Offshore Crusing E 35 1974

Hello all,

I have been gunkholing in my E 35 for the past 4 years out of Vancouver B.C. I want to start doing some offshore crusing between here and the Queen Charlottes in the next couple of years. How will this boat handle open ocean conditions? I would like to replace the wooden hatches with watertight aluminum hatches. Is there any aftermarket companies that make these or is it a do it yourself job? Also do the glass portlights need to be replaced with something stronger? What are the drawbacks of the deck stepped mast in a offshore crusing boat? Thanks in advance for any info.

To replace the hatches takes some fibreglass work, as the new hatches will need to be installed by a different method. A good modification to make though, reversing them at the same time is also a good idea.

Ericsons have gone all over the world in the past, and an E35 with the right modifications is a sound platform for what you are thinking of. This subject has come up a few times before, so there is information in the archives on the subject. Potlights probably OK as they are.

What other mods. should I be focasing on?

Hatch replacement.

Crunch, Gareth and all, I was hoping that Greg Ross of this list would chime in as he has that on his list of changes to his 1979 E31 hull #63. Essentially he's planning on removing a lot of the vertical glass molding there now so as to provide a flat surface to attach his new Bomar(?) aluminum framed hatch. Maybe this email will serve to get him to respond. Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

Hatch Modifications

I replaced the 2 hatches on former boat (E32,1977) using the following approach. I cut the fiberglass lip that is formed into the deck flush. I then filled the area between the lip with expanding foam to fill the void and then saturated it with resin. Following that, I installed starboard with screws and bonded between the deck and the starboard. I then cut out the appropriate opening for the new hatch and I was done. It can out nice, was waterproof, and allowed me to shop for any hatches the same size or smaller than my original hatch.

It also looked good and was not very obtrusive.

Hope this helps.
shaun

hatch replacement

go to the links and resources section click on other ericson websites, go to #7 adrenlin images, click on ericson projects photoes, click on photo of valhalla go down to photo of hatches. I can't take credit for this project thepo did this and several others. also look at the photo of the port in the cockpit by the quater burth

Burt
Valhalla 35-II

Where to step it...

A quick search on this site yields a lot of threads that discuss masts, deck and keel stepped.
In a nutshell, either is fine for offshore as long as the engineering and construction is proper. Either can fail for these same root reasons.
Here is just one good thread:
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=3706&highlight=deck+stepped+mast

Heck all of the Bob Smith-designed Cascade's (29, 36, 42) have multiple circumnavigations to their credit and all use a deck-step mast. I would trust Bruce King's design/engineering work on this point.

Age will determine what else would need replacing or upgrading (ports, etc), just like any (!) make of 30 year old sailboat.

Sidebar: many years ago some friends of ours with an early model Valiant 40 rebuilt all of the original teak-framed hatches with new gaskets and Lexan lenses before going on a ten year plus cruise that took them from the west coast down to Mexico, around and up and down the east coast, to northern Europe and thence to the Med and then back across the Atlantic, thru the Canal, and homeward to SoCal, where they sold the boat and have moved onto the next phase of their retirement. Never a problem with their hatches, though...

Re-read Guy's excellent "advice to cruisers" on his web site and also around here.

Best Wishes,
Loren

(living the cruising life vicariously, in rainy Portland)

Another modification recommended to me was increasing the size of the cockpit drains to 2". I also separated the forward and aft cockpit drains, with new through hulls. After taking out the old system, I stuck a piece of plywood over the inside of the holes in the hull to hold the pilot cutting a 2+1/8" hole for the enlarged through hulls. I have also rebuilt the system with them crossed (i.e. port drain to starboard through hull) so that the cockpit will not fill on a high angle of heel.

Improved sealing of the companionway hatch was another recommendation, I have not got that far down the list yet. Improved securing of the ladder is next to it on the list.

Pretty much everything else was just a matter of general state of the boat. My aft chainplate was glassed in, so to inspect it I cut it out, to find it had been sitting in salt water. The cabintop handrails pulled out due to moisture in the balsa, so I through bolted them to new handrails on the inside. I could go on (and on), but that is about all that is boat specific.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

Blue Water Preparations

Here is one good thread out of several that discusses offshore prep:
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=1648&referrerid=28
Do more searches here on Category Requirements or similar and quite a bit of related discussion is in our Ericson Owners archives.

Look into copying the official Category Requirements, such as are listed here:
http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?MenuID=o6/~GX28zoMoD~`RtK/DVc454NICE_1OIDP`V_5PHFsFnNoxKWtu

Being prepared for a self-sustained trip of days or weeks in the ocean really means doing at least what offshore racers are required to do before even being allowed to enter. Their checklist makes a good guide line.

Note that cockpit volume and drain time are strongly addressed. Hatches, ports and the entry into the interior are specifically mentioned also.

One of the best pieces of advice I have ever seen dates back to the pre-digital days... but the author always took some good clear pictures of his interior. Then he took the large prints and turned them 90 degrees each way. Then he studied each to see what would end up crashing out of place in case of a knockdown. You will think of the obvious stuff like batteries and tools, but this exercise will get you to studying the whole interior stowage plan for potential missles!

You may never be inclined to enter an offshore "category" race, but the prep work is just as valid.... maybe more so, since cruisers will usually have only a spouse or friend along as crew and not the gang of youthful and muscular helpers that a racer might have on hand for an emergency.

My .02 worth,
YMMV,
Loren

I happen to really like the look of the wood framed deck hatches on the E-35. I would just take along some plywood emergency covers to replace them in an emergency. They can have wooden pieces with wingnuts on the back for a quick installation in an emergency. Same with the port lights. If you have plywood pannels cut with backing bars and wingnuts, you can pop them in without even leaving the boat, and crank them tight to the open hole. On my boat I have one plywood panel with backing stick and wingnuts for a small port and one sized for a large port. I'm prepared for any one window to break. If I were going way off shore, I would probably take more.