Considering late model E26 and E25+

We are land locked, so its occaisional over nights, but mostly day sailing for our family. I like the E26 for its inboard and it gives a bit of cruiser feel (keeps me dreaming). The 25+ to me seems more sleek and agile and better caters to the race side of me. Any input on these little boats is welcome! Our current boat is a Catalina 22 (love it but its time to move on...). We are looking for somethig a little bigger, a little more comfy and better when the weather picks up! Major differences in the two E's? They share the same LOA, beam and draft. Thanks!

Ericson 25 +

In my mind the E 25+ and 26 are a great solution for someone who wants

the feel of a yacht but still needs to rent the smallest slip possible. I've had

an Ericson 25 (1978 model with 8' beam & 5'7" headroom) a really fun boat

to sail and our cabin on Lake Pend O'reille for several summers. I have also

owned a 1979 Ericson 25+. The difference in the interior volume is shocking.

It sails even better than the older E 25. It's PHRF rating is right at 200 so

it really will sail right with bigger boats. With a trailer this would be such a

great boat to haul to the San Juan Islands or down to the Sea of Cortez. The

interior space on this boat feels kid of like an optical illusion. Full standing

headroom (6'1") an enclosed head with holding tank. A couple or young

family could comfortably cruise for the summer on this boat. The best place

to sleep for normal size people is in the main cabin. On ours we made the

entire main cabin into one big King size bed by putting cushions on 1"

pieces of marine plywood wide enough to span between the Port and

starboard settees. The v-berth is good for kids or a single adult. I currently

have the Ericson 28+ which I bought based on my fondness for the two

other Bruce King designed Ericsons I had owned. I know the 25+ are hard

to find and usually draw much higher prices than the a lot of the other

clorox bottle sailboats this length, the quality of the design, strength of the

construction, and finish are so much better on the Ericsons. Good luck with

finding one, you will better understand why there is such a sense of pride

and brand loyalty among Ericson owners when you own one yourself. This

Ericson Yachts owners group is proof of that.

Phil
S/V Russell James

Practical sailer's review of the Ericson 25 put it pretty well..."A maximum boat for a minimum length". The review is well worth reading and can be found here: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/local_links.php?action=jump&catid=80&id=447 . I think Ericson took PS's criticisms of the E25 to heart with the revamped E26 models as my E26 does not seem to suffer from them (my only point of comparison)...with the exception of the overestimated sleeping accomodations.

A great example of the 26's is "Nunki" a 1985 boat, which I think was a 26-III design. http://s234.photobucket.com/albums/ee246/Ericson-26/ . My 1988 and two other 1988 E26's I have seen (26-IV design) all have some noticable design differences compared to the E26-III...A Universal diesel engine instead of Westerbeke, less interior teak, deeper bilges, and a completely different Charleston mast & boom system.

I have had my boat 2.5 years now and have been very happy with her. My previous boat was an Irwin 28 and the E26 has all of the interior volume/features of that boat and sails considerably better. I find the E26 to be initially a bit tender, but locks in fairly quickly. I'm going to start racing her PHRF with my marina's yacht club this spring, so I should get a better idea of her relative speed to other boats by the end of the season. For my use of lake sailing, I am finding that the boat has been a very good choice.

Pat

Good Info Guys

Thanks. I had to laugh the the sleeping over-estimate. I think every boat i have ever looked at over estimated!. The E26 I am looking at is very noce, but I did notice the teak is more sparse. The E25+ is darn near perfect, but does not have the inboard option. I LOVE the Ericsons. Fell for the lines of one languishing in the yard at our Marina. Doubt she ever gets her feet wet again, but the owner will no part with her.

The Sea of Cortez and more likely the San Juans are high on our vacation dream list. We are within striking distance of either. Down side is neither boat i am looking at has a trailer. I'll have to deal with that eventually!

By the way Pat, I spent many a day sailing Kerr (Buggs Island Lake, since I am a Virginian - LOL). We would camp at North Bend. I love that area...

It's worth pointing out that you would face some issues when trailering an E25+. The beam is over nine feet. This is more than is legally permitted on state roads and also the interstate system. You would need to secure a Oversized Load or Wide Load permit (or permits) to trailer the boat through mutiple states. Looks like the E26, however, with its 7.75 ft beam (as listed in Sailboatdata.com) would be okay. I eliminated the E25+ and also the E27 (both of which I think are especially attractive boats) from my search on account of trailering considerations.

Best of luck with your research and your decision,
Roscoe

Roscoe,

In the Resources section here it shows the E26 has a 9'3" beam. Maybe the Sailboatdata.com specs were of the Crealock designed E26 from the 60's.

Yep, that is a legal issue... The E26-IV I am looking at is 9'3"

Checkout the '82-83 E25+

The last two years of the E25+ ('82-83)had much more teak than the earlier E25+s, almost as much teak as the E26 IV. Also quite a few of the boats I have seen from those two years had the diesel inboard option. It was a 7.5 hp single cyl Yanmar. I had one in my '84 E26 and never felt it was under powered.

FWIW, A guy at my yard ordered his new '83 E25+ WITHOUT the inboard specifically to race. He had the nice OMC outboard bracket and a 10 hp outboard centered on the transom and the boat motored as well, if not better than my '84 inbd. So, I wouldn't discount an outbd version unless you seriously dislike the other outbd motor limitations.

The E25+ has a bridgedeck main sheet traveller which is easier to trim racing or single handling.

The fact that the '82 E25+ is six years older than an '88 E26 means it's book value is considerably lower, although it's six more years of wear and tear as well.

Mark

Soon to be Ericson Owner

The current owner and I have agreed on price and we will be swapping funds for boat shortly. I appreciate all the advise and comments above. I decided on an '88 E26. It was a HARD decision, as I had found a beautiful E25+ that I liked as well. Can't wait to get my new project home and I apologize in advance for all the Ericson ignorance I will certainly show as we move forward! I am going with the smaller platformrather than the 27 or 28 due to slip availiability and rent. The only downside will be parting with my little C22. She too has been a good little ship, being ever so forgiving and gentle on my ego!

Congratulations on your purchase! As you can tell from this website, most of us love our Ericsons, and will be happy to answer any questions or provide advice based on our experience.

Frank Langer
1984 E30+

Congratulations as well!!

Whats her hull number?

Did you get a manual with her? If not some stuff is avalaible in the archives and others have shared with me documents that I was missing, that I would be happy to pass on.

BTW...I too find Kerr lake to be a great place to sail and with it being only an hour away doorstep to dock step, I find I get a lot more sailing in than if I kept her at the coast even though the NC coastal sailing is pretty special.

Pat

Hull #

If I read this right, I have Hull 369, which should be the 69th for the fourth generation E26.... ERY26369XXXX. Don't know about the manual yet. The owner is digging up his boat files. I am not counting on it. Already finding this site to be VERY valuable for info!

I have 370 so that puts you the boat built next to mine.

Pat

The E 25+ you didn't buy.

Hi, I am sort of where you were before you purchased the E26. Do you know if the E25+ you were looking at is sold, and if not sold, would you mind referring me to the current owner?

Thank you.

RKCRWLR said:

We are land locked, so its occaisional over nights, but mostly day sailing for our family. I like the E26 for its inboard and it gives a bit of cruiser feel (keeps me dreaming). The 25+ to me seems more sleek and agile and better caters to the race side of me. Any input on these little boats is welcome! Our current boat is a Catalina 22 (love it but its time to move on...). We are looking for somethig a little bigger, a little more comfy and better when the weather picks up! Major differences in the two E's? They share the same LOA, beam and draft. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Its sold

I was looking at the 25+ at redbudmarina.com OK. It was/is a sweet boat. There is an E26-III forsale in Salt Lake. Not sure about the price though... rumour has it in the mid teens with a trailer.

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I checked with the RedBud Marina in Oklahoma, and it's listed as sold. If you hear of another, I'd welcome an email. Do you know who is selling the E26 in Salt Lake? I'm looking for one that is sail ready and pretty much fully restored. Something like the "NUNKI" referenced in the Thread, above...although it doesn't need to be quite as nice. And, I'm in no hurry.

Thank you, very much, for your quick response.
Mike
Orlando, FL.

RKCRWLR said:

I was looking at the 25+ at redbudmarina.com OK. It was/is a sweet boat. There is an E26-III forsale in Salt Lake. Not sure about the price though... rumour has it in the mid teens with a trailer.

Click to expand...

E26 III in Salt Lake?

Do you have any info on the E26 III in Salt Lake? Since I've seen none on the East Coast, I continue to search far and wide. Hoping spring will bring some activity to the East! Mark