Ericson 32 on ebay

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gareth harris

Sustaining Member
recognise that E32, she used to be named 'Full Tilt'. She rolled over in Ivan, and was half submerged for three weeks. I salvaged what I could from inside for the owners, and things were not pretty. From the pictures, the seller has added a new paint job and cleaned things up inside, but the boat needed a lot more than that, which it is hard to tell the status of from the pictures alone.

If anyone is thinking of bidding on this boat, have a very, very thorough examination for crush damage to bulkheads and the tabbing (she was packed in tightly between other boats), and for signs of delamination in the mahogony plywood. Find out what has been done to the engine. If the entire electrical system has not been replaced, along with electronics, most of it will need to be. Check the deck coring, which undoubtedly soaked up some water on the submerged side. Check the chainplates, which were overstressed. And check for corrosion in everything metal.

If you want more information on the history of the boat prior to the storm, I may be able to get in touch with the previous owners. As with all Ericsons, the hull is good, and this could be a good project boat at the right price, but be very, very careful before bidding.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972
 
Mindscape

Mindscape

Member III
Gareth - based on your comments on salvaging, I wondered if you know of any good sources for used equipment. Winches, blocks etc. TIA
 
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gareth harris

Sustaining Member
In Pensacola, there is a used boat part store named Scurvy Dog (850) 434 1770, which was overflowing the last time I was there.

There is also a large place in St. Petersburg, you could probably find in an internet search.

Gareth
 
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duncanexpress

Junior Member
Hi Gareth,
I am the new owner of the Ericson 32, and I appreciate your information. I want to be as upfront as possible about all aspects of the boat, and if you find any inconsistancies in my ebay description, please let me know. As I purchased her at auction, I did not get to talk with the previous owners, though I would be interested in doing so. I was told that the boat was not submerged, though there was evidence of rain water inside the boat when I began my work. I still believe that the boat did not go underwater, as there is no evidence of such in any of the boat's systems (and no hull compromises). If seawater found it's way inside, it didn't touch the engine (thankfully). I have also worked on boats that have been submerged and the difference is night and day.
I agree with you that the aftermath of Ivan was "not pretty" and it's a shame how many boats (not to mention houses) ended up afterwards. I am an honest working man, certainly not getting rich working on boats, but I do what I love, and it makes me happy. I don't want to mislead anyone, which is why I encouraged potential bidders to come view the boat in my ebay description. I believe that with all her faults, this boat has many more years to give a new owner, who will be getting a good boat for a bargain.
Best Regards,
Duncan
 
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gareth harris

Sustaining Member
Full Tilt was a nice boat before the storm, and I am glad that someone has been putting effort into rebuilding her. My comments are just to warn any potential buyers with the information that I know - it would be wrong not to. I do not doubt your honesty at all, and I really hope you are successful in your efforts to rebuild boats that insurance companies will not touch.

As my picture shows, the starboard side was under water, but the boat was kept off the bottom by the other boats around. She stayed there for three weeks before the salvage crane came in. There was a visible water line afterwards, and I was wading through some fairly deep water once the boat was upright trying to pull out any possessions for the owners. If the auction crew told you that the boat had not been submerged, I can supply you with evidence in the way of more pictures that show otherwise if you wish to use it against them.

My E35 was just outside the frame of the picture (if you have not seen my post 'Come to Sunny Florida' under the Gulf Coast region, it has a more pictures of the marina), and sustained the kind of damage that has taken me months to half fix. I paid a surveyor too look at the damage, and he missed a lot of it, as did the insurance assessor, which is why I take a personal interest in helping other Ericson owners as I can via this web site.

I have a phone number for the last owners, and I will contact them as soon as I can - I am stuck in a town with no cell phone coverage until at least tommorrow with a car that has an oil pressure light - to see what extra information they can supply. I remember now that they told me the engine was OK.

Good luck, Gareth

Freyja E35 #241 1972
 
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gareth harris

Sustaining Member
After talking to the former owners last night, this is the extra information I can pass on:

Engine is a 21HP Universal 25. It worked very well for the boat, and was extremely reliable. The lower sections of it were submerged in salt water after the boat was pulled up. The propeller was lost.

The head was brand new, and undamaged by the storm.

The steel compression post lower sections were submerged in salt water for a time.

Some of the stanchions were ripped out of the deck, suggesting some rotten core.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972
 
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duncanexpress

Junior Member
Hi Gareth,
A few corrections: No stanchions were ripped out of the deck. The forward, port stanchion was punched downward, into the deck, likely the result of something heavy (mast?) hitting it from above. And the forward starbord stanchion was broken at it's base. I could not find any soft spots nor any other indications of a rotten core.
When I received the boat, the propeller was (and still is) undamaged and in place (3 bladed prop). It's very unlikely that this prop is anything but the original one, as the company that hauled boats to be sold at the auction is not in the business of adding pieces to them, rather they were sold just as they came from the storm.
Again, I appreciate your input.
Regards,
Duncan
 
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gareth harris

Sustaining Member
No argument from me, I do not remember those details. I told the last owners about the discussion here, they may add something themselves.

Gareth
 
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