Ericson 32

[ragamuffin]

Hello I am currently considering a 1985 E 32 could some of you provide me with some info on this vessel sailing characteristics maintenance issues to look for etc... I currently own a E 27 and want to get a bigger boat and possibly race.

 

[Bolo]

E32 owner

Ragamuffin,

We've owned an E32 III (1987) over four years now and we love it. Our previous and first boat was a Hunter 285, which was fine, but we wanted something a bit bigger but not too large to handle when I sailed alone. As far as sailing characteristics go she does well in light air, which happens often during the summer on the Chesapeake Bay. When the winds get up to 15 kts it's time to start thinking about reefing. It is, overall, a fast boat for its age. Since we've owner the boat we've replaced the existing AC, battery charger, bimini. We added a helm mounted GPS, tank monitors, and auto helm. This winter I had our sail loft look over and rehab all of our sails for a cost of about $500. They did a lot of re-stitching, replaced/added tell tails and added a "draft strips" (not sure I'm using the term correctly), which are black 1" wide stripes that run from the leech to the luff so you can see the sail's profile easier.

Last winter I started a project to refurbish the binnacle, which was looking a little beat. But soon after that was started we discovered that the cockpit floor was wet just below the binnacle. There was no sign of de-lamination on deck and it was only discovered after the bolts holding down the pedestal guard were removed. That's were the water entered the deck and a place you should have your marine surveyor look over carefully. The repair of the cockpit deck area was not out of my capabilities but with the boat 150 miles from our home, impractical for me to repair. So I hired a marine service (Diversified Marine, Inc) to repair the deck and refurbish the binnacle, brackets and instrument pods. They did a great job by the way. All in all I think it cost about $2.5 K but I'm not sure without looking it up in my papers.

In short we took a nice boat, with great lines and made it better. We still look at old and new sailboats and have found nothing that would make us want to go to another boat. If you're handy (any boat owner should be handy or learn how to fix their own boat not matter how much money you have) you should enjoy the E32. We have a shoal keel, which is great for the average depths on the Chesapeake Bay. We often get comments from people just walking down the dock as to how nice our boat looks. One time the previous owners saw us at an anchorage in St. Michael's, MD (they were in their Rassy) and had to come over to say that "they're old boat" looked great!

Hope this info helps.

 

[Mindscape]

E32-3 Owner

I've got an '85 32-3 in Kenosha, WI (I live in the western burbs of Chicago). Have had Mindscape for 5 years now and are very happy. She sails well as mentioned in light air, I have a full batten loose footed main and a 150 on the roller. Also sails nicely with an asymentrical off the wind. Heavy air is not a problem (other than the obvious) but reef early as mentioned above. With a reef and the head sail down to something smaller than 100% we do well in rough seas and windy conditions, seems like having some head sail is much better than none. My 150 does not like being furled up anything much smaller than 90%, but we do it and it works out. If I get a new head sail I may go with a 135 to help some with furled sail shape, but no sail is going to be great furled up that much. I do have a smaller head sail and she sails great with it in heavy air, but it's easier to furl instead of changing sails..... We have made a number of Lake Michagan crossings, some in great conditions and others in less than optimal conditions and have always felt safe and secure. My wife and I stay aboard just about every weekend in season and find Mindscape a great home for 2. We don't have AC or refridgeration, but don't really have any issues.

Back to sailing, I feel like this boat is a great boat for our area. I sail both with my wife and solo and don't find either difficult with the 32. I take advantage of the the inner and outer tracks for sheeting and increasing my pointing ability. I have a shoal keel model and do experience some lee way when pointing up tight, I believe this is minimized with the regular fin keel based on conversations with others. Overall I've been very happy.

I'd look for wet cockpit sole as mentioned, wet anchor lockor door (not a big problen as it's self contained) and check the cabin sole around the mast, this area often has been wet due to water coming down the mast.

Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss anything, or post here, there are lots of folks here that know a lot more than me!

After reading my post I'm adding some additional info...
To help with sailing Mindscape in general I've made a few updates:
Replaced all the original blocks in the main sheet system with ball bearing blocks - this freed up the sail in light air and made it much easier to sheet in heavier air.
Also replaced all the blocks and sheaves in the deck organizers for all lines led back to the cockpit, making things easier.
My '85 did not have self tailing winches on the cabin top for the main sheet or main halyard, I replaced those and this made solo sailing much easier.
Replaced the original ezlock rope clutches with modern clutches, this also made sailing way easier, as lines could be released under load.
Added auto pilot - should of done this first
Rebuilt the topping lift and outhaul in the boom, using better blocks. Some guys have increased the purchase as well, I did not.
Geoff Johnson used to post on this board and replaced the traveler on his 32, it looked like a nice change and one of my complaints would be the small traveler.
I don't have a solid vang and would like one except that it would interfer with the main hatch opening. My hatch opens forwad and it's not an issue with a block and tackle vang, but a solid vang would be in the way, if the hatch opened aft it would probably work out. I think I've seen posting where some guys have reversed the hatch, but that's a big job and I'm living with it the way it is without a lot of problem, although it would be nice to get rid of the topping lift.

Enough - my $.02 and it's probably worth half that at best.

 

[Bolo]

anchor door

Frank,

You're right, I almost forgot, I had to re-build the anchor locker door because it was complete "sponge". It wasn't that big of a deal to do and I added more cross braces (glassed in) to make it much stronger. If you find a boat with the same problem I can show you some photos that I can take the next time I'm at the boat which will be next month.

 

[newpbs]

Photos please

I have the anchor locker issue on my 32-200. I thought that I would get around to addressing the issue this winter, but it is not looking good.

If you have photos that you can post, I would be greatful.

Paul

 

[ragamuffin]

Thanks for all the info. This boat has the 6' 2" Keel I guess the performance Keel which I would prefer as I might race, also per a survey I saw it needs sails (suggestions?) for lake Michigan sailing. Also survey mentioned wet areas in the Anchor Locker area as mentioned. Is the engine fairly easy to maintain? Mechanical Survey also had some engine issues which are supposedly being taken care of.

Engine Issues: (any red flags or just neglect?)

Clean corrosion from engine assembly and paint accordingly
• Repair oil leaks from oil pan gasket and possible rear main seal
• Ground primary fuel filter assembly as per ABYC specifications
• Repair fuel leak from fuel tank sender gasket
• Replace fuel vent fitting
• Organize engine compartment wiring
• Replace cracked engine instrument panel and replace cover
• Replace cutlass bearing

 

[Mindscape]

E32-3

As for sails - Seth?? you out there - he wants to race out of Chicago - what are your thoughts?
If Seth replys disregard anything I have to say unless it corresponds to Seth's comments....
Mindscape is used for crusing vs. racing so take it all with a grain of salt
I have a Doyle main with full battens and loose foot. I find this to be a very nice sail. Make sure your main is quickly and easily reefed to the first reef. My main allows me to reef without removing slugs from the track. Reefing as mentioned earlier as the wind picks up is important on this boat to maintain your speed. You might consdier full battens on top with 3/4 battens on the lower portion, there has been some discussion on that before.
For a head sail for racing I'd go with a 150 on the Lake due to light winds, but as I mentioned before this is not going to work well when the wind picks up and you need a smaller head sail for those conditions, I don't think that's unique to this boat. With the 150 and the inner and outer tracks you can point well and work the car position for optimum performance. You probably know most of this.....

The engine is not too bad to work on. Access to the front and port side are provided for about as well as can be expected on a 32. I've changed out the alternator and that was a breeze. The fuel tank leak is scary, i've not had to do any work on my tank.
The instrument panel and cover are pretty easy, I've worked on my intruments and have replaced the cover, found it pretty easy. If they can replace the main seal and pan gasket that would save you a lot of work, I wouldn't want to tackle those two if I could avoid it.

Again, my $.02 and it's probably worth less than that.

 

[Seth]

I'm here-what was the question?

Hi Frank,

I am a bit road weary, but did not see a question about sails although I am happy to help.
In Chicago the boat will be fine racing in the MORF section with a good bottom, leave the cruising gear on the dock (or most of it), and get any un-needed weight out of the ends (anchor locker and cockpit lockers should be empty), some type of folding or feathering prop, and a decent main and 155% headsail. A reasonably healthy blade jib is the next thing to be sure to have. Might sound like a lot, but these are really the basics and by doing so you will do well in MORF and in the Wed. night races.

It will also do very well on all the port to port races.

Area 3 racing is a bit tough for a boat like this as you don't have the option for non-spin and it is populated with a lot of custom race boats.

MORF and the Wed. night stuff offer some really fun and quite good sailing, and this boat will do just fine.

Enjoy!

S