Potential buyer, would appreciate advice.

Hello all,

I've been looking at boats for sale and reading about different makers for quite some time. I've narrowed my search down, and have my eyes on an E29 in Connecticut.

Here is a link to the ad: http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1979-Ericson-29-102592490

The owner is selling to fund another boat that he purchased. I spent a half hour on the phone with him asking him questions regarding the boat. He has owned it for 16 years and hauls the boat out to stay on the hard every winter. He works as a mechanic, so I can hopefully assume the boat/engine are in as decent shape as he tells me.

He told me that there is a soft spot about 12"x12" on the deck that is going to need some attention in the future and that one of the windows has a leak that needs to be fixed. The price on the add is $6,900 but he said he would take $5,000. That seems like a reasonable deal. I plan on having it hauled out this
weekend when I drive up to see the boat. I'm undecided on weather to spend the money for a survey.

Here is a video of the cabin: https://vimeo.com/142336438

Here are a few photos, the engine looks slightly concerning. He also sent me a video on the cabin, everything appears to be very clean.
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That's likely one of the last 29's built. At some point that year the E-30-2 went into production and (afaik) replaced it in the line up.

Looks very clean in the photos. If the engine surveys well it seems cheap at the price.

Sidebar: FWIW, it's usually nicer to own the last and most-improved version of a product, after any bugs have been worked out. You benefit from all upgrades and improvements over the years of production.

Other E-29 owners can suggest specific places to inspect.

Regards,
Loren

Loren Beach said:

That's likely one of the last 29's built. At some point that year the E-30-2 went into production and (afaik) replaced it in the line up.

Looks very clean in the photos. If the engine surveys well it seems cheap at the price.

Sidebar: FWIW, it's usually nicer to own the last and most-improved version of a product, after any bugs have been worked out. You benefit from all upgrades and improvements over the years of production.

Other E-29 owners can suggest specific places to inspect.

Regards,
Loren

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Thank you very much for your reply. It didn't occur to me about it being one of the last of the model built. Good to know!

Rotated photos.



If he's a mechanic, I would chat with him about the engine. I expect he'll be honest.

Can you budget for new sails? You'll need them, but the overall price seems to acknowledge that.

There will be some projects to do on this boat, but portlights are easy to rebed and varnish is just a labor job.

If it were me, and I was paying for a haulout anyhow, I would definitely employ a well known local marine surveyor.

Thank you, is there a way to post a video I have saved on my computer?

You'll need to upload the video to Youtube or Vimeo, and post the link here. It's free.

When uploading photos to the forum, put them on your desktop first--that's the easiest way to confirm how they will appear here.

Christian Williams said:

You'll need to upload the video to Youtube or Vimeo, and post the link here. It's free.

When uploading photos to the forum, put them on your desktop first--that's the easiest way to confirm how they will appear here.

Click to expand...

I'll keep that in mind, thanks. Also, uploaded a video, it's in the OP.

I spoke with him for a little while concerning the engine, how often he did maintenance on it, ect. I'm not sure on needing new sails; depending on how they look in person, refurbishing may be an option, but if new ones are needed, new ones she will get. I believe the spinnaker is new, that's always a plus.

The owner works as a mechanic at the marina where the boat is moored, I got the impression it wouldn't cost anything to have it hauled out.

In the video, it looks like the woodwork is still in good shape, which is one of the great elements of the Ericson reputation. A new head and holding tank is a big deal, generally a miserable job to do yourself. Cushions are expensive, so if you like them that's a plus.

The price, I think others will agree, is pretty low at $5K for a boat you could keep a long while.

At that price I know a marine survey sounds expensive. But it may take a real expert to assess judge the softness in the deck, and the implications. Such repairs can get complicated fast.

I look at it this way: A good $5K boat is really a $15K boat (because that's what the tally will be a few years later). The cost of a survey is a percentage of the larger figure.

And of course, a boat with an undiscovered major flaw is very difficult to resell.

Had my 1971 E 29 for about 14 years

Greetings,
The Ericson 29 is a great boat. Stable and day, and great fun to sail. I often can out sail many newer boats on the Great South Bay.

At the end of the first year or ownership, I replaced the Atomic 4. The head developed a pin hole (sand pit) and it was atomizing sea water into the 3rd Cylinder. It was NOT a cheap fix, but it was the perfect fix as I have had 12 years of trouble free service from the Yanmar 2GM20F. (about 8G total)
I also:
-Replaced my aging main with my George Bush Tax Refund. (1200)
-Redid all my interior cushions when my wife said that she would not sleep on the boat without new cushions (1700)
-Re-bedded everything on the deck and all portlights... It was time consuming but cost a few tubes of caulk.
-replaced all my sheets, added a rigid boom vang.
-replaced all the gate valves
-run through 2 batteries every 5 years

Still a great boat and way cheaper than a new 29 foot boat.
good luck
Rick+

I don't see what's concerning about the engine photo. At least from just looking at it. It's a little bit dirty, but appears to have fresh hoses, plugs and wires. The wiring is neatly supported, instead of the rats nest common in some boats. Raw-water cooled - might want to install a freshwater system at some point. Someone has installed a thermostat bypass valve, which is a popular modification for A4s. In short, it looks like an engine that gets cared for, at least. Is there oil in the bilge, or under the engine?

Sounds like a pretty good price.

Thank you everyone for your replies!

The only thing that seems concerning about the engine is the rust and possible pitting on top of the head.

If I remember correctly I think he said the chain plates could use re-bedding.

Is there anything else specific with this model that I need to check for?

fullandby said:

Since you are having it hauled check that the rudder is sound. Given the forces that it endures (and freeze/thaw cycles for northern climes ), they tend to develop cracks and take on water. Tapping on it with a screw driver handle would sound out hollow if there is an issue with this. Check for excessive movement back and forth of the rudder. Also, I have seen issues with the deck plate for the top of the rudder post slopping around. If you could have someone watch it as you apply force to the rudder to see if there is any movement. This can be an area of water intrusion that would lead to wet core in the cockpit sole and water intrusion into the quarter berth. You mentioned that the owner talked about a soft spot in the deck. Do you know where this is on the boat?

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I'm pretty sure he said the rudder had developed a crack a few years ago and he had it removed and professionally redone.

Here's what he said referring to the soft spot: "Soft spot is stbd deck near where the chain plates come through the deck. There was a freshwater leak around the plates that saturated the core in that area, I think about 12x12 inches."

I would pin him down for specifics on the chain plates, and have a look yourself for cracks or corrosion. These are always a bit of a worry, since they are embedded in the hull and cannot be fully inspected. Probably, he meant where they pass through the deck. The next section can be (sorta) viewed by unscrewing the plywood panels above the settees. This has worried some people so much that they have chopped out that section of the hull (and then AFAIK found that they were perfectly fine in the first place.) I suppose it all depends on your Personal Pucker Factor.

Also, I would have a good look at the DC and AC wiring. The original, minimal 70's wiring was OK for it's day, but not up to current standards. Then, lot of it may have been lost to age, fatigue, and owner modifications. (e.g., some of the original wiring on my boat was embedded in the hull, then later abandoned - apparently shorted out.) If a lot of stuff doesn't work, or there are rats nests of wire present, this will take some work.

That swim platform looks kinda nice, but I wonder what holds it up?

toddster said:

I would pin him down for specifics on the chain plates, and have a look yourself for cracks or corrosion. These are always a bit of a worry, since they are embedded in the hull and cannot be fully inspected. Probably, he meant where they pass through the deck. The next section can be (sorta) viewed by unscrewing the plywood panels above the settees. This has worried some people so much that they have chopped out that section of the hull (and then AFAIK found that they were perfectly fine in the first place.) I suppose it all depends on your Personal Pucker Factor.

Also, I would have a good look at the DC and AC wiring. The original, minimal 70's wiring was OK for it's day, but not up to current standards. Then, lot of it may have been lost to age, fatigue, and owner modifications. (e.g., some of the original wiring on my boat was embedded in the hull, then later abandoned - apparently shorted out.) If a lot of stuff doesn't work, or there are rats nests of wire present, this will take some work.

That swim platform looks kinda nice, but I wonder what holds it up?

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The pictures around the chain plates look fine, I will definitely ask more about them. He said to his knowledge the boat has never been rewired.

The swim platform is a nice touch, he said they use it to get in and out of the water and will never have a boat without it.

Thanks for your advice!

This is one of several pictures I got of the same area, they all look about like this.

Unbelievable! I will definitely be taking pictures of everything and throwing them up here to get other opinions.

It would be nice to have a swim platform, but I can barely fit my boat into my (allegedly) 30-foot slip as it is!

I won't give advice on how to inspect SS for cracks, because I'd have to google it myself to start with. There are methods with dyes and such. Also, to state the obvious, you'll need to lift those hoses up to inspect the shroud terminals.

toddster said:

It would be nice to have a swim platform, but I can barely fit my boat into my (allegedly) 30-foot slip as it is!

I won't give advice on how to inspect SS for cracks, because I'd have to google it myself to start with. There are methods with dyes and such. Also, to state the obvious, you'll need to lift those hoses up to inspect the shroud terminals.

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I believe that there is an E-29 in our club with a similar platform that looks like it might fold up.
I will try to remember to have a look at it. Maybe I can get the owner to log in here.

Loren

fullandby said:

"Wet decks" are one thing, especially on a boat that you don't have a lot of money into. You would be hard pressed to find a boat of this age without some punky deck core issues. You don't see any spider cracks in the deck in this spot in the picture. This chain plate just passes through the deck and doesn't carry the load. Proper bedding would go a long way to stop further water intrusion/damage. Again, sounding with the handle of a screwdriver would tell you something about the condition of the core in suspect areas. It is the areas under load, like the mast step, that is the greatest concern.

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This is what the owner said about the mast step: "The area around the mast step is rock solid which is a critical area that I see rot in a lot of older boats." From the pictures, he looks to be telling the truth.

Surveys aren't cheap, but as Christian Williams previously mentioned, a boat with an undiscovered major flaw is very difficult to resell.
I would add that it is also unnerving to sail when conditions head south. (or come out of the north in my case)

You sound experienced enough to do your own initial survey. Borrow a screwdriver and do a tap-tap test on every square inch of deck.
If you decide to proceed, you can have a limited survey done for specific areas of concern. Boatyard owner should know some people who can do partial surveys.

-Garrett