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So I bought a 1975 e-23 #269. with what appears to be the original trailer. I used my son's Chevy truck to tow it and launch and the boat now is in a slip. I own a GMC Safari van with the 4l v6. Any opinions on anyones experience pulling and or towing with a similar vehicle? Joe

I'm interested in an E-30+ for sale locally. I live in an area where winter storage is a fact of life, and I'm curious about a couple of things. Are there any owners who keep the boat on a trailer? I'm also considering finding a flatbed and fixng the cradle to that. Does anybody know how tall...

I just got my 77 E-25 in the water. I want to refinish all of the exterior wood on my boat. Any suggestions? It appears that each handrail is attached by only 2 screws. Could that be right, or are there some attachments I cannot see? Thanks, Mike

I'm an old sailor, but a new owner of a used & abused 1989 E32-200. We're committed to restoring this nice boat to it's previous beauty, so I'm gonna have lots of questions for this forum. My first is this. The large E32 ice box has two air cylinders that relieve the weight of the top entry...

Hiya gang, hmmmm how to start this one. We have a Max Prop that the prop nut backed off (cotter pin not installed?) Fortunately it came off in the divers hand and not while the shaft was spinning. Here lies our problem, we need to buy a replacement fixed prob as a back-up and to get her to the...

My Cruisair has always been sketchy... kicks off within a minute after starting most of the time. Just didn't use it or worry about it. Well, after replacing the water pump- it still kept doing it (old water pump was bad...). It occurred to me that the self priming pump might not be priming...

Hi all, Great site! I purchased my 1973 E29 last summer and am in my second summer of living aboard. She has performed very well and seems to be a strong boat. The question is this: My rudder seems to have a little "slop". When sailing parallel to the waves my rudder post moves around in...

i'm replacing the ancient stereo in the cabin of my E27 with a new Pioneer car stereo with CD/MP3/etc. the new stereo comes with two power leads, one for "constant" and the other for "switched," i guess depending on whether your car's ignition has an ACC position for accessories when the motor...

I just hooked up a Morningstar SunSaver 6 charge controller with my 50W Kyocera panel. The controller has 6 lugs - two for the battery, two for the panel, and two for "load". The first four are obvious. The load lugs have me wondering. Why does the controller want the load connected through...

Hi......I had a slow water flow from the exhaust on Sunday so checked all the usual suspects and now it works fine......but may have just picked up some seaweed. That being said this boat is new to me E30-1 with Yanmar 2GM20F from 1992. The Kingston cock I am not familiar with this...

Any thoughts on how I can perhaps adjust my classic style Rule-A-Matic float switch to activate at lower water levels, or does anyone use a different in-bilge switch that functions better. We get rain water down the mast and the switch doesn't kick on until there is three or so inch's of water...

We plan to set up our GPS chartplotter so that it can be used either at the helm or nav station. There’s a concern that splitting the antenna cable (so that it goes to fittings for the GPS at the nav station and helm) could degrade the antenna signal. Then there’s the question of how to split...

I have owned my 1989 Ericson 34 for about a year. It only has two halyards rigged - main and jib. There are two other halyard thin 'messenger type' lines in the mast with a small ball on the end of each as they exit the mast. I haven't been up the mast yet to check out the pulleys on the top...

I am putting new ends on my pole that will be a lot lighter than the lead filled ones that it came with. I got a set of Forespar composite ends with internal trips. The ends can also be also opened externally by sliding the piston back till it latches. It looks like the way these ends were...

i'm reviewing some of the many projects that have gone uncompleted or dealt with for years. Attached is a photo of part of my exhaust lift and the shift arm that touches it. Question: Can I cut this 'rod' back about a 1/2" with no consequence. Howard did you have this problem? John

Here is the stupid question of the day... I know I do not have the "GRID" on my model...but, Does my vessel have "stringers" and where are they located? I have searched all around the hull and find nothing that I would consider a "stringer." I want to find these elusive "stringers," (if...

Hi, <O:p My current bimini is attached to the dodger on one end and to a short horizontal pole on the other end. The pole is attached to the back stay. <O:p I'm thinking of having a new bimini with a more common stainless frame made. <O:p <O:p I have seen many bimini frames mounted on the deck...

NMEA Connections Question, I have a Magellan hand help GPS currently connect to my Simrad Tiller Pilot. I have finally purchased a new VHF with the NMEA capability. I believe there are only two wires (IN/OUT) on the GPS. My question is can I just splice together so that the GPS will...

I am replacing my old water jacket type of muffler with a Water lift muffler in my 76 E-29. I have piped the exhaust in the same configuration as the water jacket and will locate the Water Lift muffler in the port cockpit locker. The muffler will sit at about the waterline. I have piped the...

I have a Kenyon boom on my 30+. At the mast end of the boom I have exits for my two reef lines. There is an additional bolt next to the sheaves that an avid sailing friend of mine mentioned may have had a rope stopper as an option. This would be something that I would like to get if it does...

This is a very esoteric question, but here goes: I purchased a used Kenwood TKM-707 SSB radio for the boat. For hooking it up, I bought a Shakespeare 23 foot antenna and an ICOM AT-130 Antenna Tuner/Coupler. I believe the grounding is good and the installation/wiring looks to be in order. I...

I'm sure I've gone about this the slow and tedious way, but I have used an electric DA sander w/ 60 grit paper attached to a vac system to grind away my old anti fouling paint. The process was actually not as slow as I expected, I'm about 3/4 of the way through the removal. With the vac...

I'm shopping for wind instruments, and I'm leaning toward Raymarine since I think I'll end up with their radar and chartplotter. Some of their instruments come with "short arm" transducers, and some with "long arm" transducers. What are the benefits of one versus the other? What do I want...

I’m new to spinnakers, so please bear with me. Ernesto damaged the sheave mount for my spinnaker topping lift – presumably from wind damage since it was not rigged at the time. Soon, I will reattach it, and “While I’m At It”, I’m going to compile the rest of the spinnaker lines. Some...

My E27 is in need of recaulking the deck plates. I'll probably use 4200 to bed them. My question - Can I "simply" remove one cable at a time, and be OK let with the other 5 cables carrying the load? If possible, I intend to do these one-by-one, which is about all my schedule can handle...

hi, people, i know ive been asking you alot of questions about my stuck halyard. its the main sail one....i had a cherry picker man to take me up there but he backed out, so i went to west marine, their suggestion was to tie one side of the boat to the dock, with dock line...walk around to...

I want to upgrade my traveler on an 1983 Ericson 30+ to a Lewmar. To do this I must remove the original traveler. But most of the bolt nuts underneath the cockpit holding the original Ronstan I-beam track seem inaccessible. Has anyone tried this or have suggestions? Thanks!

Being a new owner and learning by doing, I have discovered that my 1988 32-200 still has the two identical original PAR 37202 bilge pumps, one main and one for shower bilge. The main pump has NO float switch and is controlled on the main DC panel. The shower pump controller by a float switch...

I added a backstay adjuster to my Ericson 27 and noticed while at dock that when tensioned the forward lower shrouds loose tension. I measured the difference with a loos gauge and found it to be about 80 lbs. Is this normal? I thought that tension would have increased in the forwards and...

I have a fresh water-cooled Universal 11 h.p., and there is no coolant recovery tank. I want to top off the coolant. Do I just pour in coolant up to the base of the cap fitting, or is there a specific place to bring the coolant level up to? Thanks, all. -dh

Ericson 28 owners: do the lower shrouds go fore or aft? I think aft but perusing images of other boats on yachtworld, I see some going forward. The image in the manual looks like aft too. Does anyone know? Thanks, Tom Greaves

hi there Went to the marina today with the plan of hoisting the sail up the Harken furler on my boat. My question is the luff has two ropes sewn into it and the foil on the furler has to slots which i assume accept both of these small ropes? I am having a bear of a time getting them started...

My electrical panel is stock and I read alot about isolating the DC and AC connections with plastic shields. Has anyone got any pictures of this retrofit? Seems from all I read here on the exchange it would be a safety issue that needs addressing?

Hello All, This is the proverbial dumb question but I had to make sure.... How exactly do you measure rope/line diameter. What I mean is when the rope/line is resting (not under tension) or when it is under tension? Reason I ask is I do notice a considerable difference in this measurement...

Hi all , I would like to get your feedback/help. I replaced the depth sounder thru-hull fitting on my E27 located on the bow. The original fitting was bronze and replaced with same and used 3M 5200 around the fitting to set/seal and bond it to the hull. I was just inspecting the boat and...

Hopefully, I just ran out of fuel yesterday after putting the mast on my boat. When I had the fuel polished in Alameda, the guy told me he thought the tank was full....Hopefully he was wrong. We left the boom area and were heading back when I dropped by the guest dock at west marine. I left...

Question on Fire Damage Ok, lurked long enough, time to step out from the shadows. I own a sweet 75 E27 and fumbling my way through this sailing stuff. I've been looking at moving up to E35 Mk2 and found one here local. The history behind the boat is she had a fire aboard about 7...

Hey all... Quick question from my Father in law about zincs: Will doubling up on zincs on the prop shaft last longer than a single? Or will 2 dissolve (or give up material) as fast as a single? He's concerned about the longevity of his zinc since the boat was commissioned (first time) in...

Hopefully you Olson 34 folks can help me out with this. I am looking at a 1989 Olson 34 that appears to have all original equipment(original rigging, sails, electronics, even a Loran but no GPS or Radar). Seems to have normal wear and tear and could use some cosmetic work. It has been on the...

I have a 71/E29 and I'm looking at installing a roller furling system. The system I'm favoring lists a maximum headstay diameter of 9/32". My headstay has a diameter of 7/32". Would this 1/16" difference be a problem? Art M. 71/E29

I have a choice in where to install my spiffy new Blue Seas battery switch panel. [This will replace the existing "1-2-All" rotary switch.] I checked with a local marine electrician about distance from the battery to the switch that would satisfy ABYC guidelines and he sez to fuse it or get...

I have a 1980 25+. Love the boat. I have had water dripping from the keel for a year now.Under one of the bilge access cover it looks like someone drilled into the lead. I was wondering could this have been a keel bolt? Does the 25+ have keel bolts. If so where are they and how do you check...

Hi, all, two questions for those who had installed Isotem water heaters (I know Sean is one of them): 1) did you cut the plug from the power cord or you put an Ac outlet for it? 2) What is the hose diameter that comes out of the heat exchanger on M-25? I cannot measure exactly if it's...

Hauled my E 29 out for fresh bottom paint and to replace bad wiring in the mast this past week. The haulout was a little more exciting than I originally planned. We had a crane set up to unstepp the mast while we were still in the water. All was going well as we loosened all the turnbuckles in...

I've just purchased a 1973 e25 and I would like to lower the mast. I have read the book entiled "raising and lowering the ericson/25 mast." My problem deals with the boom guys, (referred to in step # 7, in "Preparing the mast for rasing") and step # 5, in ("lowering the mast"). I don't...

Plumbing question I'm going through my recent 1981 E30+ purchase and tidying some things up a bit. I understand the electric and manual bilge pumps, but there's something weird between the head compartment and the bilge area under the dining seat. There are two valves under the head's sink...

I have a 1977 E27 that needs a rubrail replaced, anyone know of somewhere that may have decent used rubrails? Right now I'm hoping to find just a few feet to replace the section that was damaged, otherwise I'll have to buy 40' of it new. Thanks.

I am a former cust. service/warranty administrator for the Ericson factory. I ran the factory race program for the Ron Holland 36 & 33, and put together most of the boats that shipped during 79-82. I am happy to help anyone looking for sailing tips on all models-especially those. I have 2...

Listmates, I have rod rigging on my 1989 Olson 34 (built by Ericson). The leeward shrouds are pretty loose, though the mast seems to stay in column. I don't suppose tension gauges work for rod rigging. How do I decide how tight the rods should be? Thanks in advance, James Jones Sunwood Olson 34

Does anyone have any idea as to whether the hull used in the 30+ (I BELIEVE, but I'm not sure, that this model is also listed as Ericson 30 III) models was the same hull designed for the original Ericson 30-foot model? I'm trying to tie down if the design of the hull for the 30+ came before...

I am considering purchase of a 1972 Ericson 32. It is in good shape...but here's my question/concern. The mast is stepped and there is a small crack beneath that is visible in the cabin. It doesn't appear to be a big deal. What really concerns me is the fact that the chain plates are...

I recently inherited a 1970 E 30. It's a tiller model with a wheel retrofitted. I am a novice and am trying to get the boat sailable. A mechanic told me the stuffing box is leaking, but that on this boat the engine must be pullled to work on it. He says the fuel tank prevents access. He also...

Where can I locate a manual or emergency tiller, i have nothing in case the wheel steering goes out? Please help. Oh and who does anyone suggest for a new mainsail, especially in the ventura area? Reasonable.;)

I'm looking at buying a 1987 E-26 and wondered if the original tiller is quite so long as the one on this boat - it basically takes up the entire cockpit, nearly up to the cabin, if I remember correctly. Alternatively, does anyone have experience with using a shorter tiller? Thanks for...

Here's question for all you smaller Ericson owners . I have a 73 E-25 with the swing keel and the mast pivots down from the cabintop fitting for trailering. There is a small fitting that in normal operation sets the position of the boom in the track of the mast. This consists of a slug that...

Hello All! I have an Ericson 25+ with a Volvo Penta MD5B/110S engine. Couple of quick questions... 1...After replacing injector, engine runs about 30-60 minutes then shuts down gradually. Air is entering the system? After bleeding the system (especially at the injector pump) it runs...

I am trying to buy a 1975 Ericson 32 with an Atomic 4 30hp engine. Speed under power is not what it should be and my surveyor questions the choice of propellor. Does anyone have a view about what the correct propellor choice is for this boat/engine combo. Help! Thanks, Paul

I bought my 1971 Ericson a year ago and was supprised at how deep the bilge is. (all the way to the bottom of the aft portion of the keel) There is a float activated pump way down there, and I don't get much water, but it is almost impossible to keep clean. It also seems a little scary to...

I recently purchased an Ericson 29 {1974) the previous owner had used Interlux Vinyl bottom paint. My question is do I have to use vinyl paint, are there compatibility problems with other paints? Has anyone used ablative paints over vinyl, were there any problems if you did. I just don't want...