Ericson E38-200 versus Canadian Sailcraft CS-40, any opinions?

[JulieMac]

Last year, my partner and I were looking at E38-200's. Of course, like most of you, we liked the model a great deal. The one we wanted to put an offer on was sold a week after we left the Annapolis area.

Anyway, a late 80's CS-40, made by Canadian Sailcraft and designed by Tony Castro, is available locally. This sounds more enticing to us versus the prospect of shipping a boat from the east coast.

At the risk of offending a lot of Ericson owners and fans, does anyone have an opinion of the CS-40 or Canadian Sailcraft quality or characteristics in general? The CS-40 dimensions are just slightly larger than the E38-200. This particular model is a 5' shoal draft keel. Wing and deep keel models are available out east, but that defeats our purpose.

ps. This forum is probably the best sailboat forum on the net. Tempting to buy an Ericson just to be a part!

 

[Frank Langer]

I don't know the Canadian Sailcraft 40 (CS 40) specifically, but I am familiar with CS yachts in general. They are considered to be well-built and most models sail well. They tend to still sell for quite alot of money in the used boat market. I think most were built in Ontario, so there are quite alot on the great lakes and Eastern Canada and US. But I'm currently doing a boat watch on a CS 36 here on Vancouver Island, so you never know when you might see one.

They were on my short list of boats to consider before we bought our Ericson. Of course, I'm happy to have bought our Ericson but I think the CS yachts are worth a good look. How any specific boat was maintained would be a significant factor in the purchase decision.

Frank

 

[JulieMac]

Yes, it will come down to condition, care and pricing. Unfortunately, no new Ericson 38-200's have hit the market this wi ter.

 

[clp]

I guess you've already seen the 38 in Connecticut? I don't know anything about it, other than it is there.

I would love to have a go at that 46 flush deck lying in S.F. bay. The pics look rough as a cob, and purposefully blurry. But I bet I could make her beautiful again.

I guess maybe you are looking turnkey?

 

[PDX]

I imagine you've seen this? http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=2388

Nothing remarkable, all of the dimensions on the Canadian Sailcraft 40 are correspondingly larger than those on an E-38, including ballast, displacement, beam, LOA, and rig size, but that would be expected.

One thing that probably would be a deal breaker with me is any boat with a Volvo engine. I've heard too many stories, locally, about Volvo marine engine problems. Maybe they've gotten better in recent years, or maybe not all Canadian Sailcraft 40s came with Volvos. But I would certainly check this out.

 

[JulieMac]

I guess you've already seen the 38 in Connecticut? I don't know anything about it, other than it is there.

I would love to have a go at that 46 flush deck lying in S.F. bay. The pics look rough as a cob, and purposefully blurry. But I bet I could make her beautiful again.

I guess maybe you are looking turnkey?

Yes, we were on board both CT boats. The one in Groton, we believe, had lots of water damage. We told the broker this, and the price was dropped after our inspection. The Pacific Seacraft/Ericson boat in Noank is quite nice, but it's priced higher than the slightly older Ericson only 38-200's. It was clean, but had a Volvo diesel. The CS we're looking at has the same engine as the Noank boat, actually.

As for the flush deck model, no thanks! It would definitely be a major project boat. Nice for someone, not us!

Turnkey? Not exactly necessary, as minor repairs are to be expected. That said, a major money or time project which would keep us in the marina all summer would not be welcome.

 

[JulieMac]

One thing that probably would be a deal breaker with me is any boat with a Volvo engine. I've heard too many stories, locally, about Volvo marine engine problems. Maybe they've gotten better in recent years, or maybe not all Canadian Sailcraft 40s came with Volvos. But I would certainly check this out.

Yes, we've seen the sail data sheets. I think, having seen the E38's, we're comfortable with the size, and would find the CS 40 similarly fine.

As for the Volvo engine, that is a concern. We know they have expensive replacement parts, and some engines are worse than others. This one is the 43 HP turbo model, which I understand is more problematic. The surveyor would have to run the fluids test, and have everything pass muster. Still, we'd be crossing our fingers.

Since we're not planning on crossing oceans, but rather harbor hopping, at least we won't be too far from a marina. :rolleyes_d:


As I mentioned, this engine is also on the PSC 38-200 in CT, which is also, a very nice boat.

 

[e38 owner]

Boats vs what's your purpose

If I were going to race depending on the fleet I was in I would probably search for a deep keel 38.
Given it's PHRF a very hard boat to beat. The CS would most likely owe it 20 secs a mile. I doubt it could make that up,
The CS looks like a pretty boat though with a slightly wider and more modern cockpit. A little more sail but not enough to make a difference given the weight.
For me the Ericson has the primary winches were they can be trimmed by the helms person and the mainsheet is mid boom out of the way and to a winch that anyone can trim. Thus given how we sail (short handed often without the main there would be no choice). Another similar boat to the CS is the C&C 37+