E28 new owner maintenance questions

[bnye]

I am in the process of purchasing a one-owner 1988 E-28 that appears to have been well maintained with a few notable exceptions.
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1) The mast which at some point was painted white is losing its paint in large chunks from top to bottom. I would guess that 15-20% of the mast surface area is now exposed. I can see some minor bubbling of the paint around the edges of fittings and when you scrape the bubbles, some white powder is exposed. The fittings that I can examine do not appear cracked or loose (The boat is on the hard and the mast is still stepped). In other places the paint appears to have just peeled away. The <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on">PO</st1lace> had the mast inspected two years ago and some maintenance work on the sheeves was performed. No other maintenance issues were noted at the time. Other than the paint, the surveyer did not find any issues with mast or rigging.
2) The water heater is in sad shape and will need immediate replacement.


My questions are:
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A) Should I have the mast unstepped and further inspected this winter (perhaps repainted) or should I simply sail the boat next year and have a better idea of maintenance/improvement issues and priorities for the following lay-up. BTW the yard quoted $3400 to repaint the mast with Awlgrip.
B) I am considering replacing the water heater myself. I am probably on the higher side of average for DIY skills, although far from a professional. Is there something about this task that would warrant paying yard prices to perform?
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Although I am a new member, I have been lurking on this site for the past few months while going through our boat purchase selection process. It has been very helpful to read the opinions and they certainly contributed to our decision to purchase an Ericson. I can tell you that this site is one of the best of the many owner sites that I have prowled around on in the past 6 months. Kudos to you all.
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Looking forward to becoming a part of the E-community.
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Bill
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[GMaurer]

I am the third owner of a 1988 E28.

My mast paint is less that perfect, but the peeling is strictly cosmetic.
I had the mast down for the winter two years ago, and did nothing but clean it. I'd let the re-painting go.

I just replaced my water heater, but I did so because I still had the original,
and I was replacing the Universal with a Yanmar,
so heater access was greatly improved (needless to say).
I don't know how you'd replace the water heater without removing and reinstalling the engine, which is a bit of a feat. Other than that issue, replacement is relatively straightforward.

 

[Frank Langer]

You mention some white powder in addition to the peeling paint, which leads me to suspect some corrosion going on with the aluminum. I wonder if the mast fittings are stainless steel, and maybe haven't been isolated from the aluminum properly; if so, then I would fix this right away, before waiting another season. Once that's done, whether to paint or not (especially at that price) is a tough decision, and may depend on how rich you are!
Good luck with it!
Frank.

 

[bnye]

Thanks for the info.

I think I'll check the fittings I can reach and if they are sound, then live with the flaking paint for a year or two. The PO did say that the top of the mast was inspected two years ago by the local yard riggers.

The water heater has me a little worried. I found an older thread that talks about taking the old original water heater jacket off before being able to get it to fit thru the lazerette hatch. Does that sound like it is possible on the 28? I don't think I'm ready to remove and reinstall the engine.

I'll be at the boat in a couple of weeks and guess I'll measure and see how bad the news is.

 

[Jeff Asbury]

I would get more estimates.

Your quote of $3400. to paint the mast sounds really high to me. I had both my mast and boom painted as well as had all my standing rigging replaced for $2800. That included all new shrouds, stays and turn buckles, new mast head & steaming lights as well as new wiring.

I used a independent rigger who was doing a little moonlighting. He now owns the rigging company he used to work for. Not sure if he used Awlgrip or LP.

I would get more estimates. My boat is a 27.

 

[Wayne Foulds]

E28+

We are in the process of setting up an E28+ for racing but I am having trouble deciding how to keep the guy off the stanchions.
The boat is fairly beamy for a 28 footer, posing problems when reaching. Any suggestions anyone ???

 

[Jeff Asbury]

Hi Wayne,

I don't race or even fly a spinnaker for that matter so I can't answer your question for you. I recommend you make a new thread (Post) in the Cruising & Racing section and you will get many more Knowledgeable replies from experienced racers and kite flyers. Good Luck and welcome.

Jeff

 

[Wayne Foulds]

E28+

I will Jeff: This is new to me, I should have known.
Thank you and fair sailing.
Wayne Foulds, White Rock, BC

 

[mherrcat]

Not sure about the 28, but on my 30+ I was able to get the Raritan w/h (6-gal. I believe) out through the lazarette easily. The fuel tank was a little trickier...

I haven't put the w/h back yet and may consider replacing it with an Isotherm unit. I like the fittings being all on the front of the unit. I'd have to check the dimensions to see if it would fit...

 

[joe-fran]

Water tank removal

Bill, Welcome to the Ericson community!!
I just bought a 1987 E-28 last July - also a one owner boat. The water tank on mine is also poor shape. The outer jacket is rusted away around the bottom where it looks like it took a lot of spray from a poorly adjusted stuffing box. But, it still works just fine - Moral of the story is it may not look good but.........
Anway, it looks to me like the motor needs to come out to remove the tank. Since the Universal runs fine I have no reason to replace it. But I plan to pull the motor next winter, do a thorough clean, give it a paint job and replace the water tank at the same time.