Ericson 34 vs 35?

[sail2blue]

Hello!
I'm in the hunt for an E34-35, possibly 38, located on the West Coast, preferably in the PNW. As I read all your inputs I'm impressed with what a great source of info is here....and....I have questions...have I got questions...??!! ha!

Why are there so few E34's?
What the pros/cons between the 34 vs 35?
What is felt to be fair market value?
Does anyone know of Ericsons available that aren't listed?

Thanks everyone, and Merry Christmas!
Sue

 

[Sean Engle]

Hi Sue -

I moved your thread to the 'Design & Function' forum as this is where you typically find such threads.

Although I'm sure of the owners will jump in here, there are a couple of threads discussing the differences between the boats you mention. Do a search such as "E34 E35 E38" and you get threads like:

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=16&highlight=E34+E35+E38

There are also reviews of the E35 and E38 in the docs section - sadly none on the E34....

Guys?

//sse

 

[treilley]

Welcome Sue. I assume you are talking about the later generations of E34/35. I too was in search for a late 80s E34. I have a couple of friends who own them and they love them. My one friend is actually Bruce King's Attorney. I wanted a fast racer/cruiser that had a good aft cabin setup. I searched for quite a while on the east coast. I found a few but they were in very rough condition. I also considered an Olson 34 as an alternative because of the tiller(I love tillers). Search for Olson 34 here and you will find many threads on those too. I am sure Loren will add his $.02 eventually even though it is worth much less . After a while I also started looking at E35-IIIs and changed my mind about the interior. Even though the E34 has an aft cabin/head setup, the E35-III felt roomier(to me) and had a separate shower. They are vitually the same boat otherwise and both earn the same PHRF rating. I finally decided in May that my Pearson 28 would be a fine boat for another season(Fully restored, see my web page in my sig). I decided to add a tickler to Yachtworld for either boat and a week later got a notification of a nice red E35-III in MA(I am in ME). It was close enough to go look at even though I had my doubts(it was priced far below others on YW). Well, Kathy and I fell in love and made an offer that was accepted. We are very glad we did as she is a great boat and we had some very nice cruises on her this last season. She is on the hard now and I have a list of projects longer than Santa's list of good little sailors:xmas_grin

I think the values of both of these boats can range from $40k to $70 depending on the age and condition. I got very lucky near the low end of the scale. Luckily the owner accepted my offer before any of the 3 other couples that day got a chance to make an offer. He could have started a bidding war but he did not. Here are some photos and reviews of both boats: http://www.sailboatowners.com/sbo/boatinfo.htm?fno=499.24

I would say try and get a ride on both of these boats and take a look below. When you find one that is available, there are many sailors here that can give you the run down on trouble spots(there aren't many on a well maintained boat) Good luck in your search and keep us posted.

 

[Cory B]

E34

Sue,

There has been an E34 listed for sale the last couple of months in 48North in Olympia ($49K?), in case you haven't seen it.

We bought our 35 down in SF Bay this last spring and had it trucked up to Portland, OR. Boats are generally cheaper down there, and generally theres a little more selection. And speaking of generalities, the boats we looked at in the PNW were in a little better shape.

Cory

 

[sail2blue]

Thanks all, for the good information and links. I've looked at the E34 in Olympia - it's in good shape, hasn't left the dock in over a year. Looks to be mostly original equipment, and original engine, but no hour meter. It has a couple of big leaks - at the mast and over the quarterberth. Needs closer inspection before deciding if it's still on the list.

As for deciding between the models, I'm planning on living aboard, and not having a shower on the 34 will probably be the deciding factor. I'm hearing and reading that both models are very similar under sail, and if they sail anything like the 38, I'm sold!

Thanks again -
Sue

 

[escapade]

E34's

Sue;
You made the comment that the 34's lack a shower. Our '88 E34 has the shower in the head (handheld/wall mount head & sump). As has been mentioned, E35 MkIII & E34(87 & later) very similar in sailing characteristics. E34 aft cabin warm in cooler climates, too hot when temps soar. Then we use the V-berth. Cabin soles tend to rot around mast base due to water coming down inside the spar and running out on the stringers (tri-axial force grid or TAFG). More a cosmetic problem rather than structural but costly to fix. I spent $450 on just material for a new cabin sole (see pics and text elsewhere on this site. Do a search for "cabin sole"). All things considered, they have differences but both are fine boats. Depends on your personal preferences.
Have fun & sail fast
Bud E34 "Escapade"