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Lots of questions about E35 II "livability"

sailor11767

Member II
I hope this is the right forum section for this. I've posted a few times, with lots of good responses, and today my G/F and I actually went aboard an E35-II for the first time. This one is a sad example of extreme neglect, but we knew that going into it -- we wanted to actually see one, and she was local.

So, after looking her over, we have some questions and comments.

Pluses:
* That cockpit is a virtual party site. WOW! An easy 6 in the main cockpit, plus another 2 aft of the wheel. Nice, especially for a 35 footer.
* The chainplate locations are nice. Many a 30-35 footer is hard to walk forwward. These are easy to work around.
* Below decks, the cabin is large, airy, and VERY bright. That large center cabintop hatch is great for both light and ventilation.
* This one is the settee model, and while we are leaning toward the dinette model (of course, we haven't seen one yet), we were really taken with the table and the in-built storage.
* The head seemed nice and large.
* The drawer stack in the galley is nice.
* The engine access is a bit awkward to do, but once done is wide open!
* The two cockpit lockers are huge! You could hide a half dozen bodies in them. Big plus.

Ok, so now I've made nice with the denizens of the site. Now I have negative comments/questions. Remember, the E35-II is very high on the short list (probably #1 right now) so don't get too mad at me.
* The galley seems short on storage. Like, where do you put pots and pans? And dishes -- the cubby along the hull doesn't seem wide enough for plates. And food?
* The refer seems REALLY thin on insulation. The lid was 3/4" thick. Of course, that's about industry standard. Have people found insulation to be an issue?
* The shelves behind each settee seem like a sad use of very valuable space. Have people re-worked this to something with doors or cubby's or something?
* There appears to be ONE drawer in the forepeak, to port. Is there something under the starboard side that keeps a second drawer out? Also, given that, where do you put clothing? The two hanger lockers are a plus, but not good for undies and sweaters and such.
* The galley is wide open in the traffic lane. While this contributes to the openness of the boat, it makes it hard for the chef to get a good grip on the boat, since he can't wedge into a corner very well. It's an especially big issue with that stove right out there in the open, with no guard bar or any protection.
* The portlights on this one were severly deteriorated (but minimal if any signs of leaks) with the rubber looking bad. Are there any standard answers to this problem?
* The nav station is nicely placed, but the work surface seems a bit small (but the boat I grew up on was a 14 ton 40 footer, so I've been spoiled). Is it sufficient?
* There is no anchor locker. I grew up with a bowsprit and the anchor stored on the bob-stay, so I don't have any problems with not fighting the anchor into a storage locker, but do owner's have any comments on the anchoring systems?

Well, that's a lot of questions and a lot of comments and a lot of opportunity to comment. I'd love to hear how others have addressed these concerns (not quite shortcomings, but concerns. Life, and boats in particular, are compromises).

Thanks,

Harry
 

Seth

Sustaining Partner
The galley seems short on storage. Like, where do you put pots and pans? And dishes -- the cubby along the hull doesn't seem wide enough for plates. And food?
True..The good news is you can design your own solution, and many do

* The refer seems REALLY thin on insulation. The lid was 3/4" thick. Of course, that's about industry standard. Have people found insulation to be an issue?
True again-many people have re-done this-spraying new insulation around the reefer

* The shelves behind each settee seem like a sad use of very valuable space. Have people re-worked this to something with doors or cubby's or something?
Yes-many have-some of the 35-2 owners may chime in

* There appears to be ONE drawer in the forepeak, to port. Is there something under the starboard side that keeps a second drawer out? Also, given that, where do you put clothing? The two hanger lockers are a plus, but not good for undies and sweaters and such.
The boat is light on storage in general as you have found-I think the SF boat (Kunu?) has dealt with most of these issues

* The galley is wide open in the traffic lane. While this contributes to the openness of the boat, it makes it hard for the chef to get a good grip on the boat, since he can't wedge into a corner very well. It's an especially big issue with that stove right out there in the open, with no guard bar or any protection.
Mount 2 padeyes on the galley sides at waist height and get a canvas strap (aka a galley belt/strap) with wichard hooks. This way you can strap in for cooking underway

* The portlights on this one were severly deteriorated (but minimal if any signs of leaks) with the rubber looking bad. Are there any standard answers to this problem?
Rebuild them-there are many posts here about that

* The nav station is nicely placed, but the work surface seems a bit small (but the boat I grew up on was a 14 ton 40 footer, so I've been spoiled). Is it sufficient?
Sure-today all you need is a GPS, and a VHF, so the electronics space is more than sufficient-Fold your charts carefully (or use E-charts), and you will be fine. Some folks have built fold-out chart table extensions, but I don't think it is needed....


* There is no anchor locker. I grew up with a bowsprit and the anchor stored on the bob-stay, so I don't have any problems with not fighting the anchor into a storage locker, but do owner's have any comments on the anchoring systems?
Too many folks spend a lot of time and money with fancy anchor rollers and windlasses and lockers-for something they almost never use.. You can certainly modify the forepeak and install a locker, and many 35-2's have bow rollers, and even windlasses (but the boat is light enough that most of the time you don't really need a windlass)..Think hard about the type of sailing you will do before going too far on this-the boat's performance suffers from weight in the bow-so this decision should be an informed one..


Of course there are just my opinions-I would defer to those who are cruising their own 35-2's. It is one of my favorite eboats-while no design is perfect, you will have a tough time finding this much boat (quality build, performance and design features) at anywhere near what they are selling for..
Happy trails!:egrin:
S
 

CaptDan

Member III
I hope this is the right forum section for this. ...Well, that's a lot of questions and a lot of comments and a lot of opportunity to comment. I'd love to hear how others have addressed these concerns (not quite shortcomings, but concerns. Life, and boats in particular, are compromises).

Thanks,

Harry

Excellent observations, Harry, and I agree with 'em all - good, bad, and ugly.

Rather than answer each item seperately, let me sum it up by saying this:

When the E35II was introduced it became a virtual instant success. The reason? Because she was one hellava fast boat in her day. She won race after race and her reputation spread far and wide. Simply put - she was a 'racer-cruiser,' designed to accomodate a good sized crew, their gear, and the vessel's sail inventory.

But, as it happens with all good race horses, time marches on and retirement looms. In a new era, the race horse becomes a steady cruising machine. The problem is, though her accomodations are quite good, those little items which, at one time were small annoyances to a race crew, become bigger issues for the cruising couple or family. And you've discovered most of them.

What to do? Well, many of these issues can be addressed: storage increased, insulation to refers added, general upgrades, and below decks modifications - up to a point. Many E35II owners have done - or will do - all these things. However, there's a limit to what can be done, and it's important to be mindful of the tradeoffs. Challenges like a complete remodel of the galley, for example, are likely to be too costly and too difficult to consider.

So - you take the good with the bad; the good: excellent sailing characteristics, solid design and build, large comfortable cockpit. (Most people spend the majority of their time there.) The not so good - smaller nav table (still serviceable but you'll have to fold those large charts), limited storage, (if you're not blue water cruising, who cares?), more 'traditional' layout. If the downsides outweigh the upsides, then perhaps it's time to keep shopping and comparing.

All I can say is, I wouldn't trade my E35II for anything else - except perhaps for a Hinckley B40. Then again, I'm not so sure spending upwards of $120K is really all that necessary. :egrin:

YMMV.

Capt Dan G>E35II "Kunu"
 

sailor11767

Member II
Two good replies, and I thank you. More comments certainly welcome.

But I have one more question. None of the pictures I've seen appear to have any provision for a forepeak filler. How does this bunk work for a couple? Seems you can't snuggle very well!

Thanks,

Harry
 

chaco

Member III
What REALLY Matters

Forget about those Trivial Galley issues :cool: Get on with what REALLY matters like Princess Pilot Seats, Real Electrical Panel and Bar Room Table !

Good Luck to you :egrin: :egrin:
 

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sailor11767

Member II
Dan,

She's GORGEOUS! I'm gonna show those pics to my G/F.

How come all the really good E-35 II deals are in CA? (I know, the P in PS, but still, I want an East Coast boat!).
 

CaptDan

Member III
Forget about those Trivial Galley issues :cool: Get on with what REALLY matters like Princess Pilot Seats, Real Electrical Panel and Bar Room Table !

Good Luck to you :egrin: :egrin:

That is one BEAUTIFUL boat, sir. I LOVE the upgrades, though you'll have to excuse the drool from my slackened jaw. :nerd:

:egrin:
Capt Dan G>E35II "Kunu"
 

boethius27

Member II
We live aboard our e35 and find it more than comfortable for us. By 'we' and 'us' I mean Me, my fiancee, a dog, and a cat. Yes, it can be cramped at times, like when we don't pick up and then one of the bunks is too full of crap to use. But, if you are decent at being tidy and picking up after yourself then there is plenty of room in this boat.

We bought it with the interior as a veritable neglected wreck, so we dealt with much of what you are speaking about. Keep in mind though, that we are living at the dock, as we have yet to figure a way to cruise.

To touch on a couple specifics that you mentioned:

The galley storage drives me nuts. Luckily that is next on my list of things to fix. Everything fits fine except pots and pans which we have kept in various places over the last year, none of them to my satisfaction. The storage against the hull is more than enough for food. The 5 drawers have: silverware, plates and bowls (yes, they fit fine), spices, various junk like packets and mixes and loose odds and ends, and the bottom one that isnt really a drawer is full of cat food cans and plastic grocery bags that double as garbage bags. Works great. The thing that gets left out is, of course, the pots and pans. Our solution is that the area aft of the icebox used to have the electrical panel. It has since been moved to the nav station like the one pictured above. This leave a hole in the bulkhead leading to a fair size space in the lazarette that is kind hard to access from outside (though quite possible). I am going to restructure that bulkhead to have some drawers or cabinets set back into the lazarette a bit and all pots and pans will stay there. Should work great and I can't wait til it's done.

The drawer in the vberth is nearly useless. We keep some randomly stored junk that we almost never get to inside both sides of the vberth. Soon, in preparation for going cruising in a year or so, I will be putting waterbags in both sides and linking them to the water tank under the centerline of the vberth. At that time, the drawer will just be removed.

I walled off the area underneath that the forepeak filler (there was never really a reason to stand there anyhow and snuggling is a must. I did it with teak and it looks natural. Now our vberth is a true triangle and we love it. The new storage created in the that triangle space is a great clothes hamper. They stay dry there and are easily accessed by lifting the filler board.

For clean clothes, the two lockers house most things, with some hanging fabric shoe racks acting as shelves and cubby holes for things like socks and undies. The two shelves along the vberth are backup clothes areas and house most of our sweaters and stuff like that.

The two shelves in the main cabin that are referred to as wasted space... They do kinda waste all the higher up space, but ours are used mostly as bookshelves and liquor shelves. Upon looking at our waterline, I've decided that we don't need any more storage on this boat. If we put any more crap on it, the damn thing will be swamped. So I've ruled out turning these into cabinets.

We also have extra storage in the starboard settee where we added a cabinet to hang a bulkhead mounted dickenson propane heater on. This took away that berth as a possibility of sleeping and turned it into more of a loveseat, but it was really to short to sleep on to start with.

Anyhow, I need to make some dinner and stop babbling, but feel free to message whenever and I can tell you more if you want to know or have any specific questions.

We love living on our e35. I always figured I'd have to have a motorsailor to live happily with all of us, but this boat has proven me wrong.

-Justin
 

jmoses

Member III
10 years and counting

In short: I've had my 1972 E-35 for 10 years and have lived aboard for 4.5 of those 10. It takes a while to get the 'nesting' right but I can't think of many 37 year old boats that do as much as the the E-35 and still gets looks like it is 5-10 years old. All your points are valid but it is a 35' boat so there are compromises. Yeah I get frustrated at minimal galley space but it keeps my cooking simple and I have to be tidy.

If you are handy, have patience, a sense of adventure as well as an understanding partner -anything is possible.

Like my Dad and my partner say: "It's like upscale camping but more fun plus we get to move camp with out picking up our stuff"
 
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