E25 Presale Project Help ??

[John Cyr]

I'm trying to prepare my 1974 E25 CB for sale and I am waist deep in projects:
I have the mast down to replace the standing rigging and I would like to fix a bend I put in it many years ago when I snapped a cap shroud in a blow, its a minor bend (about 3" end to end unstayed) but it is too great to tune out and noticable to anyone with any rigging knowledge. anybody ever have success with tryng to straighten a 29' spring? a new or replacement mast would likely cost as much as the boat is (realistically) worth

The centerboard has swelled at its head and is therefore stuck (either up/down/anywhere between but the diver has to move it) I rebuilt it in 89 but dont think that would work twice, so I need a new board, there are a couple (old) posts on E25 cbs but dont know if any current source exists ?

Good news is I did a major bottom/blister job way back when (the whole interprotect 1000/2000 system, cost a lot) so she is blister free and has a custom (yes I know the boat ad joke, but this is actually VERY nice) teak interior. Also has the mast raising and lowering Gear which works great (even slightly bent !

Any advice/leads or (offers?) on the above would be most appreciated.

John

Trailer available too (almost as big a project as the boat, needs new brakes and bunks)

 

[Chris Glasspool]

John,

Idasailor.com sells both the rudder, and keel. - chris

 

[John Cyr]

Thanks!

Wow,

So they do. spendy tho, does anyone have any experience with them?

John

 

[Chris Glasspool]

John,

Steve Swann turned me onto these folks. I purchased both items, and they look to be very good quality, and the business was right on time - easy to work with. My boat is not in the water yet, so I can't give you how these items worked except that Steve has also been very satisfied with the equipment and service. I believe he had these folks retrofit the new rudder to run with a wheel.
My understanding is that the 70's model ercison 25's will now need new/rebuilt rudders, and keels, as the steel swells in the keel board, and water intrudes into the rudder, and rusts the soft steel armature. Foss Marine wanted many times the amount of Idasailor, so maybe the price isn't so bad. The keel is much lighter than the original as recent engineering deemed it better and safe to do. - chris

 

[John Cyr]

I just got off the Phone with them, seem like really nice people. They are going to get back to me with shipping costs to SD. My dillemna will be $$, between what I am spending on the rig (see other post) and what the foils will cost (I have the exact same issues on both the rudder and CB you spoke of) I have to realistically assess the value of the boat. I paid 13k for her in 1985 (no regrets, she was/and is, loaded) but she is worth nowhere near that in today's market. There was a 25 advertised here last fall for 9k but i dont know what/if she finally sold for?
Decisions, decisions. . .

John

 

[Loren Beach]

As much as strangers can... we do "feel your pain."
All of our boats are aging, and it's hard to accept that new parts cost the same whether they are going on a one year old boat or a thirty year old boat.

FWIW, any sistership, from any builder (no matter how high the initial build quality was) will have the same cost/benefit issues as it ages through the decades.
One comparison I find helpful is to look over the new and near-new market nowadays and find a boat that realistically does everything that my Ericson does. In my case my older boat may only be worth 55 to 60K but the replacement product is around 250K.

In the case of a well-built small cruiser like several 70's model Ericsons, you might consider the Dana 24, now returned to production from a new builder... Sailaway price is about 140K. This is, size wise, more like an Ericson 27 or 29, but still......
Twenty five year old PSC Flicka's are about 30K. Come to think of it, there may not even BE a comparable sail boat on todays' market like your model. I only hope that the next owner understands that, too.

If a sailor likes their boat and it meets their needs for another decade, then this all becomes a budget issue for each season of sailing. OTOH, if one evaluates their boat solely on its constant resale value, then no boat is worth fixing or owning.

Note that finding new parts for the older PSC boats is going to incur the same sourcing challenges as parts for a 70's Ericson. Same for Tartan and others of this sort. Luckily there are owners organizations like ours to share information and encouragement.

Doubt that I have helped you one tiny bit, but sometimes it helps to step back and see if there is a potentially bigger picture to relate to. Then there is the shock of paying current prices based on current materials and labor for specialty parts developed for very short runs of manufacturing -- more like custom fabrication, really.
If you follow the nearby chainplate thread, just imagine going through the R&D for new forged or welded SS chainplates that would potentially fit thousands of 80's Ericsons ----- and then selling 10 of them a year.... And then there's the insurance and liability issues...
That's why such schemes are called "hobby businesses." (sigh)


Good luck,
Loren

 

[John Cyr]

Good Points all Loren (Ive been reading your posts since last year, Ive met Lew Decker (almost bought Serendipity, just couldnt make it work) and I sailed on Guy Stevens' current boat as a child, (with the original owner) so are we all really strangers ? but I digress . . .)
Good comparison arguments about the PSCs as well, although they initially enjoyed an even higher build quality than Ericsons with the associated high resale. (Prob why PSC went under, their late Ericson models were far more expensive than the competition)
I've had my boat in the open ocean quite a number of times and wouldnt think twice about it, bur Im not sure I would take her around the world. Dana's and Flicka's do it all the time (albeit slowly I know, many Ericsons have circumnavigated, but they are NOT reputed as passagemakers. And Flicka's are so damn tiny below even!

John