, beam 2.95 m, displacement about 3.3 t, fin keel, skeg-hung rudder, lead in encapsulation. These are not two sizes of one scheme, but two designer lines with different underwater forms and different listing density.
Vega identity in this pair closes only on the Brohäll 1965-1979 window and an order of 3450 hulls on the plate or in papers. Reject US Albin 27 trawler-branch cards and listings with beam about 2.54 m: they are not in the compare. Without a hull-number or year check it is easy to buy a wrong "Vega" from the title.
Ballad identity closes only on a Rolf Magnusson signature, the 1971-1982 window, and a count of about 1525. Any text that puts Per Brohäll or Sparkman & Stephens on this Ballad is a false credit. Albin Marine closed in 1982, after which the moulds were leased and a few more hulls appeared in the 1990s. The main series here remains the published Albin window and about 1525 hulls; later leased hulls do not define that series. Do not reduce the Ballad to an "enlarged Vega" by designer.
Plus 0.89 m of overall length and plus 0.49 m of beam on the Ballad translate into a different berth bill, a different policy, and a different saloon; the shared Albin badge does not decide that. From below, the Vega shows a narrow package with a rudder on the keel and a long heel; the Ballad shows a wider fin-and-skeg outline of the Half Ton era with lead and no classic keel bolts. The fork sits in designer and keel, not in the colour of the cove stripe.
Hauling both on one day pays off with one 1960s-1980s age map, but with different accents. Shared list: deck moisture after frost, calendar age of the standing rigging, grounding history, winter history, Volvo-era engine books. On the Vega, stress the mast step and reject the US trawler branch or wrong beam before a deposit. On the Ballad, stress mast partners, deck sandwich, the keel joint, and a written reject of Brohäll/S&S on the plate.
The pair's annual ownership plan sits in the class around 8.3-9.1 m: berth, policy, crane, and reserves for deck, wire, and engine. The SEK bands below show the order of yearly spend for this pair in the Baltic and say nothing about the price of a given listing.
Neither purchase price nor a clean survey report is promised on the page. Laminate, deck core, and systems of that hull show only after a haul and an independent check. Deck-sandwich or osmosis campaigns live outside the annual band.
When to pick which
Albin Vega 27
The Vega 27 (Brohäll, Kristinehamn) fits buyers who need mass classic manners with a modified long keel, a series of about 3450, and a dense northern secondary market on 8.25×2.46 m. The check turns on 1965-1979 on the plate and on rejecting a US Albin 27 with beam about 2.54 m. Ashore, questions go to the mast step and to when the standing rigging was last renewed.
Albin Ballad 30
The Ballad 30 (Magnusson) fits buyers who need fin-and-skeg volume, encapsulated lead, and more cabin on 9.14×2.95 m with a series of about 1525. On the Ballad side, identity closes on a Rolf Magnusson signature and the 1971-1982 window; Brohäll and Sparkman & Stephens must not appear on that card. Ashore, questions go to mast partners, deck sandwich, and the keel joint, and standing-rig age is counted in years, not by how the wire looks.
Baltic ownership cost bands
| Cost theme | Vega 27 band (SEK) | Ballad 30 band (SEK) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berth + insurance | 18 000–48 000 | 20 000–52 000 | class ~8.3–9.1 m |
| Haul-out + winter | 7 000–20 000 | 8 000–22 000 | crane and keel supports |
| Deck / core reserve | 8 000–30 000 | 10 000–35 000 | age 1960s–1980s |
| Rigging reserve | 7 000–22 000 | 8 000–24 000 | wire age |
| Systems / engine | 7 000–26 000 | 8 000–28 000 | Volvo-era |
| Planning total | 50 000–140 000 | 55 000–155 000 | excluding major deck or osmosis campaigns |
The bands in the table are gathered for the Vega 27 and Ballad 30 as a class around 8.3-9.1 m on the northern market. The real berth invoice and the policy at your yard override any grid on the page. Outside the annual plan sit a sudden deck-sandwich repair, osmosis on a given hull, and a full sail set.
Comparison table
| Category | Albin Vega 27 | Albin Ballad 30 |
|---|---|---|
| Length overall | 8.25 m | 9.14 m |
| Beam | 2.46 m | 2.95 m |
| L/B | 3.35 | 3.10 |
| LWL | 7.01 m | unknown |
| Draft | 1.12 m | 1.55 m |
| Displacement | 2,300 kg | 3,300 kg |
| Ballast | 915 kg | 1,550 kg |
| Hull material | unknown | grp |
| Keel | unknown | fin |
| Rig | masthead | masthead |
| Designer | Per Brohäll | Rolf Magnusson |
| Production years | 1965-1979 | 1971-1982 |
| Overview | You look at an Albin Vega 27 on the hard and the sheer looks wrong - the deckline rises amidships instead of dipping, a reverse sheer that newcomers call a hump and owners call the reason a 27-footer can carry real cabin volume. | You lift the sole boards on an Albin Ballad 30 and look for the steel truss that ties mast loads into the keel. |
| Typical issues | Q: Which designer, builder, and years should I verify first for the Albin Vega 27? A: Per Brohäll for Albin Marine AB in Kristinehamn, Sweden, production 1965–1979 with about 3450 hulls. | Q: Which designer, builder, and years should I verify first for the Albin Ballad 30? A: Rolf Magnusson for Albin Marine, mainly 1971-1982, about 1500 Albin-era hulls and published totals near 1525 with late BODA leases. |
Explore each boat
Common questions
- Vega 27 or Ballad 30 for Baltic ownership?
- Pick the Vega 27 (Brohäll, 1965–1979, ~3450) when mass-classic liquidity and modified long-keel manners matter most. Pick the Ballad 30 (Magnusson, 1971–1982, ~1525) when IOR-era fin-and-skeg volume and encapsulated lead win. Reject Brohäll or S&S attribution for the Ballad. The fork is designer, underbody, and market depth, not the Albin badge alone.
- What years and designers should I verify on the plate?
- Vega 27: Per Brohäll, 1965–1979, about 3,450 hulls at 8.25×2.46 m. Ballad 30: Rolf Magnusson, primarily 1971–1982, about 1,525 hulls at 9.14×2.95 m. Reject Brohäll or Sparkman & Stephens for the Ballad. A few Ballad hulls after 1982 used leased moulds; FairHelm keeps the primary Albin window.
- Is the Ballad another Brohäll Albin?
- No. Only the Vega 27 is Per Brohäll in this pair. The Ballad 30 is Rolf Magnusson (IOR Half Ton lineage from the Joker S30). Reject Brohäll and S&S copy for the Ballad plate.
- What should a survey prioritise on these two?
- Mast step or partners, standing-rigging age, deck moisture after freeze seasons, grounding history on the keel, and Volvo-era systems usually move the price more than brochure pedigree on these 1960s–1980s hulls.
- How do annual Baltic ownership costs compare?
- Plan berth, insurance, haul-out, deck reserves, and rigging reserves in the bands on this page (about 50,000–140,000 SEK for the Vega 27 and 55,000–155,000 SEK for the Ballad 30). Major deck sandwich or osmosis campaigns sit outside the annual band for both.