Clarifying the muddy waters.
All, In reading my former post on the topic, I could have been little more clear and for that I apologize. By in large, the Cruising 31 (hulls #01 through #24) were fitted at the factory with cat eye ports. That said, hulls #23 & #24 were caught up in the transition to the Independence 31 and had a variation of the rectangular, opening Perko port lights used from hull #25 on up to the end of Ericson's production of this boat at hull #71. They would have been used on the last three 31's made by two other different companies but for the fact that only one, #72 was ever completed with #73 & #74 languishing and never completing manufacture. Hull #72 does indeed have Perko port lights fitted, I've been aboard and actually spent a night sleeping on her. Off topic but of possible minor interest to some, I sawed off six feet of the bow only, no deck, of hull #74 in Waukegan, IL and had it trucked out here to Santa Monica, CA and it's stored safe and sound my garage. I cut the hull number off the transom as well which sits framed on the wall over my desk as I type this. Would it be fair to say that I own two 31's? Nah. Hope this clears things up a bit on the subject of cat eye ports on the early 31's and the Perko rectangular ones used in the later 31's. Of greater note regarding cat eye ports on the E31, only one boat, Marty's hull #22 has an opening one and only that one (in the head), the rest in his boat are fixed as are the rest of the Cruising 31 fleet, all styles opening and fixed, made by NFM. Cheers, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA
