Shopping a 35-3

Any advise anyone can give me for things to watch out for I would appreciate it.

Knowns and unknowns

• Used to be a fin keel and was refitted with a shoal keel at least 2 owners ago.
  • keel bolts and washers are clean and look in good shape
  • there is a seam at the stub to keel joint that looks like it was filled with something white and not durable (maybe just surface) but the seam looks tight
• Aluminum frames around port lights are compressed at the screws but wood appears in good shape
• Sails are said to be in good shape with recently refurbished 150 genoa
• Engine hours unknown but said to run well and serviced every season
• Standing rigging age unknown
• fresh water boat

I will be getting a surveyor

Any thoughts are welcome

Welcome to the Forums! It helps a great deal if there is a link to the listing, to see what it looks like.
Is the shoal keel a fin, a wing, or a fin-and-bulb? What year is the boat? What model engine?
Thank you.

Thanks! here is the boat: https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1987-ericson-35-9608416/
The engine is the M40

Pretty boat! That’s probably a good engine upgrade for that boat.
Hard to tell from this photo, but I wonder if there’s been some repair work done around these through hulls? Some of them look like plugs/patches.

That broker writeup has some odd bits of info in it, IMHO. I almost wonder if some AI was involved in the composition?

By 1987, I could imagine the factory installing a CNG or propane galley range, and not an "alcohol" stove. Is there a tank inside one of the lockers at the stern?

That row of thruhulls down the flank of the boat almost mirrors the same setup on a late model 32/34/ and a 38 in my club. I believe that all of these local boats have replaced the 80's plastic with composite or bronze, BTW.

Keep the details coming.

Loren Beach said:

That broker writeup has some odd bits of info in it, IMHO. I almost wonder if some AI was involved in the composition?

By 1987, I could imagine the factory installing a CNG or propane galley range, and not an "alcohol" stove. Is there a tank inside one of the lockers at the stern?

That row of thruhulls down the flank of the boat almost mirrors the same setup on a late model 32/34/ and a 38 in my club. I believe that all of these local boats have replaced the 80's plastic with composite or bronze, BTW.

Keep the details coming.

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I have been aboard once in the yard and it does have a alcohol stove with a microwave in the oven space. I will probably just use my Coleman fold up camping stove for the short term. Will be a day sailor mostly for the next two years till I retire and get "Out There"

Some random thoughts :

A recent engine upgrade is a big plus.

Sure looks like a wing keel to me.

It would be nice if there were a photo of the nav desk. Having a new radar is a big plus. Interesting that the primary display for that is a tablet. What kind of chartplotter is there? Looks like original Datamarine instruments in the bulkhead. Even IF they're working, they offer precious little information for the real estate they take up. Seems like the instrument package is a bunch parts that don't communicate with each other. People cross oceans with less, but I like our integrated system.

Check the dorade and the inside fascia panels in the cabin under it. This is typically a fail point on 35-3s. The cabin top inside the dorade box usually wasn't glassed or sealed. The wood rots and water leaks down.

If the liferaft is in good shape, that's a nice comfort. For the coastal cruising we do I'd rather have a good working dinghy.

Check the condition of the sole. If delaminating and spongy that's a huge project.

When you do the haul out for the inspection, check the shaft strut for stability. A number of us have had to rebed that. Also cutless bearing integrity, shaft true, etc, of course.

This is not a big thing, but I'd want the solar panels on more securely. Professional installations have edge flaps that velcro over to keep wind from picking up the panels.
What kind of battery bank is powering the boat?

Looks like the opening portlights are Lewmar. Our '86 has the Bomars. I've rebedded them but ours will need replacement in the next 3-5 years (I hope no sooner). If there is compression in 'your' aluminum frames I suspect there was leakage and someone tried to reduce that by cranking down on those screws. If rebedding portlights has not been done, it's likely in Lulu Grace's near future. There a couple good master threads on this.*

Would you replace the alcohol and microwave set up with a propane stove/oven?

I agree with Loren, that the "other details" write up is way long on hyperbole and soft on hard (or even accurate) data. LOA and Beam are rounded off enough to be of little use.

Have you owned a boat before, or been active in maintaining one? Do you expect to do most, much of the work yourself, or will you hire the work out? Are you going to stay in the Great Lakes or will you be going salty, too?

FWIW - It looks like it's worth pursuing, to me, from way out here in the peanut gallery. I haphazardly watch ads for 35-3s. The asking price in August '24 was $39K and in December it was $38.5K.

Good luck!
Jeff

* Master Threads: Christian has compiled a great resource in this list. Look through it carefully. It is a valuable guide for what to look at while inspecting an Ericson for sale.

That's a wing keel. No longer popular as benefit proved marginal or nonexistant. It would be unusual and expensive to switch a factory keel for a wing keel, so in absence of proof assume factory wing keel.

The ad can be interpreted to mean the M40 engine was an optional factory upgrade (from the standard M25) , meaning not a replacement, but the original engine.

Wing keels are weird and that would put me off, but not necessarily anybody else.

Despite the full winter cover the exterior handrails are shot and the hatches appear crazed. The binnacle setup is meh. I would be skeptical of claims for recent maintenance. I would confirm that the one-acre solar panel setup is not obsolete and that you think it is necessary to have, and personally I cannot for the life of me see a justification for such stuff on a lake, and with a $15,000 diesel available to charge batteries (unless maybe on a mooring, not in a slip with shore power).

A recent engine upgrade is a big plus.

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Engine upgrade was not recent, possibly original

Sure looks like a wing keel to me.

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That's a wing keel.

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Correct, I called it a shoal keel for the draft
Current owner said "The keel was upgraded by the previous owner from the standard to the winged keel."

It would be nice if there were a photo of the nav desk.

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There is no NEMA backend and I assume all electronics but the radar are garbage or just usable

Check the dorade and the inside fascia panels in the cabin under it.

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I have not looked to see how the dorade vents are removed but I will be sure to ask the surveyor if I don't do it myself. THANKS!

Check the condition of the sole.

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The sole felt solid and dry

When you do the haul out for the inspection, check the shaft strut for stability.

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It is on the hard now, I got no movement horizontally and barely any vertically

What kind of battery bank is powering the boat?

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It has lead acid, maybe 200 A/hr @12v not expecting much from that

Looks like the opening portlights are Lewmar.

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Thank you for the heads up

Would you replace the alcohol and microwave set up with a propane stove/oven?

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In the short term I would likely just put my Coleman camp stove in the propane locker with a few cans. Maybe replace stove later on

Have you owned a boat before, or been active in maintaining one? Do you expect to do most, much of the work yourself, or will you hire the work out? Are you going to stay in the Great Lakes or will you be going salty, too?

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I have a Catalina 22 out of Erie PA for 5 years and have had a marina slip for the last 4 years. Hopefully most of the work can be done by myself with some brotherly help. When I retire I would like to sail it down to FL and either trade up to a 42-45' or continue to the Bahamas if I am happy aboard

Thanks for all the feedback!