Spec's for E25 CB keel?

[Mike Swift]

Sadly, I lost the swing keel on my 1976 E25 as a result of lending the vessel to a friend who failed to raise the keel at the end of his voyage. Long story short, the low tides and resultant rocking action did the trick. When I returned from up north, and took her for a sail, I discovered the keel "swimming" to starboard, held only by the cable.

Sadly, before I could beach her, the keel went to Davy Jones' locker.

On the plus side, despite this egregious insult to an otherwise happy vessel, no real harm resulted! This speaks well of the stout design and construction of Ericson boats!

Nevertheless, I hope to sail upwind again sometime, and consequently, must manufacture a new swing keel.

Any help regarding original design, weight, etc would be GREATLY appreciated!

Also, any thoughts regarding potential improvements over the original spec's would be awesome too--I hope to parlay this misfortune into a chance to create a better boat.

I sail her (still--sans keel) in Charlotte Harbor Florida, which makes the Chesapeake look like the Mariana Trench (only with more sharks) so a deep design is undesirable in principle.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rob Hessenius]

E-25 Cb

Mark- I think that you will find some folks on this board that have drawings for your centerboard. There is a company in Ca. called Foss Foam that seems to be the popular recommended source for rudders and centerboards by all.
I myself have a E25 CB and had thoughts on if a different design on the board would better the performance. You are limited to adding to the board, only on the leading edge, which will leave the board hanging out of its trunk. I think you will find that with the board down and a good tune on the rigging, your 25 will point with the best of them : )
Remembering that the board is not intended as ballast. A new board made out of modern materials can be made lighter, which will make retraction easier. The board weighs 150* lbs and I have heard of people that have cut the weight to 80*-90* lbs range. As far as a design change I think it is what it is. I dont believe that this is possible modifacation area that will give you noticable performance benefits, but ease of use can occur.
I never sailed in Charlotte Harbor but have power boated all over the Harbor. Folks lived in Punta Gorda 20 years. My Dad died in 02', sold there house in Dec. of 03', Thank god I didnt have to deal with Charley. Rob Hessenius

 

[herb]

I have drawings for CB

Hi, my E 25 has a replacement CB and I have factory drawings for the original CB and the price quote for the new one. The new one has a stainless steel core which prevents the rusting/swelling problems of the original mild steel cored boards. I also have the hull lines drawings, maybe good for a model builder.
Herb

 

[Mike Swift]

Thank you for the info! The weight issue has been a great concern in particular. I suspected that the keel was of no great consequence with respect to ballast on the E25, but I haven't been willing to test this hypothesis and risk turning turtle if I was wrong.

As to the factory drawings...WOW, if there is any way you might be able to email any bit of those, it would be super! (swift@harvardanalytics.com)

What I know about keel design could fit in a thimble and still have room left over for the resultant Coast Guard incident reports, so this info is really invaluable to me, thanks!