The hull has a raked stem, a plumb transom, with a swim ladder, a centre cockpit, skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a wheel, an auxiliary tiller and a fixed fin keel.

[1] A May 1977 review in Boating magazine stated, "the Albin 82 MS is aimed at one such niche that few U.S. boatbuilders have catered to in the past - small motorsailers.

High freeboard, a chopped-off stern, and a pronounced trunk cabin give the Albin a rather stubby look, but we find her appearance inoffensive and suited to her purpose—she's not meant to be a gazelle, after all.

"[7] A January 1977 review by Betsy Hitz in Cruising World magazine, noted that the boat is "a motorsailer in the truest sense of the word, the 82 MS was designed to perform equally well under power or sail, or a combination of both.

Two steering positions are provided: a tiller aft, and a wheel-steering station at the forward end of the cockpit, with instruments and helmsman's seat.