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Ericson 25+ questions

lschmidt

Junior Member
I am looking at getting a 1980 Ericson 25+ with shoal draft keel.

It has a non-working saildrive, the owner isn't extremely knowledgeable about it but thinks the "lower something" was faulty and claimed it was going to cost $10k to fix or replace. That was years ago when it failed, and since then they've installed an outboard. I really don't mind having an outboard - but also wouldn't mind if the saildrive could be fixed and save money on getting an outboard.

I would probably just plan to remove the saildrive and figure out how to glass it over and use an outboard permanently.

The boat has been sitting on the hard for 2 years, outdoors but covered. The hull and deck appears to be solid with no leaks. Sails are in good shape.

Are there any particular problems I should be on the look out for with this year/model?

Considering the non-working saildrive, what would be a fair price, assuming fair condition and NO outboard included?

Thanks!
 
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Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
The fair price you'll have to decide by comparison to other, similar boats in your region. At a glance on line, Ericson 25s range from $1500 to $7000.

Forget the existing Saildrive. Sure, remove it. Outboard is fine on a 25-footer.

The issue I see is two years in storage. A boat being sailed frequently is usually kept up better, and on a 1980 boat almost every piece of gear needs upkeep or renewal. Relative value is pretty much a function of how much upkeep has been performed.

It's a sailboat, so the sails are important. If not less than 10 years old, they need replacement. When sailing, rag sails, stained and falling apart, are impossible to ignore. And the boat won't sail well.

Look also at the cushions, the ports, the cabin floor, the cabin ceiling. Water and time destroys them and they are expensive to repair.

An entry level used sailboat is often not worth paying a professional surveyor, so a buyer is left much on his own.

Any experience boat owner is invaluable as a helper in the search, and can immediately identify issues and whether you can fix them yourself or need pro help.

Many boats out there. I would want to go sailing on a prospect for a "sea trial" before buying.

If it is an "as is" deal, quite a lot of experience is required to make a bid and a decision.

Oh--and welcome aboard!
 
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Glyn Judson

Moderator
Moderator
E25+ thoughts.

Dear friend, Christian is right on including a hearty welcome aboard. The best thing you can do regarding the OMC inboard is to yank it and patch the hole. There are no parts available for that motor anyway. Isn't OMC out of business on top of that too? As a former owner of an E25+, hull #515 a 1979 and identical to yours, may I pass on several thoughts? You didn't say it but if the boat is still fitted with an outboard transom bracket, take note to install your new long shaft outboard on it paying particular note to how deep the engine goes into the water when under power and "squatting". The engine case should not contact the water under those circumstances. The outward lip of the deck/hull joint is enough to make it impossible to raise the engine and then cantilever it into its stowed position. I replaced the original OMC 10hp with a 10hp long shaft, electric start Yamaha, a sweetheart of a motor that never gave me a moment of trouble in the six years we used it, logging hundreds of hours motor sailing to Catalina Island and back. My fix for there not being enough room to fully tilt the motor at rest was to use very long mounting bolts, long enough to pass through the motor bracket, a massive teak block 3 or 4 inches thick that I made and then into the transom. I don't know about the weight of other motors but the Yamaha was heavy, so much so that it was impossible for my wife Marilyn to fully stow it, she simply didn't have the upper body strength and mass to do so. My solution was to fabricate a stainless hook about the width of my hand that was formed at the working end with a 1 inch diameter half circle, in order to be able to hook it to the engine cover where you and I would use our hand. The other end of this 6 inch long device was drilled to accept a small shackle to which I attached a pair of Harken Micro fiddles, an H244 and H245. The 245 has a becket needed to make the whole assembly work. I took advantage of an unused hole in the triangle plate serving to split the aft stay, to attach all this to. Marilyn was then able to easily lift the motor with ease, only needing 25% of the amount of pull. The 1 inch diameter at the working end was also suited to allow it to be stowed to the stern rail when not in use. Second thought: Our anchor locker cover leaked which resulted in water entering the boat, making its way to the starboard shelf in the V-berth and carrying water all the way to the counter top in the head where it harmlessly pooled adjacent to the sink. I sealed the leak and all was good with the world. That's about all I can think of right now. I have attached an image of Marilyn and the E25+ at Catalina Island showing the Harken lifting rig, the teak block and the Yamaha. I hope this helps, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey CA
 

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Glyn Judson

Moderator
Moderator
A final thought.

Dear friend, If/when taking the E25+ out on a sea trial, please understand that the boat will initially seem to be unduly tender. That is by design and I got it right from the horses mouth. In talking to Bruce King decades ago about that very thing, he explained it in the following manner. He wanted the boat to be a good coastal cruiser but at the same time, to be competitive for Wednesday night races. He deliberately designed the E25+ to be tender to 9° before stiffening up, that's exactly what happens. We had Egret in some pretty nasty seas going to and returning from Santa Barbara, the Channel Islands and elsewhere and she always performed beautifully in pretty strong winds and seas yet was nimble in light air. Cheers, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey CA
 

lschmidt

Junior Member
Thanks for the info, Glyn!

The boat in question will have to be purchased "as is" on land, unless I spend $200 for it to be launched and additional money to travel to it (I'm in WI, and it's in FL). I can get it for $1,500 without the outboard though.

I also noticed from the pictures that the owner sent me is that it has a wheel instead of a tiller. How large of a project would it be to convert it to tiller steering? It looks like there is a flanged hole in the cockpit about 12 inches aft of the pedestal mount (and about 12 inches forward of the scupper). Maybe it was originally a tiller and someone converted it to a wheel?

This gives an idea of the interior condition. I will assume the rigging needs to be replace for sure. Replacing rigging, converting from a wheel to tiller, definitely needs some cleaning and probably painting, definitely a bottom job. This might turn into a project boat.

2465.jpg
 

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Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
>>>The boat in question will have to be purchased "as is" on land, unless I spend $200 for it to be launched and additional money to travel to it (I'm in WI, and it's in FL). I can get it for $1,500 without the outboard though.

I suggest you keep looking. Everything argues against a boat you have seen once or twice, not recently sailed, with a dead engine, 1,000 miles away. Everything. Many boats for sale, few buyers. Use the power.

Here's a similar specimen, at random.
[h=2]https://boston.craigslist.org/nos/bo...640427586.html[/h]


 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Good Advice so far :) , and you might slightly expand your search to include the Ericson 26-2 (sometimes also called an Ericson 26-200. These have the same hull as the E-25+, I seem to recall.
The E-27 was built over a number of years, and you can choose the later divided cockpit and also find some with a tiller and some with a wheel.
Please do get a survey, whatever kind of boat you start to fall in lust with.....
:)
 

907Juice

Continuously learning
Hello and welcome! I want to echo everyone’s statements. I have a 25+ and had a lot of the same issues that were mentioned. It sounds like the previous owner did a bunch of diy stuff. I love my boat but it is a labor of love. A boat that is that old will require lots of up front upgrades. If you can get it for a deal it may be worth it. Otherwise, there is probably a newer and better maintained boat between you and Florida.

Juice
 
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