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Ericson 26 on CL

markvone

Sustaining Member
I've seen this boat for sale for a few years at a slowly decreasing price. I think I remember the owners "aged out" of sailing. Once the price vs hassle of selling gets to a point, the donation and tax deduction starts looking pretty good. A few years of storage fees and no use will get you motivated to move the boat.

I don't think the boat had any big issues (except that winged keel) but wheel steering on the E26 would be a no go for me. I suspect the original price ($8 - 12k ?) is too high for this size boat compared to all the available other "starter" boats of similar size. The E26 is perfect for someone familiar with Ericsons or downsizing from a bigger boat. I am seriously considering another E26-2 when I retire.

Mark
 

NewbieSailor

New Member
I've seen this boat for sale for a few years at a slowly decreasing price. I think I remember the owners "aged out" of sailing. Once the price vs hassle of selling gets to a point, the donation and tax deduction starts looking pretty good. A few years of storage fees and no use will get you motivated to move the boat.

I don't think the boat had any big issues (except that winged keel) but wheel steering on the E26 would be a no go for me. I suspect the original price ($8 - 12k ?) is too high for this size boat compared to all the available other "starter" boats of similar size. The E26 is perfect for someone familiar with Ericsons or downsizing from a bigger boat. I am seriously considering another E26-2 when I retire.

Mark

I am a newbie to the Ericson boat and cruising in general. I am based in Boston area and want to learn to cruise. This seems to be a good starter boat. What is the issue with "winged keel"? And why the "wheel steering" on the E25 is a no go? Looks like the inboard engine has not been used for a few years if it was trying to be sold for this long time. I would assume it needs a lot of work, right? Thanks for any feedback.
 

Afrakes

Sustaining Member
Nothing wrong

Just folks with strong opinions and definite preferences. This could be a great boat for you. If it is in good condition and ready to go what a better way to start your sailing experience. I've no experience with winged keel boats but plenty with both tiller and wheel. Both have their pros and cons. At this stage of my sailing experience and advanced years I love the wheel. Just cruising and not racing where perhaps the tiller communicates in a more exact way the feel of the boat. As for the engine, have an experienced person take a look at it to determine its condition.
 
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Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Newbiesailor,

If your interest continues, post photos of the boat. The "for sale" , as a donation, is lacking detail.

A diesel engine is a great thing on a 26, and it's either fine, just in need of basic care, or it has some unsolvable problem, which is less likely but would be a big issue.

Re the wheel: most 26-footers find a tiller simple and with all the virtues you recall from dinghies. The down side of retrofitted wheel steering is that the wheel may have to be small (cockpits have to be specifically designed to accept large wheels). A small-diameter wheel on a sailboat is awful--no feel, no leverage.

Also, wheel steering is complicated, and parts availability on old systems is an issue. It really does free the cockpit of the sweeping tiller, however.

More photos would show us the situation, and the existing wheel may be fine.

By the way, member Shelman has a full blog about a major refurb of a 26: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/blog.php?6407-Shelman

He and his wife trailered the boat to Florida and sailed to the Bahamas. His YouTube videos about the voyage of Turtle are entertaining and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdDptwyfgTg
 
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Afrakes

Sustaining Member
Definitely more photos would help

If you're seriously interested in it and are soliciting more advice. From one of the pictures in the CL ad the rudder seems to have a problem. This is typical of a boat of this age. Especially, if it spent its life in salt water.
 

markvone

Sustaining Member
Hi HewbieSailor,

I didn't mean to imply that there was anything unacceptable or dangerous about the design of the E26 with a wing keel or wheel steering, just not my preference. For $3000, the price of this particular boat is 1/3 of a typical E26 and the E26 is a great boat, one of my favorite Ericson models. The E26 has standing headroom up to 6 feet, an enclosed head, inboard diesel and the very solid feel of a bigger boat yet it's small enough to be easily handled. Sail sizes are very manageable and this boat has a jib furler.

The only negative I felt with my E26 was the v berth is really only a big single. Look to see if the starboard settee pulls out to make a double berth in the main cabin. This can be easily added if the boat didn't get this option.

My strong preference is for the deep keel (on any boat) followed by the standard shoal keel over the wing. The wing keel is the highest drag, hardest to get unstuck and easiest to hook a pot with. It was added as an option with the 300 series E26 in 1986 or 7. In my opinion it was purely a marketing ploy based on Americas Cup 12 meters which have nothing to do with cruising sailboats.

As for wheel steering on the E26, the cockpit was not designed for it. The wheel is tiny, probably 24 inches in diameter to fit between the seats so steering feel is bad compared to the tiller. The wheel pedestal will force you to step up on the seat to get aft behind the wheel. The tiller does sweep part of the cockpit underway but folds up completely out of the way when at rest. Still, four people can sit in the corners of the cockpit and not get in the way of the helmsman.

Mark
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Hi HewbieSailor,

I didn't mean to imply that there was anything unacceptable or dangerous about the design of the E26 with a wing keel or wheel steering, just not my preference. For $3000, the price of this particular boat is 1/3 of a typical E26 and the E26 is a great boat, one of my favorite Ericson models. The E26 has standing headroom up to 6 feet, an enclosed head, inboard diesel and the very solid feel of a bigger boat yet it's small enough to be easily handled. Sail sizes are very manageable and this boat has a jib furler.

The only negative I felt with my E26 was the v berth is really only a big single. Look to see if the starboard settee pulls out to make a double berth in the main cabin. This can be easily added if the boat didn't get this option.

My strong preference is for the deep keel (on any boat) followed by the standard shoal keel over the wing. The wing keel is the highest drag, hardest to get unstuck and easiest to hook a pot with. It was added as an option with the 300 series E26 in 1986 or 7. In my opinion it was purely a marketing ploy based on Americas Cup 12 meters which have nothing to do with cruising sailboats.

As for wheel steering on the E26, the cockpit was not designed for it. The wheel is tiny, probably 24 inches in diameter to fit between the seats so steering feel is bad compared to the tiller. The wheel pedestal will force you to step up on the seat to get aft behind the wheel. The tiller does sweep part of the cockpit underway but folds up completely out of the way when at rest. Still, four people can sit in the corners of the cockpit and not get in the way of the helmsman.

Mark
I currently own an E26-2 (1984) and second what Mark has said. The wing keel will not sail as well upwind but would probably be just fine on other points of sail, and would allow you to anchor in shallower water than the deeper keel. As for the wheel steering, it really makes little sense (in my opinion) on the E26--and pretty much any 26 foot sailboat, for that matter. That is certainly a matter of personal preference, but Mark's observations about the E26 cockpit are correct, and I'd have to think wheel steering on that boat would be inconvenient. Without seeing your installation, I'd guess that it might not be a huge undertaking to remove the wheel and convert it back to a tiller. If the wheel steering hardware is in good shape you might be able to get a few bucks for it and come out slightly ahead when all is said and done. The boat handles very well with a tiller.
 

NewbieSailor

New Member
Thanks for all the pointers and I will report back with pictures once I see the boat.

Big thanks to all the replies. It helps me to figure out what I want.

I just did some research on different type of keels, and I have sailed on a Merit 25 and Sonar before. I found Sonar very easy to handle and stable. Merit 25 has a fin keel, and an overtack swamped the boat which surprises me. I would second what Mark said: deep keel, shoal keel, then other type of keels, including wing keel.

When I look at the pictures of the boat, I see rust/blisters on the rudder, and back end of the boat in front of the tiller. Are these easy to fix? I heard that fiberglass blisters are time consuming to fix. And a boat is made of 1988, it probably would have quite a few of those fiberglass blisters. I am totally new in buying a boat and really want a boat to sail for 2 years instead of working on a project. What are some important questions to ask? I am thinking to be able to do a test sail. But given that the boat is going to sale as is, it probably not doable. So, looking for other ideas to figure out how the boat is. Can you start the diesel engine on land ? I guess so, but where is the water come to cool it? Anyway, just very new to the process....
 

Afrakes

Sustaining Member
No wheel no problem and get experienced help or survey if you get to that point

Since this boat doesn't have a wheel that's not an issue. Get an experienced friend to look it over or find a surveyor to help you assess the boat. Starting a diesel on the hard is not difficult. First thing is to find out if the boat has batteries. Search this forum for related threads. The same for rudder repair. Everything depends on what you find in taking an in depth look.
 

debonAir

Member III
Not sure where the "wheel" came in. This ad states it has a tiller auto-pilot so I imagine it is a tiller boat. I prefer tiller myself, except when you get past 35 feet of boat the forces can be too large so big wheels win then. The one big benefit of a wheel is that you can hand it to a novice for a bit when motoring and they can steer through pot fields etc. and you can do other stuff. I've sailed an E28 with the tiny little wheel. It was... not great.

As part of purchasing a first boat, you should probably get used to the fact that EVERY boat is a project boat. Even brand new shiny boats will need customizing and outfitting to work for you, and there will be brand new things that break the second time you use them. Picture a spreader boot falling off and a spreader puncturing and slicing a brand new kevlar genoa (wasn't my boat but still hurt to watch..) Boats are constant sources of projects and drains for money regardless of age/condition.

That said, there is a great sense of accomplishment with every successful repair and upgrade, plus you get to go places using FREE power. You can defer a lot of cosmetic stuff for years as long as the basic rig and steering are mechanically sound. A 26 foot boat would be a great first yacht, and the winged keel will help keep you out of trouble and let you go places I couldn't get to.
 

Nick J

Sustaining Member
Moderator
Blogs Author
Perfect First Boat!

I tell anyone who will listen how much I love my boat. I can’t find a boat under $20k I’d rather own. We sail our 25+ (same hull as the 26) around the Puget Sound and occasionally up to the San Jan islands with 2 kids (7 and 10) and a 55lb lab. It’s tight and I’d love more room, but you can’t beat what Mr. King was able to fit into a 25’ platform. The cockpit is laid out perfectly for single handing. Everything is within a comfortable reach and the deck is reasonably easy to move around. It sails well and at the end of the day when she’s tied up she’s still worthy of one more glance as you head up the gangway.
The rudder is a doable fix (I pulled mine apart, dried it out, and rebuilt it) or a reasonably affordable replacement through Foss Foam. There’s nothing on the boat that would break the bank if it fails. In short, it’s the perfect first boat.
 

NewbieSailor

New Member
How easy to get to the engine? What is seaworthiness of wing keel?

I am so happy that I find this website :) Thank you so much for all the fellow Ericson boat owners giving me insightful advice!

Is there any manual for this boat online so that I can look at where to access the engine, etc? Also, I don't mind that the close hauled position is not its strong suit. I am just thinking of cruising here. However, I am curious about the wing keel vs deep keel for seaworthiness when an invariable bad storm hit and I was out in the ocean... My plan is to sail this in Cape Cod Bay, block island and long island sounds area. Am I too ambitious to use this boat to sail to Provincetown from Boston? What about from Newport to Block Island? Should I even consider this ? Or Maybe I should also sail this locally with 10 miles of coast. Thoughts? I know people can push this boat further, but I am a beginner for cruising and used to just sail the dinghy and Sonar 23 on the Charles river.

Another question about the sail. I think Ericson 26-2 has big jib (Genoa) and relative small main. I have never sailed on this type of configuration. I have always sailed on a fractional sloop configuration with Bermuda Rigging system. Are they a lot different? Can I convert it to be a fractional sloop configuration? My understanding is that fractional sloop configuration is a little better to deal with under heavy wind.
 
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Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Rig Questions

If you look at the rig measurements, the Ericson 26-2 has equal E and J lengths.
It actually is a fractional rig, so it does not have a disproportionate size of genoa.

Our previous boat had a rig very much like this was very easy to sail because the jibs and spinnaker were not huge. IMHO it is a great sail plan for short handed sailing.

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/ericson-26-2
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
You can do all those cruises once familiar with the boat.

Your cruising ground is sometimes a piece of cake, and at other times provides great challenges of current, fog, shoals and crowds.

What you have (that California does not) is a near infinite number friendly, close harbors to quickly provide experience in how far you want to go, and how to do it.
 

markvone

Sustaining Member
Hi Newbie,

My 1984 E26-2 was the 3' 11" shoal keel. I sailed to all those places with no problems. The shoal keel versions of all the Ericsons have nearly the same stability as the deep keels. If they didn't, they would need to have shorter rigs and less sail area (which they don't). The E25+ brochure, same hull and rig as the E26 which it became in 1984, states the CG of the shoal keel is within 3 inches of the deep keel. What you give up for the reduced draft is a slightly higher lift, lower drag keel shape which is most advantageous going upwind and racing. I never felt my shoal E26 didn't perform well.

Loren is correct about the fractional rig and equal jib and main sizes. The E26 sail sizes are quite manageable, even up to a 150 LP genoa on hanks which I had. A typical furling 120-140 LP genoa would be a piece of cake to manage. I added a simple block and tackle backstay adjuster to the split backstay which really helps to depower the mainsail when it gets windy. Between the furling jib and reefing fractional mainsail, you can not get a more user friendly, easy to adjust sail plan.

OK, It was me who started the rumor that this boat has a wheel. It does have a tiller which you can see folded up by the transom and boarding ladder in the second picture.

Mark
 

Brad Johnson

Member III
I had a wing keel version that I converted to a fin keel ,only 6" deeper, I have a plug and a plan if you want to change in the future.
 

markvone

Sustaining Member
Hi Brad,

Can you provide some details on your wing to fin keel conversion? Sounds like you added lead back to the bottom of the fin vs adding it to both sides of the existing fin (as a bulb)? What draft did you wind up with?

I've seen a few of the 300 series wing keels but never a straight shoal keel like my series 200. I wonder if the wing was the only shoal version available in the 300 series E26.

Thanks!

Mark
 
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Brad Johnson

Member III
I will take a picture of the plug and then I will give a overview of the process. I was young with a lot of energy in 1994 when I did the conversion, at 65 would not even consider such a job, but IMO was worth it.
 
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