Ericson 35 ?

[Tom Metzger]

I find some conjecture on the 'net that the Westerbeke engines are based on Mitsubishi blocks, but have no proof one way or the other. Loren

Some are, I know. I don't know about all.

 

[bgary]

My understanding (?) is that

-- Universal-branded engines are generally based on Kubota blocks, and marinized by Westerbeke.

-- Westerbeke-branded engines may be based on a number of different blocks, including Mitsubishi

From Westerbeke's "history" page: "Currently, Westerbeke uses engines from several leading manufacturers to create marine-proven diesel and gasoline engines ranging from 12 to 66 horsepower, and generators ranging from 3.5 to 33.0 kilowatts. We also manufacture Universal diesel engines from 20 to 26 horsepower, and Rotary Aire marine climate control systems that offer self-contained efficiency in 10,000 BTU and 17,000 BTU models."

A couple of random (and probably non-authoritative) links:

http://www.catalina30.com/TechLib/Engines/engine_comparison.pdf

http://www.catalina30.com/New/History of the Universal Motor Company 4.htm

 

[Tomwine]

Zerk fitting

Beautiful boat. I used to have an E27 and upgraded to an E35-II as well. I intend to keep my E35 for a good while, even if someone comes down the dock and makes an offer.



Aside from the usual old boat issues (soft decks, deferred maintenance, equipment functional, etc...):

- The chain plates for the upper and intermediate shrouds are prone to leak, and so many of these have rotted bulkheads where the chain plates attach below. I recently had to reseal them after 2 years, and a prior owner has already rebuilt the bulkheads at least once from what I can see. I'd take a look at the condition of those bulkheads.

- Most of the chain plates are bolt-on. If you pull the mast, give some consideration to replacing the chain plates if they haven't already. My boat was "well taken care of" too, but I found a hairline fracture on the bow chain plate. If you have a rigging survey done, I'd take a close look at them. Note that the stern chain plate is the only one that is glassed-in, so it's hard to assess its condition. I took a grinder to mine and pulled it out, and replaced it with a bolt-on chain plate on the stern. Knowing their age and condition would be important to me.

- The E35-II came with a steel fuel tank, and several owners have reported them to be in bad shape. I'm replacing mine in the next couple of months. This was flagged in my initial survey as well, but got the boat anyway. 5 years later, I haven't had any issues, but I also consider myself lucky that I haven't had any. The prior owner later gave me (after the sale) his maintenance records, and I saw that he had some problems with clogging fuel filters from gunk in the tank that his boat yard documented.

- Finally, my boat leaked a bunch at the rudder post gland when underway, resulting in filling the bilge when sailing. Turns out the fiberglass rudder tube (through which the rudder post is inserted) needs to be greased periodically. Later boats had zerk fittings installed to allow one to do this, but for some reason, the E35-II did not. At my last haulout, I installed a zerk fitting and pumped it full of grease. The leak is gone, and it stayed dry down there, even on a recent 500 mile trip down the coast from SF to LA. During your survey, I'd take a close look in the bilge and look for evidence of water ingress, the best indicator being the degree of rusty equipment in that area.

Hope this helps,

Ignacio

Is there a chance that you could take a picture of the zerk you installed? My boat is leaking in the same place. Just replaced the packing gland in rudder and have not tested to see if that will fix the leak. Any help is good help.
Tom

 

[Christian Williams]

Ignacio is currently returning solo from Hawaii. He did report on his new zerk here, but I can't find it (computer problems at the moment).

I installed one too, reported on here: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?167-Rudder-Gland-Repack-and-Reseal