Just got a 1980 E30+ surveyed

Hi i am new to this site and to sailing. only been sailing a handful of times. so i just got this 1980 ericson 30+ surveyed and sea trialed. the biggest issues the surveyor brought up were the water pump wasn't working properly, and main sail is a little small and old but works, and the rudder sleeve could be replaced eventually. there were blisters below the waterline that were the size of a nickle but the surveyor said they were cosmetic. i noticed he just tapped the hull with a hammer but did not use a moisture meter. not sure if thats normal. dont think he checked the mast step or compression post either maybe he forgot but i didn't see any sagging issues. the boat itself doesnt come with much. just a VHF, old school depth sounder, harkin furler. lots of work was done last year like bottom paint, cutlass bearing, standing rigging. jib looked nice. bunch of plumbing hoses looked new. has single burner alcohol origo stove and no oven. deck drain valve looked new. evidence of leaks on windows and they looked original. surveyor did not confirm with a hose because of drought. also the universal diesel motor has 699 hrs on it and it seems to run great and is freshly painted. seller and i agreed on 11500$. my question is, is this a good deal? should i ask for less once i get the report back from the surveyor? i plan to live on this thing eventually. thanks

by water pump i mean for the sink and shower.

Welcome aboard. Where are you located? Prices are regional.

I would certainly use the survey to try to reduce any asking price.

I am in San Diego, ca.

Christian Williams said:

Welcome aboard. Where are you located? Prices are regional.

I would certainly use the survey to try to reduce any asking price.

Click to expand...

I would too, but the asking price seems very reasonable to me, FWIW.

elias said:

Hi i am new to this site and to sailing. only been sailing a handful of times. so i just got this 1980 ericson 30+ surveyed and sea trialed. the biggest issues the surveyor brought up were the water pump wasn't working properly, and main sail is a little small and old but works, and the rudder sleeve could be replaced eventually. there were blisters below the waterline that were the size of a nickle but the surveyor said they were cosmetic. i noticed he just tapped the hull with a hammer but did not use a moisture meter. not sure if thats normal. dont think he checked the mast step or compression post either maybe he forgot but i didn't see any sagging issues. the boat itself doesnt come with much. just a VHF, old school depth sounder, harkin furler. lots of work was done last year like bottom paint, cutlass bearing, standing rigging. jib looked nice. bunch of plumbing hoses looked new. has single burner alcohol origo stove and no oven. deck drain valve looked new. evidence of leaks on windows and they looked original. surveyor did not confirm with a hose because of drought. also the universal diesel motor has 699 hrs on it and it seems to run great and is freshly painted. seller and i agreed on 11500$. my question is, is this a good deal? should i ask for less once i get the report back from the surveyor? i plan to live on this thing eventually. thanks

Click to expand...

Welcome to the on-line harbor for miscreant Vikings!

Sounds like, if I understand the description, this boat may have had its original main replaced with something inexpensive or perhaps used. I'm not sure what a rudder sleeve is, but if he's referring to the glassed-in tube that holds the rudder post, I cannot imagine a reason to replace it short of some kind of damage. (?)
He probably would not use a moisture meter on the hull sides, but would on the bottom (i.e. below the waterline). Checking the mast step would involve looking into bilge area. Other owners can advise about the mast support.

The original galley range in those boats was likely a pressure alcohol range (with oven). Interesting to hear of a one-burner Origo stove and no oven. The Origo is a great stove, in any of its iterations. We have been using the Origo model 6000 for cooking and baking for 20 years and like it a lot.
If the "old" vhf works and has the basic modern channels, just use it until you can budget for a new one. Same for the old depth meter.
Not sure what a "deck drain valve" refers to. Can you post up a picture?
For that matter, is there a URL for this boat's listing? Window leaks are normal for any brand of boat at this age, and other owners here can guide you on resealing or replacing them.
A good running diesel is a real plus. Nonetheless, be ready to replace the raw water impeller immediately and likely the v-drive belt too. New coolant would be another excellent thing to do.
The price will often be negotiated further to reflect needed work revealed by the survey.

Keep us posted please. Those are fast, agile, and able boats.

Regards,
Loren

ok cool thanks for the input. should i post the survey here? are the blisters an issue and do they hurt the resale value?

sorry my sailing nomenclature is not so good because im trying to learn a lot through reading. here is a link to the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7M338NYZ9Q i don't have any pics of the deck drain valve or whatever its called. there is drain holes in the cockpit that go to a through hull that the valve is apparently for.

here is the link http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1980/Ericson-30-Plus-2790319/San-Diego/CA/United-States#.VUrij_m6dqM

You may want to invest in a dodger, helps keep the spray out of the cockpit and may provide some shade for uv phobic passengers.
Cockpit cushions are a nice add on. I'm not a fan of the claw anchor.
You may want to upgrade the electronics. Ipad mini with navionics or garmin, a vhf, digital depth sounder.
Propellor looks small, is there a tach so you can check boat speed at X rpm?
All in all looks like a normal sail away boat.

yeah definately going to get a dodger and more electronics. propellar looked small but gps phone app said we were going 6.8 knots under power. probably with the current or something. rpm gauge was not working.

If the main is really trash, I might haggle for a thousand or so over that and the blisters. But really, if the rigging is all reasonably fresh, I don't think you've mentioned any really serious issues. The price seems fair enough. (For comparison, I bought a neglected wreck for $5k, because that was how much I had, and gradually put about twice that into it to get what I wanted.) The blisters are not too big an issue - you can fix them yourself during a haul-out sometime.

Forget about the whole concept of "resale value" in regards to an old boat. The question is purely whether you will get enough enjoyment out of it to justify the price. Your $10K of enjoyment may not be the same as someone else's. It will really help if you also get enjoyment out of tinkering with old equipment.

The $11k seems very reasonable to me, without having seen the boat. There was an E30+ in the Portland, OR area for sale not too long ago for quite a bit more than that. And it had an Atomic 4 engine. Looks like yours has a low-hour Universal diesel, which many people prefer over gasoline.

Are you kiddin' me? I just looked at the listing pictures in your link above. ( http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1980/Ericson-30-Plus-2790319/San-Diego/CA/United-States#.VUuQFvlVhBd )

Somebody loved this boat. The varnish is new and deep. Looks like all new interior upholstery (in a reasonable color). The name is not faded off the hull. The lines are coiled on deck for the photograph, and maybe they were always kept that way. The diesel has relatively low hours, too, if under 700.

My point is that you are buying the Previous Owner as much as the boat, and a boat with a PO who cared is a huge plus.

Very encouraging, in my opinion.

And yes, it would be great if you could provide a link to your full survey (redact personal info and the surveyor's name). Surveys are educational for all.

Also, if you think the forum will come in handy for you in future, consider putting your boat model, year, location and engine model in the signature line, as many other do. Most of the questions that come up are quite specific and that info helps people know if their knowledge applies to the question.

thanks guys i bought the boat. taxes and transfering the uscg documentation to my name was well over a grand. now i got to wait a week before i actually get the boat. The surveyor liked the boat and said the previous owner oviously took care of it. i will try to figure out how to post the survey soon.

Congratulations.
I owned a 30+ and outfitted very nicely. It was a beautiful boat. Always sad that I sold it. I put a lot of many into it with canvas and new cushions and lines. Sailed like a dream. Although likes to heel at about 12k so always be ready to reef.