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E-33RH Advice in buying one (Lake Erie)

sf1332

Member II
Is the headliner installed backlot gone? Did they keep the old one to template it?
Yes, gone...do you happen to have a photo of what the original ceiling/headliner handy? He said he has all the trim pieces but no headliner. I am thinking the usual zippered vinyl is a possibility.
 

K2MSmith

Sustaining Member
You have hull #18 but believe it's tiller steering. Same engine as #12, Univ 25? What major engine services did yours require?
Yes ! I have tiller steering . This was definitely a plus for me . Yes, I have the universal 25. I had all belts , fluids, pump impeller and questionable hoses replaced. That was about 1200 here in Bay Area . List marine did the work . I could have done the work myself but I dislike crawling around below the cockpit and was not that familiar with marine diesels when I bought the boat . The advantage of a baseline service by a pro is that they will tell you what’s wrong , make recommendations and also educate you on the engine ( if they are good ! )
 

Rocinante33

Contributing Partner
Your pictures look great and you seem to be getting a terrific deal. Remember it is a nearly 40 year old boat, so there will be projects. Nothing you have listed or questioned seems unusual for a boat this age.

Some comments on the E-33

They are wonderful boats to sail but they do have a pretty powerful sailplan (SA/D 19.9 which is more than many or most production boats). But this sailplan makes it "tender." It will heal readily and it with move with just a wisp of a breeze. It is a fine performer in light air (BeneHuntAlinas will be left in your wake). It goes to windward exceptionally well. And when the wind increases you must be: 1. Aware and 2. Ready to reef. If you have occasional squalls on lake Erie as I think you do, you must be ready or you will be on your ear!

I have enjoyed it when we have been able to hoist our asymmetric gennaker for a bit more downwind sailing, too. That can really be a blast too and with a sock we have managed it short handed, with just me and the admiral.
 

sf1332

Member II
Yes ! I have tiller steering . This was definitely a plus for me . Yes, I have the universal 25. I had all belts , fluids, pump impeller and questionable hoses replaced. That was about 1200 here in Bay Area . List marine did the work . I could have done the work myself but I dislike crawling around below the cockpit and was not that familiar with marine diesels when I bought the boat . The advantage of a baseline service by a pro is that they will tell you what’s wrong , make recommendations and also educate you on the engine ( if they are good ! )
Just wanted to share with you to see if you have immediate reactions to these photos below. You can see the new heat exchanger:




6. Engine 1.jpg6. Engine 2.jpg6. Engine 3.jpg
 

sf1332

Member II
Your pictures look great and you seem to be getting a terrific deal. Remember it is a nearly 40 year old boat, so there will be projects. Nothing you have listed or questioned seems unusual for a boat this age.

Some comments on the E-33

They are wonderful boats to sail but they do have a pretty powerful sailplan (SA/D 19.9 which is more than many or most production boats). But this sailplan makes it "tender." It will heal readily and it with move with just a wisp of a breeze. It is a fine performer in light air (BeneHuntAlinas will be left in your wake). It goes to windward exceptionally well. And when the wind increases you must be: 1. Aware and 2. Ready to reef. If you have occasional squalls on lake Erie as I think you do, you must be ready or you will be on your ear!

I have enjoyed it when we have been able to hoist our asymmetric gennaker for a bit more downwind sailing, too. That can really be a blast too and with a sock we have managed it short handed, with just me and the admiral.
Thank you for your comments and advice. Yes, read a lot about being tender. That's ok at this point. I often sail with my family usually on very gentle wind days...and my kids in fact really like steep heeling angles and rolling movements. Currently the ("new") main is not rigged for reefing, thus that will be my top priority as I will need to move the boat from Lorain, OH to Erie, PA, which is about 100nm journey, usually on starboard beam reach. I'd like to participate in club family JAM races down the road, so looking forward to passing a lot of boats upwind!
 

sf1332

Member II
I'd like to correct my previous posting on the Keel bolt leak. I previous wrote,

3. One of the keel bolts apparently "leaked", ie, some water was disappearing right near the bolt. Thus he unscrewed and sealed that keel bolt. Where would the water go if disappeared through some crack near the bolt? Empty void within TAFG? Deep sump in the hull? (see photos)

However, after talking to the current owner, found out that the water was actually coming in very slowly from one of the keel bolts. It was a very slow flow, and he waited until she was on the hard later that season to fix it by using 5200. This made more sense to me instead of water disappearing into the "void" from the bilge. Since this sealing, no water comes in anymore from that bolt (or any other bolt).
 

CSMcKillip

Moderator
Moderator
If your sale goes thru- I will be happy to take several photos of the headliner, where the zippers are and photos of the teak trim.
 

Rocinante33

Contributing Partner
Just wanted to share with you to see if you have immediate reactions to these photos below. You can see the new heat exchanger:




View attachment 39742View attachment 39743View attachment 39744
Good pictures. I see a new exhaust mixing elbow and some newer hoses, too. Good things.

I also see a severe dent or crimp in the oil filter. Change tat before your trip. You probably would want to change the oil, anyway. The breather hose is just pointed at the air filter hosing and there is no filter element on it. Original had a porous filter stretched around the "cage" which you see there as the air filter housing. Many here have replaced that with a nice K&N air filter and drill it and put a proper fitting on it to connect that breather hose to the filter as a crankcase ventilation device. Doing that may reduce oil vapors & fumes as well as oil misting or spray in the engine compartment.

I also see the alternator bracket which appears to be the old, faulty style which could cause the forward timing chain housing to break. If that happened, it would likely mean a new engine. That part is no longer available. That may be thousands $$$.

Here is a link on how to replace that bracket

 
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CSMcKillip

Moderator
Moderator
Yep, that oil filter looks damaged and the alt. Bracket being replaced. Looks like some wiring needs to be cleaned up as well- overall it looks just like every other M25. I will also note that there is a Ericson 33 that has sailed from NY down to the Equator. Great read of Bill’s adventures. https://www.sailblogs.com/member/sail.destiny
 

CSMcKillip

Moderator
Moderator
One more thought:
There is space between the top of the keel and the bottom of the bilge. You can see this thru the tubes that connect the different section of keel bolts. Any water that may be in that space could show at any keel bolt. Water will find the easiest way up and out. So, even if the bilge is dry and the stuffing box is dripping, the water will find it’s way to the bilge. It will collect in the void of the TAFG and then eventually find its way up thru these tubes. In theory - the washer and nut may be just loose in that section and was weeping water up thru that bolt. The CO may not have takin this in to consideration and just thought the keel bolt or joint was leaking.
 

K2MSmith

Sustaining Member
Just wanted to share with you to see if you have immediate reactions to these photos below. You can see the new heat exchanger:




View attachment 39742View attachment 39743View attachment 39744
Engine looks like it’s in similar condition to mine with new-ish looking hoses and belt . As others have mentioned , it looks like original alternator bracket . They have a reputation for failing at the case cover.. Until you replace it , I would immediately suggest checking the belt tension . I have a feeling that the failure could be caused ( or at least aided by ) an over tight belt because the point of failure is where the forces are concentrated when the belt is tensioned excessively . ( this is my theory and take with a grain of salt )

Bilge leaks are sometimes really difficult to trace . I wouldn’t necessarily jump to the conclusion that you have a leak from a keel bolt until you isolate it. What I did is purchased some modeling clay on Amazon and I used it to “dam” one bilge compartment at a time after drying it with a towel . If you dam the entry channels and after a few hours bilge stays dry , then the leak is likely coming from somewhere else . In my case , it was (1) from a dripping packing nut and (2) sometimes from condensation the mast dripping down and closed collecting in forward compartment.
 
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sf1332

Member II
Lots of great advice here!

Try SAMS (Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors) to find a surveyor in north PA. This website seems to show maybe 50 for the entire state and I am sure many would travel a reasonable distance to you::

Thank you for the link, but I've been on this for a week. So far, everyone seems to be scheduling out surveys 3-4 weeks out, which is not possible fo me. Might be able to find someone from afar, then of course expenses go up. Currently, thinking of hiring some specialists (rigger, etc) instead.
 

sf1332

Member II
One more thought:
There is space between the top of the keel and the bottom of the bilge. You can see this thru the tubes that connect the different section of keel bolts. Any water that may be in that space could show at any keel bolt. Water will find the easiest way up and out. So, even if the bilge is dry and the stuffing box is dripping, the water will find it’s way to the bilge. It will collect in the void of the TAFG and then eventually find its way up thru these tubes. In theory - the washer and nut may be just loose in that section and was weeping water up thru that bolt. The CO may not have takin this in to consideration and just thought the keel bolt or joint was leaking.
This is very interesting. I wish I could visualize this but can't. I will contact you via PM to see if I can go more info from you. Thank you!
 

Seth

Sustaining Partner
I am very happy to have found an Ericson to buy and (cross-)posting this hoping that owners with more experience would help me in the buying process:
----------------------
Hello all,

I am currently in contract to buy a 1982 Ericson 33 #12. (E33RH). Overall, she's in great shape, but would like some advice. (owner's craiglist posting no longer available).

1. The boat is strictly sold as is. The current owner (CO) went through a very unfortunate situation of losing his younger brother to cancer recently, and he seems to have strong emotional responses to being at the boat. He simply does not want to spend time there, thus even if the boat has been in the water this season, she's been hardly sailed/used. The CO and his late brother bought the boat together 3 years ago and has done a lot of work not to mention putting a lot of money in. Before then, the boat sat on the hard for 3 years. I believe she was involved in local yacht club racing prior to that.

2. The boat needs some work inside mostly cosmetic according to the CO (but not sure if any more "structural" work is needed). See photos below and let me know. These cosmetics work is need to finish the work done after water leak/damage from the Head port light per CO.

3. One of the keel bolts apparently "leaked", ie, some water was disappearing right near the bolt. Thus he unscrewed and sealed that keel bolt. Where would the water go if disappeared through some crack near the bolt? Empty void within TAFG? Deep sump in the hull? (see photos)

4. One important concern is that the mast is slightly bent to port. Pls see the photo attached. Taken from foredeck looking up. The mast also seems to have a little more pronounced bent aft from the mast head to where the forestay attaches (the top ⅛ of the mast as it's a ⅞ fractional rig, I believe). Is this something that a rigger can fix by adjusting shrouds? Since sat on the hard for 3 years, wondering if there's any permanent damage to the mast.

What are the major items to look into carefully specific to E-33RH?

I could not find E33RH Manual on-line...if anyone has it, would sincerely appreciate if you can PM me.

Thank you in advance!


View attachment 39726View attachment 39727View attachment 39728View attachment 39729View attachment 39730CurrentView attachment 39731 (2018)View attachment 39732
Based on this photo of the rig, this is simply a tuning issue and should easily be resolved. You can get it close at the dock, but any mast must be tuned under sail to get it just right. But this is a normal thing. If you are not comfortable doing this, engage a rigger who has worked on race boats to do both the dock tune and go out for an hour or so sailing. Getting the wedges at the partners right, setting the rake at the mast step, and then tuning the shrouds and you will be good to go. What I cannot tell is the condition of the rigging itself, the terminations to the T fittings, etc. Is this rod or wire? The other issues have been well addressed by other members. Will you race the oat is generally just daysail/cruise? Good luck!
 

sf1332

Member II
Based on this photo of the rig, this is simply a tuning issue and should easily be resolved. You can get it close at the dock, but any mast must be tuned under sail to get it just right. But this is a normal thing. If you are not comfortable doing this, engage a rigger who has worked on race boats to do both the dock tune and go out for an hour or so sailing. Getting the wedges at the partners right, setting the rake at the mast step, and then tuning the shrouds and you will be good to go. What I cannot tell is the condition of the rigging itself, the terminations to the T fittings, etc. Is this rod or wire? The other issues have been well addressed by other members. Will you race the oat is generally just daysail/cruise? Good luck!
Good advice, thank you. Mostly day sailing and cruises first, but eventually I'd like to get involved in casual club family races. My boys are learning on Optis now, so hopefully they can crew.

I am terribly afraid that the CO does not even have any wedges. Rod rigging except the usual backstay, forestay and running back stays. Very slight green patina on shroud turnbuckles. Not sure you can pick up anything from the photos below... Definitely more complex rigging than I am used to.

8. E33 Portside Mast area.jpg8. Deck View from Foredeck.jpg
 
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