Ericson 25 rudder

[Redmane]

I have recently purchased a 1975 Ericson 25 with a swing keel. I have the rudder that raises and lowers vertically on a shaft, but the block on the rudder is poorly aligned with the cleat on the transom. Does anyone have a detailed description or a clear photo of their arrangement?

 

[davisr]

I have recently purchased a 1975 Ericson 25 with a swing keel. I have the rudder that raises and lowers vertically on a shaft, but the block on the rudder is poorly aligned with the cleat on the transom. Does anyone have a detailed description or a clear photo of their arrangement?

You're right. The factory set-up for raising the rudder was not a good one. I purchased my blocks from Garhauer marine in California. Still use the old cleat on the transom. Now, though, with the mechanical advantage, it's not a chore to raise and lower the rudder. I raise the rudder whenever the water looks to be skinny and/or I'm anchoring.

Roscoe

 

[Redmane]

Roscoe,
Thanks for the pic and info, I don't have a stern rail yet to attach the tackle to, I may try to angle the block a bit to get a better lead and see how that works. I've seen quite a few of your posts and like what you have done to your Ericson, Nice Job!

 

[davisr]

Thanks Man. I think I'm going to use similar blocks to improve the advantage for the raising of the centerboard. The 2-1 advantage is a pain, even with the winch and a lot of muscle on the winch handle. It makes me try to avoid raising it. I want to be able to raise it quickly, simply by pulling on the line by hand (with a few turns around the winch). In short, I believe the factory set-up (both for the rudder and for the centerboard) does not allow you react quickly enough in circumstances when you find yourself suddenly passing over uncharted shoals. In these circumstances, the rudder is especially vulnerable, since, when fully deployed, it extends below the level of the hull itself. The end of the centerboard might get kicked up by the sand bar and thus spared major damage (assuming you're hitting it head on, and not while being pushed abeam into it by currents), but there's no safety mechanism for the rudder. You probably know all this. I'm just reflecting on my own experience.

Roscoe

 

[marcny]

Question about transom

Hi Roscoe,

I'm a new owner of an E25 but it's a fixed keel model so my tiller remains stationary.

I I found your blog when I did my first Ericsson search and have been a fan since.

Im currently getting ready to install a fold up ladder on the transom and considering how thin it is, I was wondering if I should add another layer of plywood or something to make it more sturdy.

Do do you think I should be concerned about the thinness of the transom?

 

[Glyn Judson]

How solid is the transom?

Dear friend, I'm in the process of helping a friend with her new to her 1980 E25+ and in the process, I recently sent her down to inspect and photograph the scupper drain and hose connection to the transom. Now, I realize that you have an E25 but I can't help but think that the same manufacturing processes apply in both models. Please see the attached image of the plywood backing on her transom that must be at least 1/2" or possibly 3/4" thick. That said, I also added a stainless boarding ladder to our former boat, an E25+ and for insurance and peace of mind, added two strips of 1/4" plywood as added backing plates for the four mounting bolts. Dive down into your aft bilges and take a look, I suspect you'll see something similar. Take a camera with you for future reference, you never know when you'll be glad you did. Best of luck, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey CA

 

[davisr]

Thanks for the compliments on my blog, Marc. Based on the picture that Glyn posted I can say that the E25 transom and the E25+ transom are not the same. The E25 lacks the plywood. The E25 has just one solid piece of fiberglass, top to bottom. Initially I planned to use small scrap pieces of G10 as backing plates for the swim ladder. I event went so far as to cut them and drill holes through them. I knew that I could not leave the G10 exposed to UV rays and that I would need to paint the plates (at least the two that would be exposed in the cockpit). I was running out of time with regard to my target launch date, so I decided to install the ladder with only stainless steel washers. You can see them in the picture above. It's been over a year and the washers have worked well. All in all, the E25 transom is solid. I've never seen any flexing of it with 175 pounds of weight on the ladder, and the washers do not look stressed or deformed.

Roscoe

 

[Glyn Judson]

G10 backing plates.

Roscoe, I'm confused, is there not enough room between the transom and the cockpit coaming to get in there to secure the ladder from the inside using the G10? That way the G10 would never see sunlight. That's the way I used my plywood backing plates (with stainless fender washers) over the existing plywood not present on your boat. But then my ladder had tapped holes in each of the four 1" bent pipe mounting locations. Sail on, Glyn

 

[marcny]

Thanks

Hi Glyn and Roscoe.

Thanks for for your quick responses.

I picked up the ladder yesterday and will probably put it in after haul out in a couple of weeks.

I'll post some pics.

Glyn, I haven't gotten that up close and personal with my boat's back end yet. I do have a manual bilge under the lazerette and am interested in figuring out how to resurrect it. It looks like it's in good condition but I haven't located a handle for it to check it out.

The boat seems pretty tight as the bilge levels haven't given me any trouble and I'm coming up to the end of my second season with it.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Glyn Judson]

Bilge pump repair.

It sounds as if the bilge pump repair will be a winter project and I'm assuming that it's a Whale Gusher 10 as were fitted to so many if not all of our boats during that era were, photo attached. I happen to know that a short how-to piece in the November/December, 2016 issue of Good Old Boat Magazine will discuss in text and photos, the resurrection of that pump from disassembly to finish. One of the first things I did after getting our boat 21 years ago was to take that pump apart to see what it needed to make it work. Turns out that salt build up and other crud was preventing one or both flapper valves from closing, it didn't need any parts, I simply cleaned it up and returned it to perfect working order. I just went to the garage measured the handle on a spare I have and it looks to be nothing more than a 12 1/2" length of 3/4" stainless steel tubing with a big plastic knob on one end. I'd bet a guy could make one for far less than the cost of a new one from Whale, you'll just have to find a knob for it. I looked at the McMaster-Carr and Grainger catalogs to no avail. Maybe someone else can suggest a source. Good luck, Glyn

 

[marcny]

Thanks Glyn for the info on the gusher and handle.
I'll check into it this off season.

 

[Shelman]

The biggest problem with the 30 year old gusher 10 is that it will probably need to be rebuilt, serviced, or at the least messed with every year. That was my experience anyway. ymmv.
my solution was to replace it with the newest Whale pump, which is a huge improvement over the gusher 10.
I also added some handy holders for my pump handle to keep it secure and ready at all times.

Further reading...

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?438-Gusher-10-replacement-pictorial-part-1

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?274-Manual-Bilge-Pump-Upgrade

 

[Glyn Judson]

Using the same old Gusher.

I'm sorry that you have to fiddle with or rebuild your Gusher 10 every year, mine on the other hand is what came with our boat (1979 E31) and I've only had to service it the one time almost immediately after purchase. If you don't mind spending a little time and don't want to spend a bundle for either a rebuild kit or a replacement, I'd sure be tempted to give the latter a try first. Glyn

 

[Martin King]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the Gusher 10 either.

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?438-Gusher-10-replacement-pictorial-part-1

 

[davisr]

Roscoe, I'm confused, is there not enough room between the transom and the cockpit coaming to get in there to secure the ladder from the inside using the G10? That way the G10 would never see sunlight. That's the way I used my plywood backing plates (with stainless fender washers) over the existing plywood not present on your boat. But then my ladder had tapped holes in each of the four 1" bent pipe mounting locations. Sail on, Glyn

From what I've been able to determine from looking at pictures of the E25+ over the years is that it has a coaming on the transom. The E25 has coamings on the port and starboard sides of the cockpit, but there is no coaming on the transom. The transom is a solid piece of fiberglass, approximately 1/2 inch thick.

Roscoe