Greetings everyone-
I have a couple of questions that have been on my mind since I purchased my Ericson 36C and stared her refit.
Can anyone speak to the integrity of the aluminum chainplates? I have some surface corrosion in the cabin where the chainplates leaked and the staples in the headliner interacted with the aluminum. These are just small pits, but it got me thinking about the chainplates themselves. They look well bonded to the hull and I cannot see any cracking, but I have never owed a boat with this type of chainplate before. Have any of you had any issues, or replaced them?
Looking forward, I am also curious what type of autopilot/selfsteering gear everyone is using. I keep going back and forth on this one. I have reservations about placing a rotary drive where it will get a repeated dowsing with salt water, but like the idea of and integrated radar/plotter/autopilot system. Anyone with experience with a windvane on this boat instead?
Here is a photo of my project from the day she arrived in the driveway after sitting for 10 years. It is lots of labor, but I already love her.
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