• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

Ericson 38-200 General Issues Inquiry

CaptainCharles

New Member
Hello sailors,

I am considering the purchase of an Ericson 38-200 contingent to a survey!

Would you please either list here (or direct me to another forum post with) typical Ericson 38-200 (late 1980s vintage) maintenance issues. I'd like to be sure that the surveyor and I are looking in the right places!

I've searched these forums already - and haven't been able to find what I'm looking for - so please forgive me for giving up and asking outright!

Regards,
Charles
 

u079721

Contributing Partner
I know I've replied to this exact same request in the past, though of course I couldn't find my post in a quick search. Oh well.

Number one issue for a late 80s E38 will be hull blisters, thousands of tiny ones. They're not structural, but will be an eyesore, and affect value. In my case the blisters did not appear, even on the hard, until warm weather. Had to have the hull peeled.

Number two would be keel-hull separation. If the keel-hull joint has not been re-bedded, it will need it by now. Also a number of Ericsons of this vintage had poor adhesion of the keel to the hull due to a failure to adequately remove the mold release. A symptom will be separation of the aft foot of the keel while hanging in the slings, and a visible smile or crack on the front edge of the keel. You'll also see water in the bilge from the joint.

My number three concern would be subsidence. On some 38s (like mine...) the triaxial force grid did not seem to be up to the job of supporting the weight of the keel. The result was that the hull deformed or subsided a bit once in the water. Symptoms of this will be things like the door to the V berth not closing. Or evidence of the cabin sole sinking where it joins the galley cabinetry, with a clear inch or so showing while afloat that is not visible when on the hard.

That's all I can think of now that would be model specific to the E38-200. BUT there are lots of generalized issues for any 25 year old boat, like standing rigging, engine condition, hoses, holding tank, leaks around all the hatches, and so forth. But any good surveyor will automatically be looking for those type of things.
 
Last edited:

mkollerjr

Member III
Blogs Author
I totally agree with Steve's items to looks for. Those seem to be the two big ones to look for. Look in the bilge for corroded keel nuts and taste the water for salt.

Other than that, it's the typical things to look for on an old boat. The surveyor noted some air pockets in my rudder, but said it's nothing to be that concerned with. I'd bring a power screw diver and remove the cover over the fuel tank in he aft cabin and examine the fuel tank. Squeeze every hose. Remove the steering quadrant cover and take a good look. Head odors? I ended up replacing my entire system. Unzip all the zippers in the vinyl down below and look and look for any deck leaks. Especially, unzip where the tie-rids come through amidships and look for water damage on the chain plates. Hose the anchor locker and bow down and see if there are any leaks in the vee berth.

I feel like I've accessed every square inch of my boat and it's systems so far, and that's all I can think of.
 

CaptainCharles

New Member
I appreciate your feedback! I'm keeping a list to review with the surveyor before we dig in.

Does anyone else have feedback to add based on their experience with an Ericson 38-200?
 

u079721

Contributing Partner
Last edited:

Bob Robertson

Member III
Hi Charles,

My wife and I bought our 38-200 new in 1988.

We really haven't had any problems.

We do tighten our keel bolts every two years or so when the boat is on the cradle. A couple of them are a little awkward to get to, but it's not that difficult. We're in fresh water, so that may be why we haven't seen any rust.

We've had a little fine blistering in a couple of spots at the waterline, but nothing that requires any repairs.

We did have a holding tank leak where the bottom of the holding tank connects to the large pump out hose. I couldn't get to the clamp to tighten it. It's located on the cockpit locker side near the bottom of the shower. I sawed a 5" horizontal hole near the bottom of the shower and put in a Deck Plate. Now I can easily check and tighten the hose clamp as needed. I check it most every year as I do all of the clamps.

We replaced our hatches last year. It wasn't that much more expensive than replacing the acrylic. We had previously replaced the lenses on all of the opening ports.

I hope survey the goes well.

Please let me know anytime I can be of help.

Bob
 
Last edited:

ddoles

Member III
I bought my 1988 E38-200 a couple years ago in Kent island,MD. On surveying it had the blister problems mentioned. I negotiated a lower price and the first winter had the hull stripped, blisters ground, hull faired, barrier coated and painted. Two seasons later it all looks good. So have the boat well surveyed but if blisters are found it need not be a deal killer if you can get the right deal and address the problem. I love the boat and am very happy with the outcome, so far.

good luck,

Dave
 
Top