E-36C strut repair-Replace

[mjsouleman]

It is always more complicated than you originally thought.
I purchased Sterling II in Toronto and sailed her across lake Ontario to Cobourg in preparation of a bee line to Rochester NY.
In Cobourg I found my bilge full to just below the floor boards. After pumping the bilge "dry" I searched for and was unable to identify where the water came from. At this point I had owned the boat for 4 days and sailed her for 3.

As I journeyed down the Oswego and Erie canals, I ran would manually run the bilge pump at the end of each day and had no further surprises. Then it was down the Hudson river, and up the East Coast to New Port.
I followed the routine of running the bilge pump each sail and had no further issues the summer of 2025.mber

October of 2025, the engine began vibrating violently and an inspection found the engine mounts were completely disintegrated and it was time for a winter project.

The boat was lifted and the marina completed the engine mount replacement, I took the opportunity to paint the bottom and thought she was ready to launch. That is when the marina sent me the picture of water dripping from the strut (below)

I am now looking at removing the fuel tank to get at the strut bolts and finding or having a new strut forged.
any advice from E-36C and non-E-36C owners is appreciated.

 

[Christian Williams]

Some threads on strut replacement:

35-3 New Strut [Master Thread]

The haul out was going too well... The keel joint hasn't shown a drop of seepage, the blisters are better than I thought they were going to be, the rudder seems solid, and the engine removal went well. Even the shaft looks good and we're going to shorten it to clean up the gap between the...

ericsonyachts.org

 

[mjsouleman]

Thank you Christian, spending a few days reading and learning about struts.

Someone posted the term "standard replacement strut". I am unfamiliar with this term and wonder if my E-36C strut is compatible with other model struts.

And then there is identifying a place to forge/purchase a replacement strut.

 

[bigd14]

Once you get the strut out you may find other “standard” struts that would work. Hard to know until you can see the area of the strut embedded in the hull.

 

[mjsouleman]

I am reaching out to the few E-36C owners out there for their input on this matter, Martin King has updated 2 E-36 C's and he might have the best insight for this model.

 

[Brass Dragon]

I looked in as 36C sistership Blue Jeans was getting a new strut about 15 years ago. Old strut was broken off right at the hull. The strut is a symmetric shape with barrel for the shaft the strut at 90 degrees. The top of the strut had holes for cross-wise pins or bolts put in after strut was inserted. The strut was bedded in a bunch of resin and cloth that covered the pins. To remove/replace I believe they had to first remove water lift muffler, all shelves, holding tank and accessories in seat hatch then grind it out from the inside which preserved the location of the strut at the hull outer surface. The owner of Blue Jeans was on the Forum at that time. I don't have his contact info, unfortunately.

 

[Loren Beach]

If you put the member ID, Blue Jeans, into the search box, there are a LOT of entries about strut replacement and shaft issues he had.

 

[mjsouleman]

I looked in as 36C sistership Blue Jeans was getting a new strut about 15 years ago. Old strut was broken off right at the hull. The strut is a symmetric shape with barrel for the shaft the strut at 90 degrees. The top of the strut had holes for cross-wise pins or bolts put in after strut was inserted. The strut was bedded in a bunch of resin and cloth that covered the pins. To remove/replace I believe they had to first remove water lift muffler, all shelves, holding tank and accessories in seat hatch then grind it out from the inside which preserved the location of the strut at the hull outer surface. The owner of Blue Jeans was on the Forum at that time. I don't have his contact info, unfortunately.

David,

where did you source your replacement strut?

I am including my current discussion with Ron Thomas of Marine Hardware and his contact information.

Please take a look at the attached work sheet and tell me if this is the correct one, it is different then what you have on your drawing. As we don’t have a strut that calls out the Erickson 36 so I’m trying to find the one you need.

Let me know,

Thanks,
RT
Ron Thomas Jr.
Marine Hardware Inc. www.marinehardware.com
Algonac Marine Cast www.algonacmarinecast.com
Phone: 425.498.7131
Fax: 425.869.1232

 

[Brass Dragon]

Hi Mark
I didnt replace my strut, just watch a comrade replace his. He got his from a second hand marine hardware store in Seattle that has long since disappeared. There might be some Ericson historians on the forum who might know sources used originally by Ericson.
Sorry I don't have more.
Dave

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Mark,
Are you sure it needs to be replaced? What are your reasons?
When ours was out I took it to 7 Stars Marine in Newport for inspection and to install a new insert. They gave it a clean bill of health and did the work. I discuss it in my strut thread. The link isn't at hand at the moment. They aren't cheap but when I taught the fabrication course I took my students there for a field trip. Top notch in my book.
Your strut has those fasteners in it, almost like a repair was done. I doubt that is stock.
From David's description, the 36C strut mounting is very different from ours.
Good luck,
Jeff

 

[Captain Pete]

I am with Jeff wondering how you determine the replacement need from a pic with a drip, even if you have concluded that is the source of the water filling the bilge. Easy out me would look to rebed the strut/hull joint (with 4200? 5200? thickened epoxy? glass?) if the strut seems stable and not disintegrating and not cracked. I reviewed Jeff's thread on his work and boy that kind of project would be one I would want to avoid if I could.

 

[bigd14]

Before you start cutting the boat apart it would probably be worth sanding the paint off the strut and the bottom area around it to see what condition both are in. If the strut is embedded in glass like all the other Ericson models it seems unlikely that water could get into the boat. Any chance the drip is just from a void around the strut that trapped water? Or did you definitively identify the strut as the cause of the leak that filled the bilge? Have you been able to see the top of the strut area with a bore scope or other device? I know this is a totally different boat but this is what the top of the strut looks like on the 34. No way any water could get through. Same scenario on my 1984 E30+ and 1972 E27.

 

[Christian Williams]

Maybe we are just not fully aware of your testing. I would think that a damaged strut wiggles when manipulated, and is otherwise fairly easy to recognize. A drip can be just a drip.

Regarding the bilge flood during the voyage: Does the 36C have an anchor locker with stem drain? If so, a dislocated drain hose is the classic cause of mysterious water in the bilge when underway, but not in the slip. Sometimes the bilge floods only in head seas, making diagnosis even more difficult.

 

[mjsouleman]

Thank to everyone for the comments, I cleaned the adhesive from the top of the strut a d hull joint and found beautiful clean bronze, as to my quest for replacement strut and required work, that was for my own edification and other E36 owners,
All is good and we will discuss more during the March virtual meeting