Ericson 28-2 draft

[Sidnewport]

Question: Sailboatdata lists the standard draft of an Ericson 28-2 at 4 ft. My boat looks pretty standard, but the bottom of the keel to the waterline is closer to 6 ft. So is my boat nonstandard, of is Sailboatdata wrong?

 

[Afrakes]

5' 6" on mine. Which is standard. My manual shows that 4' is for the shoal keel.

 

[Sidnewport]

5' 6" on mine. Which is standard. My manual shows that 4' is for the shoal keel.

Apparently so... Sailboatdata shows the full keel, but labels the draft as 4 ft.

To change the subject a little, since you are another E28-2 owner (I am hull # 667), I wonder if you have solved the Lazy Jack problem. I have figured that it makes sense to mount them below the spreaders and above the lower shrouds. But as you know, there is not much available real estate there. I am particularly curious if you have any idea of the hardware inside the mast that supports the shroud toggle. I would not want to drill in there and hit stainless from the internal mount.

 

[Afrakes]

We have a sail cradle. Combination of sail cover and lazy jacks. Our upper blocks are located above the spreaders. The cradle instructions indicated that the upper blocks be positioned 45% of the mast length down from the masthead. The cradle runs the full length of the boom, and the location of the attachment points may dictate the height of the upper blocks. What measurement is specified in the instructions that came with the lazy jacks?

My mast is a Lefeill (sp) not a Kenyon. The internal reinforcement runs 3" above the shroud opening and 3" below. I would think that the Kenyon would be about the same. Our booms (one spare) are both Kenyon.

 

[Sidnewport]

We have a sail cradle. Combination of sail cover and lazy jacks. Our upper blocks are located above the spreaders. The cradle instructions indicated that the upper blocks be positioned 45% of the mast length down from the masthead. The cradle runs the full length of the boom, and the location of the attachment points may dictate the height of the upper blocks. What measurement is specified in the instructions that came with the lazy jacks?

My mast is a Lefeill (sp) not a Kenyon. The internal reinforcement runs 3" above the shroud opening and 3" below. I would think that the Kenyon would be about the same. Our booms (one spare) are both Kenyon.

Are your spreaders aero shaped(with a raindrop cross section (pointy on the aft side)? I'd worry about cutting up the LJ lines if they rubbed against the shrouds. I was going to use a Harken kit that has a covered wire on top, but a the height they recommended, it was possible to catch the end of the shrouds downwind. I suppose I could have mounted them higher up, but I decided to go with a retractable system and am having trouble figuring our where to put them.
I would not trust them above the spreaders, as the lines would sit against the aft side of the spreaders when retracted and get chewed up.

So the area of choice would be just below the spreaders, in the area of the lower shrouds. I an concerned as to what I can attach there without encountering the stainless fitting unside.

An AI weenie suggested attaching to the shroud itself with a wire clamp. That is tempting, but I am leery of attaching anything to that. Though I do have a shroud cleat on the upper shrouds lower down.

 

[Afrakes]

The trailing edges of my spreaders are rounded with no sharp spots. The spreader ends closer to the mast, where the lines from the sail cradle rub is even more rounded. I think your fears of the lazy jack support lines suffering wear might be over blown. It's not like these lines are actively running over that rounded trailing edge on a constant basis. My spreaders don't show any wear at the point of contact. I realize that my situation is significantly different as my mast is only up for six months out of the year. Still, I think that the angle of attack of the lines connected to the boom should be your main concern. By the way have you already purchased the lazy jacks?

 

[Loren Beach]

Question: Sailboatdata lists the standard draft of an Ericson 28-2 at 4 ft. My boat looks pretty standard, but the bottom of the keel to the waterline is closer to 6 ft. So is my boat nonstandard, of is Sailboatdata wrong?

I have always thought that EY tended to produce more deep draft versions of their models solely due to their belief in higher performance. They were selling into a market segment that was willing to pay more for Quality and above average Sailing Performance.

There were almost always shoal draft keels offered for buyers in shallow water areas. That provided a viable customer alternative for their decision to go with external lead keels in the 80's (besides somewhat higher performance potential).
Note B: Saiboatdata seems to be a combination of preserved brochure info and crowd sourced info, and can have errors. They seem willing to receive corrections but are hit-n-miss about applying them, in my experience.

For most of us, we buy our used boats and look closely a the survey and often apply our own tape measure for draft when the boat is hauled for survey or any other reason.
And then we keep track of the reading on the depth sounder as we (inevitably) run aground a few times during our first season or two of ownership. We realize that the "brochure" info likely reflects what the NA called "light load" draft. It's not uncommon for a boat to draw a few inches more than the brochure would lead you to expect.

Overnighting/cruising will inevitably add some weight and draft to a boat. Cans of food, spare lube oil, and a set of pots n pans and.... Etc. That spare anchor/chain/rode... rail BBQ and propane bottles... And all the little bits that make overnighting pleasurable. And, Refrigeration !!