Curious Pacific West Coaster, pursues an 86' Ericson 32, previously a C&C35 MKIII

Found this forum via Christian Williams and his Youtube channel. I liked the boat he sailed and was curious about it. Recently got very close to making an offer on an 86' C&C 35 MKIII but hesitated for some reason. A week or more went by and I found myself curious about Ericsons and staring at a listing for an 86 Ericson 32 in nice shape not too far from home. Which brings me to this query: why should anyone own an Ericson 32, and are there any insights into ownership or otherwise? I quite like the cut of their jib and the seaworthiness I've read about. But I'm new here so opinions are most welcome.

Many thanks,
Chris

Welcome, and glad you watched the movie. I am not biased, having been around many boats, when I say that the 32-3 is a magnificent all -around boat. It sails well, the fit and finish are top drawer, and the ideas all work. There are 32-footers with more room, and there are models that scoot off downwind on flat runs aft, but for the money there is no better cruising and club racing yacht.

Skim the lower half of the Thelonious blog here for a list of the common upgrades and maintenance items. Link is in the signature lines below.

Cheers,
Christian

Christian Williams said:

It sails well, the fit and finish are top drawer, and the ideas all work.

Click to expand...

+ 1,000,000 on what Christian says, above.

I'd add a couple of things, just Bruce's Opinion (tm, patent pending, void where prohibited by law....)

I too have spent a ton of time on other boats, and when I started looking for *my* next boat I and concluded that
-- I wanted a boat that *sails*, not an RV that floats
-- I wanted enough interior to cruise the Sound comfortably, but in a boat small enough I could comfortably go sailing by myself
-- I wanted a well-built boat from a reputable builder, and
-- I wanted a boat whose lines make me smile when I see her.

Top of my list were C&Cs and Ericsons. I, too, got very close to making an offer on a C&C, in my case a very nicely-appointed 33-2 up here in the Puget Sound, but... I ended up walking away for purely intangible reasons. It just didn't feel like "the right boat". The Ericson floated to the top of my esteem, for two reasons.... one, I wasn't a fan of the cored hull on C&C builds, for my purposes the Ericson's solid-laminate hull meant one less thing to worry about. And, two, I don't think any boats out there have lines that are more pleasant - at least to my eyes - than the Bruce King designs.

So, yeah, count me as a big fan of Ericson...

Bruce

I have done an overnight delivery from Port Angeles to the Columbia River on an E-32-3, and a delivery the other way on an E-38-200. Same design "family".
Very Comfortable motion at sea, even in big lumpy stuff out by Duntze Rock and again off the mouth of the Columbia. Both hulls are fast and easy to sail. Bruce King did a great job combining a luxury interior and a no-compromise sailing hull and deck layout, IMHO. (Not like I have an opinion, of course...)

No experience with sailing a C&C 35-3, but have crewed twice on an Ericson 33 in a local race against one. In 18 kt winds, with chutes up, we ran away from the C&C. He was repeat-broaching and we were not.

Cheers,
Loren

Thanks for all the great feedback. Of COURSE Christian Williams is the moderator here! Haha. Thanks for pointing out your links, you've certainly put a lot of hard work and time into your boat, and it's great that you documented it all for others.

The 86' Ericson 32 I'm currently eyeballing (not sure if it's a 32-3 I'm looking at it just says 32?) the owner tells me is well maintained, second owner since 96', Espar heating, dripless seal, dodger with fly over steering, new lifelines, LED anchor light, new tach, speedo, depth, campbell prop,...overall like new and better than when he bought it. It has been on the market since January, not sure what that says about used sailboats, I guess sailboats are not like the Vancouver housing market.

From what I've read the hull is hand-laid fiberglass and polyester resin with balsa cored decks. Are there any issues with the hull or decks I should be aware of specifically with Ericsons? Don't know too much about polyester resin. As Bruce mentioned with the C&C hull it can be dicey. I've heard that 18" either side of center is balsa all the way up. Got mixed reviews/warnings of 30+ year old balsa wood in hulls and decks can be a nightmare, hence my hesitation with C&C.

That being said, overall is there anything specific that I should ask about or be aware of with this particular boat? Thanks really appreciate all the feedback.

Cheers, Chris

Christian Williams said:

Junior moderator, one of many reporting to His Affable Majesty Loren Beach. Yes, if it's an '86 it's a 32-3. All new design from the previous model 32.

Click to expand...

It's an honor to be kidded by an Ericson owner who has "wrung more sea water out his socks than I have sailed over"... !
So is there an on-line listing for this particular Ericson?
And, if an '86 model, it's not an E-32-200 with the aft head? (I knew those were built in "the 80's" but not which years.)

Thanks,
Loren

Loren Beach said:

So is there an on-line listing for this particular Ericson?
And, if an '86 model, it's not an E-32-200 with the aft head? (I knew those were built in "the 80's" but not which years.)

Click to expand...

No photo of the head, I assume it isn't aft: http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/Ericson-32-1986_26751456

Thanks for the input! C

ofshore74 said:

No photo of the head, I assume it isn't aft: http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/Ericson-32-1986_26751456
Thanks for the input! C

Click to expand...

Yup, it's a E-32-3, with the head forward. Looks really clean in the pix. I hope it surveys out well.
And, I hope you can bring it over to Maple Bay for the July rendezvous.

Loren

Same boat is listed in this month's "48 north"

bgary said:

Same boat is listed in this month's "48 north"

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip! Guess it was just recently listed.