Ericson 27 capacity

Chuck C

New Member
Hi. I just bought a 1971 Ericson 27. I'm new to big boat sailing and was wondering how many people I could safely take on my boat. Any other advice is also appreciated. (I've sailed and windsurfed my whole life on smaller vessels)
 

HughHarv

Hugh
<TABLE style="BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.45pt; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none" class=MsoNormalTable border=2 cellSpacing=0 borderColor=#0073b4 cellPadding=0 width="85%"><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 16.05pt"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 1pt inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1pt inset; PADDING-BOTTOM: 3.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 3.75pt; WIDTH: 100%; PADDING-RIGHT: 3.75pt; BACKGROUND: #e6f2ff; HEIGHT: 16.05pt; BORDER-TOP: 1pt inset; BORDER-RIGHT: 1pt inset; PADDING-TOP: 3.75pt" width="100%">For boats over 26 feet, a general way to determine how many people you may safely carry is to use the following formula:</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 30.85pt"><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 1pt inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1pt inset; PADDING-BOTTOM: 3.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 3.75pt; WIDTH: 100%; PADDING-RIGHT: 3.75pt; BACKGROUND: #e6f2ff; HEIGHT: 30.85pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: 1pt inset; PADDING-TOP: 3.75pt" width="100%">
Boat length (in feet) multiplied by Beam (in feet) divided by: 15
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Per Boat U.S. from this site:

http://www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/ReviewPages/BoatUSF/Project/info1a.htm

Should be a dozen or so, in calm weather.
 

Frank Langer

1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
According to the formula in the above post, I could take 21 aboard my E30+. While that may be technically true, I know that the boat starts to feel crowded if I have more than six aboard--gets harder to keep track of where everyone is, people beginning to get into each others way, harder to manage the helm trying to look around people moving on the boat, etc.

We can sleep five people on the boat for a week--cozy, but doable. We have had as many as seven people aboard for day sails.

I would think these numbers should be reduced a bit for the E 27, as it is shorter and less beamy than my E 30+.

Just my thoughts...

Frank
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Well, you did say "Any other advice..."

Hi. I just bought a 1971 Ericson 27. I'm new to big boat sailing and was wondering how many people I could safely take on my boat. Any other advice is also appreciated. (I've sailed and windsurfed my whole life on smaller vessels)

I used to crew on an E-27, back in the day. Must have been about 4 or 5 of us aboard.
Cockpit could get crowded but one could stay on foredeck or cabintop and one might perch in companionway.... ;)

The safety issue, IMHO, is not in any finite number of crew, but more in the skipper's ability to "supervise" a bunch of people, especially if some are new to boating and know little or nothing about how to comport themselves aboard.

With strangers and friends (put your relatives in whichever category fits...) your job as skipper is informing them about PFD's, head operations, fire extinguisher locations, thru hulls, and where and when they can move around topside. And then, what they can do to be part of the sail-handling crew. It's both basic and yet sometimes a bit complex, especially for those with no sailing background.

Smaller open boats have USCG capacity plates in them to guide clueless owners about how many pounds of people can be carried in normal sea conditions, and most fly bridge power cruisers have posted limits on weight on their fly bridge or other similar "second story" for stability reasons.
With that mass of lead keel under you, and the limits of room in the cockpit on on deck to park your friends and inlaws, you should never have any such problems....
:rolleyes:

Enjoy that Ericson! The E-27 has become a modern classic because it has speed, handling, and a generous cruising interior, something that a lot of its contemporaries lacked in the 70's. (And a resume that is very hard to find on any boat that size in the current crop.)

Cheers,
Loren
 

Chuck C

New Member
Thanks for the help

I appreciate your taking the time to respond.:egrin:

I'll be back with more and possibly dumber questions.

Chuck
 

tooblaaave

Member I
I have an E27 and I think 4 is the comfortable and practicle max. more is possible but the will be strewn about and or in the cabin. :cool:
 

Desiderata

Member II
I did the math 16.2 people on a 27. We had 4 audlts and two childen for a day sail and it was OK. We have over nighted with 3 or 4 people and it is cozy. but 16?! I don't think I would try that at all. Even if I had enough PFDs....
 

HughHarv

Hugh
I did the math 16.2 people on a 27. We had 4 audlts and two childen for a day sail and it was OK. We have over nighted with 3 or 4 people and it is cozy. but 16?! I don't think I would try that at all. Even if I had enough PFDs....

That's a lot of adjustable ballast, useful in a blow. Okay, everyone to the high side!
 

Andrew Means

Member III
Not proud of it, but I counted 25 this past 4th of July. It was on Lake Union, and dead calm, so we weren't in a place where we were going to be blowing around, but yeah, won't be doing that again : )
 

Vagabond39

Member III
E 27 capacity for CHAOS

Welcome Aboard.
Tidewater Boats used to Advertise their Rainbow 24 "Bringing seven drunks home safely, after the thunderstorm"!:esad:
Times and regulations / laws have changed.
How many lifejackes do you have?
Is it an inboard, or outboard?
Tiller oe wheel?
That 'T' cockpit gets very small very quickly!
How many sardines in a can?
Have FUN, and Enjoy.
Bob
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Actually, I think I have seen more drunks on Rainbows than any other boat. A testament to a big cockpit.

I think the gist of what everybody is saying is that for the boat parade you can take all the people who fit. To go sailing, well, fewer fit.

Enough life jackets is a good point--local CG tempted to inspect us when lotsa people on deck (overloaded motorboaters freak them out).
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Hmm... eight year old post. No further communications. I wonder what happened?
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Hmm... eight year old post. No further communications. I wonder what happened?

His post and two-day-later follow up are his only contacts here.
(I never have understood why someone never checks again for answers to their question and never posts another question. Another of life's mysteries.)
 

alcodiesel

Bill McLean
"Hmm... eight year old post. No further communications. I wonder what happened?"

Maybe he really did put 16.2 people onboard.
 
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