E381 Survey - Known Problems

Hi all,

So I am about to do a survey on a 1987 381. It has water staining around the mast area on the sole (don't think it is rotten yet). I've read the threads here on that. I also noticed the aft end of the keel with a thin separation crack from the hull....I found some threads on that...although that is starting to scare me.

Anything else I should be aware of or should I cancel the survey now??!!! I'm just concerned about winding up with more problems than I can deal with right now.

Gerhard

E-38 = lovely boat!

Most of the same Ericson guys probably finished up my August '88 boat....


Cabin soles get very beat up and often need refinishing on any boat of this vintage, and you have already read the threads about checking on the weep hole at the foot of the spar and being sure it routes to the bilge.

Keel: you are at, roughly, the calendar point for dropping and rebedding the keel, and this would be true of most any boat you buy in this age group.
I would find out how recently the standing rigging has been replaced, as well. If not, do it now. The first owner may tell you that none of this is significant... but then, neither he nor the broker is a disinterested party...


We got a separate engine survey when we bought our boat in '94 -- saved us more than the survey cost. Our engine had 1000 hrs on it at the time.

Apropo of whatever, is your interior the tricabin layout with the head aft and the miget nav table, or the earlier 80's layout with big nav table aft combined with a small port side aft cabin? Shoal or deep keel?

Best,
Loren in PDX
Olson 34 #8

And... Welcome to the group!

38 Survey

Gerhard,

I have a 1987 E34 that was built at roughly the same time as the boat you're considering. A few thoughts...we almost bought an E34 in San Diego; we had it hauled out for a survey and the srveyor was great! He insisted that we have an engine survey and a rig survey. While it seemed a waste of time and $, I went for it. Guess what? Best $1500 I ever spent -- the engine had a dead hole (1 of 3) and the mast had a hole at the second spreader large enough for the spreader to fold in (which it apparently had done earlier); oh yeah, the boat had been hit amidship just above the water line - hard enough to shift the interior/triaxial grid an inch or so. Nothing $10 to $15K couldn't fix (except for the shifted grid!). Lesson learned: get independent, competent surveys. When we found our boat a few years ago in Alameda, we went through it all again and found out what was really happening. As Loren said, these boats are approaching an age where major systems should have or must be replaced. I suspect if the boat is an 1987, it's probably a 200 aft cabin model (intorduced in 1986 and very popular with 38 buyers). As for the sole, some were glued and screwed down, others just screwed; our 87 was glued and screwed so we had to refinish everything in-site and that was no small task; but it is doable. Absolutely check all the standing rigging and replace if it hasn't been done in the past few years; check the hull for tiny osmotic blistering (common from that era); check all the hatches and ports for leakage; check the mast and condition of all fittings; make sure the steering/rudder systems are in good shape and lastly, check all tankage for leaks and/or problems. These are fine boats and I consider evey cent we've spent on our to be an investment. Good luck and, hopefully, you've found a good E38!

Caution is Called For...

I had some sole stains as the result of the collar leaking. Once I replaced that, the drip-drip-dripping stopped.

As for the other (more expensive stuff) - I concur. Get a good inspection - do your homework first - and don't be afraid to pass it up. Everything is about twice (or more) as expensive as you think it is - and all of it takes time away from you and use of the boat.

The guy who bought my boat got a good deal - mostly because I was so annoyed at the neglect shown the boat before me - hopefully you'll find a PO who is/was as concerned.

//sse

Thanks for comments

Thanks all for the comments. Really great and a big help. As for the layout, it is not the 200 layout. It is the 381 layout except that there is a dinette to port instead of a second settee. It has the shoal keel.

Yes, I've been talking with surveyors and intend to do a serious survey, but it sure is hard picking someone from a telephone conversation. I keep hearing horror stories and it's keeping me up at night! Maybe it's simpler not to buy a boat! I'll let you know what happens.

Gerhard

Surveyor?

Gerhard,

I know what you mean; it's not easy determining if the voice on the other end of the phone is connected to someone who really knows what they're talking about (however, in my experience, when you find the right person, you'll know!). Have you checked with the national/international accreditation orgs (Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors, National Assoc. of Marine Surveyors and even, www.marinesurveors.com)? I don't know where you are located, if it happens to be in the SoCal/San Diego area, Kells Christian is a legend and you might be able to call him for a referral to another area/person. Of course, you can always ask the yard manager where you hauled the boat -- often, these are very sharp people who know the "good" guys from the "bad" guys in their areas. Just thought I'd offer a few more thoughts. Good luck.