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late 80's E34-2 opinions and thoughts?

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
I once indulged myself with calculating how much money I would have earned if, instead of going down to the marina to work on my Ericson, I had gone into the office at my pre-retirement salary.

For me, the calculation is the other way around.

Going down and working on the boat is medicine for my soul, and helps me recalibrate and recharge for the time I have to spend in the office.
 

patrscoe

Member III
This is slightly off from my original thread while I am closing in my search for a new (new to me) sailboat, I have narrowed my sailboat selection to a CS 33, Ericson 34 and Cal 33 or Pearson 33. Some our little more or less, and some are better condition.

I actually made an offer on a CS 36 last month. They are very well built and a very good sailing vessel. Engine access is difficult and I did not like that you have to remove the entire wood enclosure around the engine which was not ideal but it unfortunately during my survey, there was serious engine issues that per the mechanic, was going to costs quite a bit so I pulled my purchase offer.

That lead me to looking at CS 33. Not as impressive as a CS 36T but had a high quality build with the the same attributes - good ones and bad ones.

That brings me to my off topic question on quality; I have read several forums and threads on the web stating that Ericsons are either are equal or some state below quality to the mass production sailboat manufacturers like Pearson or Cal or Catalinas.
Why are started to look at Ericsons is that read and heard of the high quality construction of the sailboats; from the interior woodwork, grid system, solid epoxy hull and so on. Although a Pearson and Cal are my list but they feel 100% like a production sailboat.
How do Ericson owners, specifically 34-2, 32-2 and 35-3 owners that are similar design feel about the quality of their sailboat? I am sure you have owned other manufacturers like myself.


Patrick
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
>>>I have read several forums and threads on the web stating that Ericsons are either are equal or some state below quality to the mass production sailboat manufacturers like Pearson or Cal or Catalinas.

The other forums are correct: Ericsons either are equal to or below quality of other mass production sailboats.

Does that help?
 

Frank Langer

1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
Christian, are you saying in the above post that Ericsons are below the quality of other boats like Catalina???? Really??
If that wasn't intended as a "tongue in cheek" comment, can you please elaborate?
Thanks,
Frank
 

Teranodon

Member III
....
How do Ericson owners, specifically 34-2, 32-2 and 35-3 owners that are similar design feel about the quality of their sailboat?
...

This is a forum for Ericson owners. Ergo: most folks (but not all!) will rate Ericsons above the others. However, given that we are talking about boats that are 30+ years old, my advice would be to focus on the state of the boat, and its equipment, rather than the brand. Thus, I would prefer a solid, well-equipped Cat34 over a beat-up Ericson of the same LWL. Maybe.
 

HerbertFriedman

Member III
my previous boat was a 72 Tartan 30 which was well build, far about production boats like Catalinas or Hunters. My E34 is Tartan quality, the only misgiving I have is that the Universal M35XP is underpowered and with 2500 hours on the engine, a bit tired, reliable, smooth but underpowered. That may be because the PO installed a fixed three blade prop and it may be overpitched.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
>>>I have read several forums and threads on the web stating that Ericsons are either are equal or some state below quality to the mass production sailboat manufacturers like Pearson or Cal or Catalinas.

The other forums are correct: Ericsons either are equal to or below quality of other mass production sailboats.

Does that help?

Perhaps a misprint or mis typing error....
I have been reading sailing sites for 20 years and I have Never seen any comment that Ericson's were of less quality than the names mentioned.
In the hierarchy of boat builders, they are in the general grouping with C&C, Cascade, Yamaha, Tartan, Hinterhoeller, CS Yachts, and Sabre... to name only a few.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
>>>I have read several forums and threads on the web stating that Ericsons are either are equal or some state below quality to the mass production sailboat manufacturers like Pearson or Cal or Catalinas.

The other forums are correct: Ericsons either are equal to or below quality of other mass production sailboats.

Does that help?

Pretty entertaining. I wrote a long reply, thought it sounded too wiseguy, and killed everything but the last two lines.

The point was that the moon is made of cheese, or it is not made of cheese, and the correct answer is not an opinion.

In sum, I think boat vs. boat arguments are a waste of time--but if anybody wants one all the other forums have scads.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Cheddar

I thought that whole Moon and Cheese question was settled in the film "A Grand Day Out"
:)
 

patrscoe

Member III
I was requesting opinions on the quality Ericson sailboats based on their design and manufacturing process. I am not sure why I received sarcastic comments as I think this is a reason question for someone who seeking advice based on their own personal experience e.g. one complaint that I read was that Ericson used plastic seacocks but that's okay.
Does not appear that I will get the advice that I am seeking.

Patrick
 

Frank Langer

1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
Patrick,
I agree with you that your question is reasonable. While the condition of any particular boat will depend on the care and maintenance its had, I think the chances of finding a good boat is much greater if you start from a base of a well built boat.
I have owned three boats, and our Ericson for over 12 years. I have also sailed on lots of other boats over the years.
In my opinion Ericsons are built well - - not perfectly, but quite well. You can tell by the quality of the woodwork, quality of fixtures, wiring, the design, the way they all sail both in light and heavier air. If you spend some time on this site, you'll see that owners invest alot of time in their boats and speak of them with pride.
No boat is perfect, and there are always compromises, but in general, these are very good boats.
I am on a committee that does annual safety inspections, and over the past several years I have not seen a boat that I would prefer over my 1984 Ericson. I'm quite surprised by that.
Just my thoughts....
Frank
 
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Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I was requesting opinions on the quality Ericson sailboats based on their design and manufacturing process. I am not sure why I received sarcastic comments as I think this is a reason question for someone who seeking advice based on their own personal experience e.g. one complaint that I read was that Ericson used plastic seacocks but that's okay.
Does not appear that I will get the advice that I am seeking.

Patrick

You have now put forth a new concern - "plastic" seacocks.
EY did not do this. They did use Marelon thru hulls and valves below the waterline. This is a reinforced material, and with one design change/upgrade in the 90's is still in use today. Our boat came with the original ones and I changed them out to the "OEM 93 series" ones in the 90's.

As for a "plastic" valve, I doubt that any builder used them below the waterline. Cast plastics are not durable enough for such use. Reinforced Plastics on the other hand are what the whole hull and deck is made of.

Apologies if you found the tone of some of the replies not to your liking. This is one of the more knowledgeable groups on the sailing part of the 'net. Occasionally we do have a bit of fun with our comments, but I do not see any 'sarcastic comments' directed at you.
OTOH you did received some good commentary from owners with a lot of experience with the EY boats and most of those have experience with other brands as well.

Stick around. And if you did not yet receive the the advice you hoped for, perhaps you could fine tune your questions just a bit.

Fair winds,
Loren
 

Slick470

Member III
here is a article about the "plastic" seacocks that Ericson and many other builders use and how it compares to other materials in terms of strength. https://www.forespar.com/what-is-marelon.shtml As an owner, I actually prefer these to metal seacocks that I would have to worry about corrosion with. Like anything else, they are a maintenance item and need to be operated and lubricated occasionally.

As with any production boat builder Ericson built to a price point. It seems though that their price point was still pretty damn good compared to Catalina, Hunter, Cal, Irwin, Chrysler, MacGregor, O'day, etc. I would definitely compare Ericson to boats like Tartan, C&C, CS, and the like.

On an aside back to the grid discussion. I wonder if the partial grid in the Olson line dates back to Carl Schumacher's Express line and the original Capo 30 which was the predecessor to the 911S and which the O34 is also a development. Looking at these boats with their lack of a bilge sump, the grid allows for a support for the cabin sole, but also allows stiffens the bottom of the relatively flat hull and strengthens the keel connection. I'm sure that Ericson refined the design somewhat as well when changing from the cored hull of the Pacific Boats built boats to the solid glass layup of the Ericson built ones. Interesting thought experiment.

All said, I'm sure that several boat builders around that same time were using something similar, and Ericson chose to strongly market the TAFG feature as an added value. It must have worked, as we are still discussing it almost 30 years after they closed up shop.
 

Grizz

Grizz
Lost in the Thread

So proud to chart the member responses to what appeared to be several 'simple questions'...that were anything but simple. The responses offered opinions, supported by experiences, admitted to self-edits to cull potential cheeky and included a fair amount of cautionary guidance. The site proving again why it functions successfully and remains a key 'go to' site IMHO.

A clean summary, if a bit obtuse, is to invoke a bit of Latin 'De gustibus non est disputandu, which loosely translates to 'there's no arguing taste', which is why some sailors are 'tiller guys' and others are 'wheel guys', some are 'it's gotta be bronze', others are 'I love Marelon'. The list is endless (symmetric/asymmetric, roller furler/Tuff Luff, on and on and on...).


Eventually, we identify 'our girl', most times using highly irrational arguments, and begin the courtship. And at some point along the way, we gain from others with experience courting related family members.

We now return to our regularly scheduled broadcast...
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
I think this is a reason question for someone who seeking advice based on their own personal experience

I agree it is a reasonable question. It is not one, however, for which there is an objective answer. Boats are like... uh... spouses, what might be perfect for one person might be a nightmare for another.

I will share my very-biased perspective. I have spent a lifetime around sailboats. I worked for a number of production and custom boatbuilders when I was younger. I operated a rigging business of my own. I raced a lot of different boats - from production cruiser/racers to full custom one-offs - in a lot of different places. I grew to appreciate good design and good construction.

When it came time to buy my boat, my list of priorities included
-- it has to be well built
-- it has to sail well
-- it has to have no designed-in flaws

For me what that meant was
-- I wasn't interested in the Catalina or any of the other mass-produced "tupperware" boats, I wanted one that was built to last
-- I wasn't interested in Valiant, Yankee, Westsail or other heavy "blue-water" designs, I wanted a lively boat that sails well
-- I wasn't interested in any of the late-model Beneteau, Jenneau, Hunter boats that are designed around big interiors (basically an "RV that floats", in my opinion)
-- I wasn't interested in a boat with a cored hull, a deck-stepped rig (sorry!), or a number of other features.

With those priorities, I came down to a very short list of "targets". I like the C&C designs, but didn't love the cored hull. I liked a number of Islander designs, but wasn't convinced about the build-quality. I would have considered a Swan, both build-quality and sailing performance are legendary, but more than I wanted to spend (and, generally, heavier than I wanted). I might have considered an 80s-era Ranger or Cal, maybe a Pearson, they have a reputation for being well-built but not necessarily for great sailing performance. I generally didn't look at CS, S2, a number of others because (IMO) they weren't prevalent enough to have good examples on the market (at least here on the west coast).

What I kept coming back to was Ericson. the designs are elegant, made for sailing performance without bad habits. The interiors are comfortable and well-built, not tupperware. The build is very, very strong - from the "grid" the boat is built around, which carries all the loads of the rig and keel, to the laminated hull-deck joint. To my knowledge, no other production builder went to the time and expense of fiberglassing the hull-deck joint to make it solid and leak-proof... most builders just bolted the hull and deck together and slapped a rub-rail over the joint to keep water out. The interior is gorgeous - stick-built out of quality materials, not molded-plastic cubbies and liners. Engine access is good. Access to major systems is good. Design-for-maintainability is good. The parts they chose (steering systems, rigs, etc) were chosen for durability, not low price.

So I sought an Ericson. Targeted models for me were the 32-III, the 35-III or the 34-II.... primarily based on my priorities that the boat be "big enough to go places, but small enough that I could sail it comfortably by myself". At ~9800 lbs, the 32-III is perfect for me, but even at ~13,500 lbs, I would have happily chased a 35-III or 34-II if I could have found one in good condition in my price range. Along the way, when I couldn't find an Ericson, I looked at a number of C&Cs and J-boats, and each time thought "ok, that was nice, but not as nice as an Ericson".

As it turns out, I found an Ericson 32-III. I've had her almost three years now, and I can honestly say that never once - not while sailing by myself, not while working on the boat, not while taking people out for a harbor cruise - not ONCE have I ever thought to myself "gosh, I wish I'd waited a little longer and kept looking instead of buying this thing". I am *delighted* with my Ericson, and having been on a lot of boats and seen a lot of things over the years.... that's not a small thing.

$.02
Bruce
 
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