1990 32 Ericson?

[Brad Post]

I'm looking into buying a 1990 32' Ericson. Plan on using it 80% cruising and 20% racing. Would appreciate any comments, warnings, suggestions etc.

Thanks

[Dan Callen]

I bought a new 1989 32 Ericson. Great performing boat both fast and comfortable. Be very cautious about blisters as some of the hulls made in Mexico had severe blister problems and mine was one of them.

We had to take all the gel coat off and we used the interlux system which has held up pretty well over the years. Aside from that experience it has been a great
boat.

Dan Callen
Ericson 32 # 753 Andiamo.

[Loren Beach]

Good all around cruising layout for a couple. We shopped this model hard, and even had earnest $ down on one before finding our Olson 34 (also a tri-cabin interior). The late model 32 is about as much interior as you can get and still keep that great Ericson family "look", imho. You will likely have to strengthen the table mounting, which wobbled a lot on the two we spent time on. Also, because the main hatch is forward several feet in this (and most other) aft cabin interior layouts, be sure you like crawling forward several feet under your dodger before descending down the companionway. With the privacy of the aft cabin come some tradeoffs, no great suprise... You will like the huge anchor well forward, as long as you don't store so much line and chain there that you upset the trim. One last thing, since this is likely one of the last boats built just before Ericson went under, have it surveyed carefully (as if you would not anyway, on any boat you buy!). All the best.
Loren

[Mike & Eileen Day]

We ended up with a famous "Mexican bottom" on our 1990 E 32-200 #843. Any commenst on how much it cost to have your bottom redone? We moved the boat from S. Cal. to Oregon to take advantage of the colder water, which is supposed to help reduce the blistering, but the project still needs to be redone

[ref_123]

If still interested...

I just got an estimate from the yard in Alameda, CA - about 9K... Still, on advice of a yard manager (great guy, very knowlegeable), since blisters are NOT STRUCTURAL, it can wait a couple years...

Regards,
Stan

[Geoff Johnson]

I have a 1985 32-3, which, fortunately, has not had any blister problems. However, my yard did tell me that its standard price for peeling and recoating a bottom is $6,000.

[clayton]

We bought a 1989 E32-200, #841, actually made in Dec. 1988 in Mexico. When we had the survey done, the hull had hundreds of pencil eraser sized blisters. The broker/yard told us that this was the first year the boat had developed them. Boat had been in fresh water since at least 1994. We trucked the boat home and sanded off the bottom paint and found that most of the blisters were in the epoxy barrier coat and sanded smooth. Put the boat in last May, hauled out in mid November, and the blisters popped back. Let it sit for the winter, and they all sucked back in, except for approximately a dozen which I dremeled out and filled. We'll see what happens this November.
The aft cabin layout is nice for when we have friends come for weekend trips. We took the rickety table out of the main cabin and it really opened up the space, we are actually spending time in the cabin this spring. We really like the head aft, plenty of room. The 32-3 cabin is more open, but I found the head to be cramped. (I'm 6'1"). I also kept smacking my head and back trying to get into the nav table. Of course, I smack my head on the door trim going into the head on the 32-200. Boat sails very well, balances nicely. Accelerates quickly. I've experienced some mast pumping going upwind in gusty heavy air, having an old draft aft main. We really love the boat and feel that we got a good value buy, even with the blisters. Previous owners took good care of the boat and used it lightly and put comfort $ into it, cockpit cushions, dodger. Ericson did a nice job putting them together, and Bruce King drew them well. Good luck!
Clayton

[u079721]

I was looking at a 32-200, but found a 38-200 instead. However, I did get the same blister problem that Clayton mentions.

These late 80s Ericson blisters are not structural, but they can be a bear to fix. My yard has peeled our hull TWICE, and still the epoxy barrier coats keep blistering. The folks at Gougeon (sp?) are 3 miles away and have been over to look at the hull with no help. I enjoy sailing the boat, but I fear that it will be very hard to sell if I can't fix the problem.

So unless you love the boat, or are SURE it won't develop blisters, I would keep looking.

[Geoff Johnson]

There is a seemingly comprehensive, but depressing, discussion of blisters from the surveyor's point of view at the following URL:


http://www.yachtsurvey.com/blisters.htm

[Loren Beach]

Our local surveyors are openly scornfull of this site, FWIW. It is not so much that Mr. Pascoe is always wrong, but that he flat-out insists that he is an expert in things he knows little about. His comments about sailboat keels are quite humorous, for example.

OTOH his comentary and photos of the "coring" of typical power boat hulls are quite convincing -- and worse yet I have seen this type of "cottage cheese core" construction in a damaged late model Hunter 30 footer. (And that's my term, not a surveyor's)
:(

You can find a lot of good information about osmiotic blistering in back issues of Practical Sailor, over the last 20 years, for example. Around the NW, we have major boatyards and yacht builders that have excellent information, as well.

And of course, my comments are also worth what you pay for 'em...

:)

Loren in Portland, OR

[Geoff Johnson]

Loren, I haven't seem anything on the Pascoe site that strikes me as wrong and I certainly appreciate anyone who tries to educate the public for free (although he is obviously advertising his services). Compare this with the reformated Torreson Marine Diesel site where every answer in the forum now seems to be an effort to sell an overpriced diesel part.

Where does David Pascoe talk about keels?

[Mike & Eileen Day]

Well we are in the process of getting our famous mexican bottom finished. It appears that most of the blisters were in the barrier coat. Total job will be around $5,000. Ouch!

[Blue Chip]

Blue chip is a 1990 32-200...#913 docked in Alameda. No blister problem ever...(and no stubbed toes from the foot pumps either).

[newgringo]

Our 86 32-3 has lived in salt water its whole life. Has only shown a few dime size shallow blisters. Surveyor said they were no big deal. The E32-3 is a great cruiser racer. We do both. As some say - looks good, runs good and pretty easy to work on (compared to some). Go for it!

[Lawrence B. Lee]

[quote=Dan Callen;61]I bought a new 1989 32 Ericson. Great performing boat both fast and comfortable. Be very cautious about blisters as some of the hulls made in Mexico had severe blister problems and mine was one of them.

Dan,
How does one know if the hull was hecho in Mexico? I have a 1988 E32-200 and have had only moderate blistering since 2007.

Larry Lee
Annabel Lee
Savannah, GA

[Loren Beach]

Related thread:
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=7457&referrerid=28

¡Salud!
:egrin:


LB