Ericson 35-3

[fool]

Might try Mike Evans for your engine survey, Evans Engine Service 425-238-3323. He came recommended by Boat Haven Marina staff as "the guy" to do a pre-inspection for a recent vessel inquiry. Charges about a hundred bucks an hour and is based out of Port Angeles if I recall correctly. He'll pull oil samples and send them in if requested, but you can do that too. https://tinyurl.com/oil-sample-conditions.

The sample will provide a baseline for future comparison. They'll mean less if you don't have a record of or engine hours since the last change. They'll be more useful the next time you do your own testing. Mike will tell you if he thinks it'll be a waste of your time. My $180 bucks netted three items to be aware of going forward. Simple stuff in this instance, and better sleep at night knowing someone more experienced than I had a good look.

And he'll measure the Alternator output as part of his inspection.

[bigd14]

For the rigging, I might be more concerned about the aluminum plates below decks that the ubolts run through. These will not be possible to inspect unless you start pulling the headliner, which is beyond the scope of the survey. I know that I would replace all the standing rigging just because I like to know that the rig won't come down. And the headstay is hidden inside the furler so you can't inspect that.

Do a good job (better than the surveyor) of looking over all the thru hulls and hoses and shaft seal. Get in there with a camera if you can't set eyes on all of them. Old hoses, stiff thru hull levers or punky backing plates (Ericson used plywood backing plates on the thruhulls) are cause for concern.

Have the marine mechanic look over the exhaust system too to make sure he sees no issues.

Have the surveyor sand some bottom paint off the strut and see if it has suffered galvanic corrosion. Replacing the strut sucks!

I would say that anything that can sink the boat, cause the mast to drop, cause loss of steering or loss of propulsion needs intense scrutiny and if found is reason to negotiate. I would probably not negotiate on anything else, that is just part of the deal of buying an old boat that the seller has stated has deferred maintenance.

And if you walk away from it, let me know, I'll run up there with my checkbook

[HerbertFriedman]

My 87 E34 also came with the Lewco battery charger but it was working OK. The boat had two group 27 lead acid batteries and no sign of failure. I installed a third group 24 starting battery and wired two new group 27's in parallel for the house bank. I wanted a modern multi-stage battery charge and had that installed also.

[Kenneth K]

Now I'm wondering if a rig inspection is a good idea if I know I'm going to replace it anyway.

When you interview surveyors, ask them if they recommend a separate rig inspection, and by whom?

I remember the guy from Tasman saying he was willing to use dyes on the deck side of the chainplates and associated rigging (to check for cracks) but he won't check anything aloft.

I did not get a separate rig inspection on my '85 E32. Surveyor left a CYA-type remark in the written survey stating that the rig looks fine for inshore cruising but should be replaced prior to racing or offshore use.

I have not replaced any standing rigging yet.

[trickdhat]

I’ve got the survey scheduled for the 20th. I’m still up in the air about a rigging inspection. I need some more info from the riggers on what they offer and what it will cost.
Back when I thought I was just looking at the boat to see what an Ericson 35 looks like (a whole week ago) I stopped by Brian’s shop and had the chance to talk with him. I’ve tried for 5 years to see him and the shop, but we’re usually there on the weekend or he’s been out. He seemed upbeat and friendly, but tired.

I’m going to try to get to the boat this weekend or next to do a more thorough inspection before the survey. If I can drag a friend, I might be able to go up the rig as well. Through hulls, a basic engine look (I’m liking the idea of taking an oil sample), electrical panel and wiring, and seeing what the mechanic decided on the battery system was on the list of things to check. I’d also like to get an inventory of what’s on board, what may need to come from my boat, and what will need to come from the ever shrinking checkbook.

We’ve got just about everything out of our little 25+ as we ever could have asked for. Even if this deal doesn’t go through, it’s gotten me off my ass to finish some projects instead of just sailing and the boats going to be better for us or the next person.

[trickdhat]

When you interview surveyors, ask them if they recommend a separate rig inspection, and by whom?

I remember the guy from Tasman saying he was willing to use dyes on the deck side of the chainplates and associated rigging (to check for cracks) but he won't check anything aloft.

I did not get a separate rig inspection on my '85 E32. Surveyor left a CYA-type remark in the written survey stating that the rig looks fine for inshore cruising but should be replaced prior to racing or offshore use.

I have not replaced any standing rigging yet.

I'm going with Zach from Kingspoke Marine. I've talked with a few people who've used him and have been happy. He said he covers 6' above the deck and under, does basic engine, and said a rig inspection is a good idea in some situations. He recommended Brian Toss and Port Townsend Rigging. He was surprised when I told him my experience with Port Townsend rigging so far. Maybe they're just really busy or I caught them at a bad time. Again, I've had nothing but good interactions with them but this would be the first time actually using their service.

[Leslie Newman]

Nice looking boat you found. Replacing the rigging won't break the bank. I had Garhauer fabricate the chainplates for my E380 and their prices are fantastic, especially compared to the price quoted by Rig-rite. See this thread...

https://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...e+measurements

You can also have all the shrouds and such made.

[trickdhat]

Nice looking boat you found. Replacing the rigging won't break the bank. I had Garhauer fabricate the chainplates for my E380 and their prices are fantastic, especially compared to the price quoted by Rig-rite. See this thread...

https://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...e+measurements

You can also have all the shrouds and such made.

Thank you. I've thought about replacing the chainplate u bolts on my 25+, so I've spent some time reading through that thread. Garhauer's solution looks really good. In the end, they looked good on my boat, so I focused on other items. This new boat has me revisiting the topic though.

[trickdhat]

I just got off the phone with Port Townsend rigging. They were much more helpful this time around. I think they were honestly just trying to save me some time and money. As she put it, "I didn't want to charge you $300 to tell you the rig is old and it needs to be replaced".


They offered to do an inspection if I still wanted, but also said I could take some pictures and bring them in to the shop and they'd help me come up with a plan that would address immediate needs and a priority list of what to take care of and when. They said the furler is 20-30 years old (possibly original) and, like my harken mki, is no longer being supported. It's not the greatest news, but we knew that and they did say it was a great looking boat for the price and a lot could be done.

[Christian Williams]

I don't know why it is necessary to pay $300 for an estimate.

[Guy Stevens]

I don't know why it is necessary to pay $300 for an estimate.

That is most likely the quote for an aloft rig inspection. Which is about what it should cost to go aloft and inspect that rig. The issue is that the original rigging is well past due for replacement. So they are being very nice and upfront about it. They are saying; "Why would you want us to spend $300 of your money to tell you that your rigging is long overdue for replacement, when we can look at the age of the boat and tell you the same thing for free."

Guy
:-)

[trickdhat]

They gave me a rough materials estimate of $3,200 for the standing rigging. The $300 was for an estimated 3 hr of time to go aloft and do a rig inspection. At this point, I'm just trying to get a good idea of what I'm in for. So far its in line with what I was anticipating with only a few surprises. I'll know more when I get down to the boat next weekend and get a closer look (Just need to convince someone to hoist me up there).

On a positive note, the mechanic installed the new batteries and the engine fired up without a problem. I asked the broker to keep the batteries off the ancient charger this time.

[Alan Gomes]

On my last three boats, one of the first things I had done on them was to replace all of the standing rigging. That way, I knew exactly the condition it was in and had peace of mind moving forward. Unless the boat I was buying had recent rigging that could be verified as such, to me it's money very well spent.

[trickdhat]

I'm starting to lean that direction for a couple reasons. I just got off the phone with Rigging Only and they were really helpful, returned a quote in about 15 minutes, and was half of what the previous quote was (both were for materials only). I also don't have a slip in my marina yet and will have to go on the 2.5 year waiting list. There are plenty of sublet slips available, but I'm thinking for a $150 more per month I can just lay it up in the yard for a few months, pull the mast and put it along side the boat (hopefully they don't charge extra to store the mast along the boat, but I'll have to check on that). That way I can take my time with any thru hull, rudder, or keel joint issues (aside from full on dropping the keel) and work on the rig at the same time. If I wait until I have a slip, I'll be paying for yard time and moorage or if I pull the mast at a later time I'll have to pay the yard time for storing the mast and moorage. It's more than I wanted to do at first, but it will be much more affordable in the long run and I'll feel a hell of a lot better. Of course, everything will depend on what I found out next weekend and from the survey.

[bgary]

...(hopefully they don't charge extra to store the mast along the boat, but I'll have to check on that).

Port of Everett? They have a separate "mast yard", and they charge for the space, but they do allow you to work on the mast while it is there.

I don't know if they'll let you keep the mast alongside the boat, or if they'd let you work on it there (instead of the mast-yard)…

Bruce