Advice needed on E39

[Permenter59]

Sold my E29 to move up to a bigger boat.
Am considering an early 70's E39.

Any advice on what to look for, be aware of, etc would be appreciated.

When selling my E29, the surveyor said it was best boat he had seen for one that age (77)....that made up for the worse name for a boat - tacful...at least the worse name for a person still learning to sail.
Anyway, the point is another good and deserved word for Ericson yachts.

 

[HughHarv]

Er 39

My two cents:

Due to lack of maintenance, here is where I found some issues with my Er39:

Rudder delamination and slop in the gudgeon and adequate rudder stop support. Plan on reinforcing the rudder tube.

Bottom of keel had signs of grounding. The bottom has a hollow area filled with loose shot below the lead keel that will crack in a grounding and hold water after hauling, look for weeping there.

Deck soft spots, especially above the galley where old sail tracks were removed and at some stanchion bases, particularily the round plates at the gates (no plywood under mine) and the chainplates. Also check the cockpit sole for mushiness underfoot.

Inside, look for water stained, repaired or replaced bulkheads, especially at the chainplates. The ceiling liner is probably gone by now so you can probably remove a couple of ceiling panels near the chainplates and in front of the mast.

The steel floor at the galley and the head/salon bulkhead can rust and disentegrate. Same for the steel mast step.

Rubrail may need some attention, some screws penetrate the hull deck joint and leak. Check for leaks in the low spot of rubrail, aft of midship where the water collects. The hull ceilings may be wet or stained there.

It's a roomy boat and thus far everything has been easy enough to get at for repairs. The one piece fiberlgass floor causes some restrictions but nothing that can't be worked around except for the mast base. Expect to cut a hole there if the base needs attention.

Based on the neglect mine suffered and survived, I'd say these are well built boats, good luck with you purchase.

 

[Permenter59]

Thanks Harvey

This is a good start. I am over a 1,000 miles from the boat and will need to spring for an airline ticket as well as a surveyor. Right now I am trying to gather information to know what questions to ask before doing either.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>