Going to see an Ericson 38 tomorrow

[dhill]

Hi everyone,

Just completed the FaceTime walk through of the Ericson 38 in Nova Scotia, which raised three potential issues:

1) There appears to be medium-size portion of the port deck midships that has been replaced. It appears solid, but the non-skid there seems to be not all there - sort of fades in and out, as though it was painted. What would it take to restore the gelcoat non-skid in that area?

2) I noticed what looks like wear, or possible a water stain under the starboard support for the chainplate, down by the side of the starboard settee and table. The wood otherwise seemed solid without rot.

3) The person doing the tour remarked that the anchor locker door seemed to flex when stepped on. I don't recall that being the case on the other Ericson 38 I saw.

The bilges, refrigerator, were not real clean. Keel bolts looked OK. The compartment under the starboard settee in the cockpit was a bit dirty, but otherwise tidy. The rest of the boat looked good, from what I could tell. Canvas and cushions are not nearly as tired as the boat in Connecticut. Sails were not on the boat, nor was the mast and boom, so I wasn't able to see them.

Any thoughts on this greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Dave

 

[dhill]

Picture of #2 above:

 

[Christian Williams]

I would pay more--much more--for a 38 without soft spots on the deck, or deck repairs. As you notice, it's hard to get core damage to match.

A good 38 starts at $50K here--perhaps much less elsewhere. Renewal to any high standard is expensive for marginal boats, and that comment doesn't even include looking good.

I would rather have a pristine E32-3 than a project E38. But of course it all, well, uh, ah...depends.

A psychological test is possible. If you sweat the small stuff, if your eye is easily offended, if you are bugged by things nobody else notices, then it's likely the boat budget will soar--and $10K of selling price is worth $30K of fixing the stuff that lowered the other price. For those who can see the big picture and not be bothered that it hangs crooked, there are more bargain boats out there.

 

[Chris Mc.]

I would pay more--much more--for a 38 without soft spots on the deck, or deck repairs. As you notice, it's hard to get core damage to match.

A good 38 starts at $50K here--perhaps much less elsewhere. Renewal to any high standard is expensive for marginal boats, and that comment doesn't even include looking good.

I would rather have a pristine E32-3 than a project E38. But of course it all, well, uh, ah...depends.

A psychological test is possible. If you sweat the small stuff, if your eye is easily offended, if you are bugged by things nobody else notices, then it's likely the boat budget will soar--and $10K of selling price is worth $30K of fixing the stuff that lowered the other price. For those who can see the big picture and not be bothered that it hangs crooked, there are more bargain boats out there.

As Christian said, Amen.

 

[dhill]

As Christian said, Amen.

Hi Christian,

If the deck repair is done well, do that alleviate your concern. Would you still pay much less for such a boat? What would be the lingering concerns?

Thanks!
Dave

 

[Christian Williams]

If a deck repair is done right, you can't see it. If you can see it, it will always be there. Core saturation is one of those issues, some shrug it off, some just can't get by it. Other good points might prevail. Price, well, it's not a selling point.

Really, a lot is psychological. If you plan to restore a boat to some high standard, a carved-up deck affects the standard. If to sail and have fun and break even, a good repair is fine.

When I joined this forum Loren had already had his boat ten years. I thought, jeez, who keeps a boat that long?

But after all the sweat and money, a lot of us find a "new" boat is a terrifying prospect (do all that stuff over again?). A boat you intend to bring back to life is a long project, so it's good to start with the best corpse available. I think Dr. Frankenstein said that.

 

[dhill]

She looks great! Seems to be a very good price too. I really like the double bow roller extension! Since she's on the hard now, it might be cheaper to truck it to your chosen marina than to splash her, install the rig, do a shakedown cruise and then sail south. (I would have expected the trucking to cost closer to $5K ?) Good luck!

Hi nquigley,

Your estimate of $5k was spot on and agrees with the quotes I’m getting back. So it appears to be more like $9 to $10 per mile. Captain delivery would take at least 3 days.

Thanks,
Dave