Recent content by Joseph Marschner

That is an Ericson 35-2. Built 1969 - 1981. The transom is the main identifier for this model, but also the port lights and their location relative to the standing rigging - and also the coamings, rubrail and cove stripe. I have hull 212, so I'm pretty well acquainted with this model. In...

Just an update for those who might be interested. I am attaching a few images, first the damage cut back to good solid glass (no delamination), then I faired back to accommodate new glass, then 12 layers of 1708 and epoxy built out to over a half inch at the centerline and over the hole...

I got 25 pound bags (8) for 118.00 per bag. The shop near us where we found it keeps it around for ballast on dirtbikes, (it's a motorcycle shop), but also for reloading shells. I didn't know motocross bikes had ballast, but now I do, I guess.

Gareth - I would REALLY appreciate anything you can tell me about the specifications for the keel. I have the manual on the boat, but I can't find a schedule for what should have been in that void. We went with lead shot - 200 lbs, but my estimate was closer to 450, so who knows. The 200 will...

Thanks, Afrakes - I am thinking it may not have been the greatest idea, but it was certainly easy to repair. We fixed the damage with 1708 and chopped strand, after grinding out the damage, then faired the keel. Then we drilled some holes, sourced the shot (the only place in MD we could find...

That is an excellent suggestion! I may do that.

Just an edit. I was wrong. I did find lead shot in the keel today, so I guess since I wasn't specifically looking for it, I missed it. It's hard with a small endoscope - a piece of lead shot looks like a cannonball, and not exactly round after fifty years. That said, I could only isolate...

Parrothead - I really appreciate you taking time to relay your experience. I have seen the mish-mash you mention up inside quite a few keels (I wish I had known it was likely asbestos when I was grinding, but I always wear a respirator). That's why I was so puzzled about this one. Tenders...

Tenders - I took a considerable amount of care with the 'scope today, and lo and behold, I found several pieces of lead shot! Mystery solved! I also found two pretty serious punctures that had been repaired from outside. Now we know where the lead shot went. I am having the yard give me...

I have read the same, and I even read a post elsewhere that Bruce King confirmed that lead shot was used to fill voids in these keels. That said, I have looked at every inch of the inside of the cavity with an endoscope, and there is not ONE pellet of shot anywhere. I also can't imagine that...

Thanks! I thought about that. And a few other unorthodox fillers like liquid rubber (sani-tread or liquid butyl) but I think I am just going to treat it like a bolt-on lead keel that happens to have a fiberglass airfoil (aquafoil?) around it. It's worked that way for over half a century, and...

I understand what you are saying, but it hasn't seemed to be an issue for 52 years, so I'm going to go with the assumption that it was designed that way. That begs another question - either my boat was the ONLY hull with voids like this, (which seems unlikely) or many, if not all early era...

Thanks for that. It helps confirm that what I am looking at is supposed to be that way. I was prepared to dig out the type of "mish mash" you mentioned, so I was shocked when I saw the clean, empty cavity around the lead casting. I guess I'll just close it up and go sailing!

Thanks for your input! I actually thought about filling it, working epoxy in by injecting from the bottom up - kind of a layer at a time to keep the heat down, but I worry about the same issues - more weight (although negligible with a 5500 pound lead casting already there), but also, I don't...

Hello, all! I have a 1971 E 35-2. Hull 212. I noticed an issue when we hauled a few weeks ago and decided to investigate. Apparently, a PO ran into something VERY hard, VERY fast, and put a large crack in the leading edge of the keel. In two surveys, no one picked up the very substandard...