would love some words of wisdom

They say the best days in a boaters life is the day they buy a boat and the day they sell it. Well, I just made the big leap to buy my first boat, am e-27 from 1973. The boat is structurally in good shape but needs some TLC.
Here is a rundown:
Exterior: Some cracks in gelcoat on deck, the grabrails were paints (why??) and need to be stripped and re-varnished, some of the deck hardware seems old and funky, the companionway sliding hatch is in need of replacement, traveler needs replacement.
Interior: In good shape, clean, but teak siding is coming off(I am assuming I can just epoxy old holes, let dry and rescrew in). There are some rust marks from the other end of bolts from deck. THe window leak a small amout.

Engine: Outboard, 9.9 on mount. The mount seems wimpy and I am afraid to put it on it.
Rigging: Original, being replaced this month.

So here are my questions:
How can repair the cracks in the gelcoat? I think the entire thing will need to be hauled out and painted. Does anyone know of any good places in the Bay area?
Has anyone used an outboard with an alternator to charge electrical? The mount is on the rear transom. Has anyone cut a way a piece of the rear transom to make the outboard more permament?
In terms of the deck hardware and grabrails, can i simply remove, re-epoxy holes and re-apply?
Where can i get a sliding hatch cover and forward hatch cover? Both seem to need replacement.
Does anyone know whether I should add an inboard or if a 9.9 will be enough power?
Is the deck solid fiberglass or is it sandwiched with balsal or plywood core?

I am thinking of trying to haul it out and put it in a yard somewhere, but i do not have a trailer. Does anyone know of a yard where I can work on it and store it? The whole slip fee amidst not sailing it is so damn expensice.


It is in the SF bay, and as a new owner, i feel pretty overwelmed. If anyone lives in the SF bay or Sausalito, I would love some friendly advice. I am a poor student. so i am trying to do it in peices- rigging first, engine second, and aesthetics over time with deck hardware replecements as I get money.

Thank you so much ! This group is great.
Nathan Sackett

To many questions...

Gel coat cracks...

Lots of different approaches here from epoxy fillers and coatings to complete removal of old gelcoat. Depends on how bad is it cracking? Spiderweb cracks all over and big cracks around fittings? How much time do you have to spend on it and how much money to you plan to spend on it. Does it have to look like new and perfect when you are finished or just a bit better? Think about it...

Hatch Covers...

These need to be custom made and if you research this topic here, you should get some good ideas.

Outboard...

Your 9.9HP should be alright... I used a 15HP for my E27. HP ratings can be fickle so why not just try it and see? I replaced my outboard with an inboard diesel, (big job) but I don't think I would do it again. Again, lots of opinions about this question can be found here.

Cut the transom? I wouldn't do that. Do you have the open transom model with the removable piece? These were the outboard models.

Moving questions...

I used someone's back yard for my '73 E27. It sat on the moving cradle for more than two years while I worked on it. I had to pay rent for the cradle and for the backyard but that was still cheaper than the boat yard.

Deck question...

The deck is balsacore, (for better or worse).

Grab rails...

They were flimsy and rotten so I took them off and threw them away. I replaced them with stainless steel. Ask me about that if you are interested.

Well, good luck with it and don't bite off more than you can chew. You may never get to go sailing if you take on to much.

where to start?

Have to agree with Jim. Don't bite off more than you can chew at one time! My first Ericson was a 1975 E27. Loved that boat.
I would suggest prioratizing your projects. What do I need to make her sea-worthy. What do I need to do to maintain structural integrity. What would I like to upgrade.
I would suggest inspecting & rebedding (if neccessary) all the deck hardware. Deck leaks kill more FRP hulls than anything else. Look for water stains below ports, around chain plates. lifeline bases, winches, cleats, etc. If you can see any evidence of leakage remove & rebed the offending piece. This is fairly easy to do, inexpensive (just the cost of calking), and a very neccessary manitaince project. The interior joiner work (if original) is mahogany rather than teak (lighter in color & much easier to work with). If the fasteners are loose, the easiest way to fix them is to mix a small batch of epoxy, remove the offending fastener, insert a sliver of wood coated w/epoxy, and replace the fastener. This creates a very strong bond that will last a long time.
I have no experience w/outboards and their mounts. Repowering w/inboard engine can be VERY expensive, but inboards are nice.
The hatch was shot on my E27. Made a new one out of mahogany strips laminated together. This is not a project for the beginning woodworker. I'm a journeymen wood patternmaker so I found it to be rather fun, but would recommend a propfesional do it unless you have access to table saw, belt sander, palm sanders, etc.
Hand rails are thru bolted to cabin top. I liked the look of the teak, so I removed them, sanded & refinished w/Sikkens Cetol Marine and reinstalled w/polysulfied bedding compound. Cured a lot of leaks and looked first class. I don't think I'd worry too much about a few spiderweb deck cracks, but would repair any that might allow moisture into the deck coring.
My boat had mid-boom sheeting, so I replaced the traveler w/Harken unit. Cut a piece of 2" X 4" teak to follow the curve of the old traveler base which then gave a straight surface to mount the new track to. One of the best investments we made! Disassembling, cleaning, and lubricating the winches will also be a good project and inexpensive!
Take Jim's advice, do one or two things at a time and don't stop sailing. Remember, this is suppossed to be fun. If it's becomes work, then you're supposed to get paid and I don't know anyone who could afford it.
Have fun & sail fast
Bud E34 "Escapade"

Sailing is the thing

First - I'm in the same boat you are (didn't mean for that bad pun to happen). Just bought a 1985 32-3. I've done pretty much what was suggested here, prioritized the projects and focused on how to maximize time on the water - I bought her to sail, not work on. Having owned a couple of other boats the best advise is keep it fun and safe or it just doesn't seem worth it.

On one of my earlier boats we had an outboard. We built a big backing plate out of aluminum to add some rigidity to the mount. We also changed to a bracket that allowed the outboard to be raised and lowered. This seem to help with proper postioning of the motor in the water and easier to work on. The alternator worked fine for a single battery. Couple of things we liked about the outboard - in tight situations you could reach down and turn the motor so that the thrust was in the direction you wanted, which caused the boat to react quickly (if you do this make sure there is plenty of clearance between the prop and your rudder!), and in the winter we could just lift the motor off and take it home (an issue up here in the north) instead of having to winterize it, or if it needed work it was easy to take some where to do the work.

Good luck!!!

Engine notes

I have some crew time in an E-27, but have never owned one. The one I sailed on did have the factory transom cutout for an outboard, but for unknown reasons had an A-4 inboard (the presumption was the phantom first owner had changed his mind after placing the order). My buddy then took the ailing A-4 out and put in a Yanmar one cylinder -- did all the work himself. It was quite a "winter project."
I had a previous 26 footer with an outboard, a 10 hp Honda that the first owner put on, and later a 10 hp Yamaha Hi Thrust that I installed.
As to power, either of these would handle your boat, IMHO. If you have an older two stroke now, both the torque and economy are maybe half what I was used to, or worse...
Biggest problems I see with any outboard, presuming enough power to move the boat against adverse wind and wave, is lack of charging and keeping the prop submerged in waves. It would seem like you could learn to live with the puny 5 or 10 amp charger, augmented with a solar panel and showpower charging. Keeping the prop under would take a 25 inch shaft model, again IMHO. If your particular boat has a bracket mount, the cavitation problem is much worse...
OTOH, putting in an inboard when there is no shaft tube, strut, bedlog, etc, is a mammoth amount of labor and $$, and worth while if you are planning to sail the boat for at least a decade. Note that the labor component can be reduced a lot by going with an S-Drive from Yanmar, Bukh, Betamarine, etc. If it were me in this situation, I would probably go with the S Drive.
Plan "B" for me would be to go with a Yamaha 10 Hi Thrust, mounted on the transom cutout, and live with the lower charger output.
Just be sure to get in some sailing time, along the way.....


Best,
Loren in Portland, OR

thank you

thank you all so much for your input. i will post progress notes as i get some!!

I have a '75 E 27, same situation, needs lots of work, doing it piece piece, also have an outboard 9.9, does the job. some advice that i have gotten. Back all the deck fittings, cleats, railing bases, winchs, etc. with some good treated ply or better yet star board( marine tuff or a polymer ). Also a good way to fix chips and dings in gel coat, is to mix up some boat yard grade gel coat and mix it with the micro filler/thickner and use like a putty. when dry sand smoth and blend, gives a good enough finish with out having to paint. Good luck!