Ericson 34-2 problems with rudders and corrections

[old salt joseph]

Would appreciate any information about rudder problems with the Ericson34-2. Have survey scheduled Sept. 3, 2014. My first chance to check out rudder on the hard. Sea trial went well with no detectable problems with steerage. Any advice welcome. Thanks, old salt joseph

 

[Loren Beach]

Mid to late 80's model E-34 ?

Edit: is this the one?
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1989/Ericson--2558939/Bellingham/WA/United-States#.VAFCTSh2BxA


Loren

 

[old salt joseph]

Ericson 34-2problems with rudders and corrections

Sorry for the delay. I'd given up on a response. Yes,that's the one.

 

[Loren Beach]

Sorry for the delay. I'd given up on a response. Yes,that's the one.

The listing sez "sale pending"... is that you?

Anyhow, all I know (or think that I know) is that the same guys probably assembled that boat that had built ours in the fall of '88.
When we had the keel re-bedded in '02, I had the yard drop our rudder (strictly a P. M. idea) and check it for water intrusion and they found none.

Loren

 

[old salt joseph]

Thanks, for your input. I will post results of the survey next week.

 

[Shelman]

My little 1985 E-26 mkIII had severe corrosion on the stainless rudder shaft. The corrosion was compleatly hidden just below the surface of the gel-coat where the shaft entered the rudder blade. (bad!)
I had to scrape the gel coat out quite a bit to be able to see the damage because the corrosion didn't start until about 1/8" deep.
also my foam core had deteriorated and caused the rudder blade to deform badly on one side. I haven't done a full autopsy on the old rudder yet, but i am interested to see if the internal frames have suffered from corrosion as well. I believe your rudder, like mine, was built by Foss-Foam who was operating in California in the 80's but has since moved to Florida. Another member here just had Foss-Foam replace his rudder with a heavier schedule 80 shaft.

pictures of my rudder post at link to this site below:
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?12527-Rudder-Rebuild-Replace

 

[old salt joseph]

Thanks for the show and tell and a job very well done. That's one beautiful rudder. Happy sailing Shelman!

 

[HerbertFriedman]

Check for soft spots in the decking especially around the bars just forward of the mast. I recently purchased an 87 E34 with a known soft spot on the starboard side of the deck just forward of the mast. Turns out two of the bolts holding those bars was not drilled correctly and water intrusion caused a soft spot about a foot in diameter to form. I was able to remove the bars, cut a 2" hole just underneath the attachment point for those bars, scoop out the rotten balsa, dry the interior with a hair dryer and refill the volume with special epoxy with a very slow cure time (for low heat generation). Check all the deck area where screws have been drilled for soft spots.

Another problem is the zippers in the nicely upholstered headliner. Dont ask what problems I had with the above mentioned soft spot trying to access nuts from underneath the deck when zippers froze up.

Also check all the hoses to the engine, if they have not been replaced, replace them. Replacement of the hose for the engine cooling water required the yard to remove some floor boards, quite a job.

Also, have a complete engine survey done, not just the casual look by the hull surveyor. My Universal 25 had a hairline crack in a cooling plate just below the thermostat housing. That required the removal of either the head or the front plate, just to get a two of the 4 bolts holding the cooling plate onto the engine. Again not a cheap fix, about $2k in labor and other associated work.

Note that the Universal 25 is somewhat underpowered, fine for most situations but in a heavy head wind, not so great.

 

[old salt joseph]

Herbert- Thanks for the heads up. I have survey on Wed. 9-3-14. I appreciate your advice. I will post outcome of the survey after its completed. Joe

 

[HerbertFriedman]

just a data point, I paid about $5k more than your listed price for my 87 E34. The PO had replaced all the port lites and hatches with original equipment Lewmar, new dodger and bimini about 5 yrs old, new Harken roller furling (sails are about 10 yrs old), new prop shaft, prop, cutless bearing, and dripless stuffing box all about 5 yrs old. New primary Harken winches too, so the PO put some money into this also. Has Furuno radar/GPS, Icom VHF, TV, two refrigerators (one not working) and AC (also not working), autopilot, otherwise looks very similar equipped as yours from the listing. By the time I had the engine cooling plate replaced, changed many hoses, replaced a Y valve in the head (there was actually a bottle cap jamming it up), and a few other odds and ends, the yard bill was another $9K. I usually do my own work but getting long in the tooth and decided to let the yard monkeys do it, they did an OK job.

I was all set to buy a slip neighbor's 89 E34 with less equipment but new sails for $43K but he has blister problems and after suffering with a boat with blister problems for many years, I chickened out. But I was sold on this E34, looked for a long time for a 91 or greater, they were made by Pacific Seacraft, a quality manufacturer but the only one I saw locally was in poor shape, more money and needed a lot more work. So when this one came on the market, I was ready and a few extra $K for a boat in good shape was worth in, soft spot in the deck and all. The PO had the bottom stripped and epoxy barrier coat applied so the bottom only had one or two minor blisters. Be sure to check that out, other Ericson owners all said they had some form of blisters. Good luck, we are very happy with our E34.