More Questions on E-34

Hi all--

Thanks you all for sharing your detailed and insighful knowlege on E-34's in response to my last thread on E-34 engine power. Another question has come up relative to the E-34 that I may purchase.

I sail out of a port where there is limited water depth and its important to have a draft of less than 6 ft. The E-34 specs in the post 1990 Pacific Seacraft Brouchure (available on this web site) note that there are two models of the E-34---the shoal draft wing keel at less than 5 ft and the fin keel at 6'3". The particular E-34 that I am considering lists the draft as 5'8". When I ask the broker about this disparity between the listing and the brochure spec sheet he adivses that Ericson made an intermdiate 5'8" draft model in 1989. If so, this fits the bill for me. If the draft is being underreported then this may be a show stopper for me.

Thoughts or knowledge re the intermediate draft fin keel model??


Many thanks, Jim

Put it in writing

jdbrassord said:

Hi all--
I sail out of a port where there is limited water depth and its important to have a draft of less than 6 ft. The E-34 specs in the post 1990 Pacific Seacraft Brouchure (available on this web site) note that there are two models of the E-34---the shoal draft wing keel at less than 5 ft and the fin keel at 6'3". The particular E-34 that I am considering lists the draft as 5'8". When I ask the broker about this disparity between the listing and the brochure spec sheet he adivses that Ericson made an intermdiate 5'8" draft model in 1989. If so, this fits the bill for me. If the draft is being underreported then this may be a show stopper for me.

Thoughts or knowledge re the intermediate draft fin keel model??

Many thanks, Jim

Click to expand...

Knowing that there are a few brokers out there that will say anything to keep the sales process moving along, perhaps the best answer (pending more info from other E-34 owners here) is to call his bluff. Write that draft figure into the purchase agreement and make him agree to refund all haulout and/or survey costs to you if he gave you wrong information. If he (or the owner) misrepresents the boat that should not cost you any $$ for this or any other boat you offer on, IMO.

After all, he's got 5% to 10% of the gross sale riding on this.

This situation illustrates the old saying that "talk's cheap."

Good luck, and I hope the boat is the right model for your needs. FWIW, the later Ericsons and PSC boats did indeed list more keel options then the Ericsons from the early 80's. (How that brochure info was reflected in actual sales I do not know...)

Loren

What's her real draft?

Jim and all, Forgive my ignorance but wouldn't it be a simple matter of measuring her when on the hard with the keel on the pavement? I'm assuming that at one point you'll want to haul her anyway as a pert of a survey and it would be a simple matter of cutting a 1X2 to a length a bit more than 6' 3" with appropriate felt pen marks at the known and broker stated depths. All one would then need to do is place the board along side the hull, first on one side, then the other and split the difference between the two if there were any discrepancy and viola, you'll know her draft to a hair. Of course, payload, fuels, water, etc will change that but it's the factory draft you're after. For that matter it would be a simple matter of adding to the draft after the boat was back in the water to know the actual draft. Or am I waaay off base here? Glyn Judson, E31, hull #55, wet and soggy Marina del Rey, CA

E34 draft

My '88 E34 w/wing keel actual measured draft is about 5'6". I've seen brochures listing at 5'1" & 5'3". They do ride a little lower in fresh water. The other option is maybe a P.O. cut (OUCH!!!) the keel off. Not what I'd recommend, though.

Got to agree with Loren and Glyn. Make it a condition of sale. The boat will [should] be pulled for the survey so all will be before your eyes. I have the theoretically 4' 11" which is more like 5'1" in the Chesapeake. The difference between fresh, brackish and salt water is worth about an inch or two.

FWIW, which isn't much, I've never seen a wing keel Ericson, but they obviously exist. Note that if you are in shallow water and heeling in a wing keel your keel gets deeper and having pulled a wing keel out of shoal [Hunter] a couple of times, it is a bear. You have to back off with weight in the bow. YMMV

Have fun