• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

Ericson Independence as the retirement boat?

David Vaughn

Member II
Blogs Author
New guy. Not sure where to ask this, but its kinda about cruising so I'll try here.

We are currently looking for the retirement boat and have run across an Ericson Independence not too far away. Love the lines of the boat, the photos look really good and the price is in our budget. We are going to try to look at it next week, but would like to ask any current owners about their cruising experience with one.

We are reasonably experienced lake sailors (have owned a Capri 22, Hunter 285, Beneteau 235) and would continue lake sailing, but our retirement dreams include heading down the Tennessee-Tombigbee to the Gulf and do some coastal cruising along the Florida coast then maybe head north along the east coast and just explore. It would be just the two of us, with an occasional overnight by a visiting niece or nephew.

So my question to owners or former owners, how do you find the Independence in terms of space and storage for two, for say a week to 10 days between resupplying at a marina?
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
EY built two "Independence" or "Cruising" designated models in the late 70's. Lovely designs.
31 footer and a 36 footer. the 36 is a flush deck design.
Which one are you considering?
Aside: we visited aboard a Ericson Cruising 36, at a rendezvous in 2014. A couple was living aboard full time, and they seemed quite happy with their boat. (which proves....... not much other than being one data point...)
:)

If you have a picture or two or just a "for sale" description, please post it.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
For me, that would work swell for the cruises you describe. Of course there are bigger boats around.

The owner of an Independence probably has an eye for design and tradition, knows what he or she wants in a boat, and is more or less immune to bedrooms and rugs and the usual Clorox-bottle waistline expansion. I almost bought one 10 years ago. I called on the seventh day of the listing, and it had been sold on the third day.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mat

JPS27

Member III
I love this model Ericson. I recently shared one for sale in Urbanna Va on another post. I have no connection to the boat. It looked pretty well cared for. If you're interested, I can share info I received from the broker.
 

dt222

Member III
I have a 1979 E31, hull #60 so the one that you are looking at is a later one, likely one of the last ones built by Ericson. This one is in very good shape. I think it a a great boat for 2 people. Lots of room below including good storage around the galley, comfortable cockpit and the pictures show a complete set of canvas is good shape. The picture shows it rigged as a cutter and mine has that ability but I seldom rig the staysail and prefer to sail as a sloop. I can't tell is there is refrigeration so a 10 day sail would be dependent on provisioning and ice availability, and if you are sailing down south ac might be a consideration (when my boat was in Florida it had AC, but when relocated to Maine the previous owner removed it.
 

David Vaughn

Member II
Blogs Author
Thanks so much for all your replies. What a great resource.

Christian - The traditional lines of the hull is what first grabbed me. But as we've looked at other boats, what really hooked me, is the interior of this one. It just looks like such a nice place to be.
Don - Thanks for your input about space. The ad details do list a Frigoboat Keel Cooled Refrigerator, so if it functions well, refrigeration is covered.
I have an appointment to see it later this week. Wish me luck.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I have an appointment to see it later this week. Wish me luck.
Regarding the importance of comfortable nights at anchor, it's helpful to know the measurements of the real-world sleeping space. This thread discusses your model in about reply 4.
 

Mat

SV Akoya
We have hull #71...the very last one built. We sailed her 900nm down the East Coast of Australia earlier this year and can confidently vouch for the design.

Considering her 'traditional' design, there is plenty of storage and room for two for extended cruising. The cockpit is huge and comfy, perhaps one of the most comfortable helms I've spent time at.

We love sailing Akoya...she's comfy, safe, dry and surprising slippery.
 

dt222

Member III
One more thought: in looking at the pictures of the one in Lake Lanier, the oven looks very different from mine. Mine is an older Force 10 gimbaled oven/3 burner cooktop combo. The cooktop is located beneath a sliding/stowable part of the galley counter underneath the first port on the port side. I also use a single burner butane portable stove. Those are plenty for the cruising I do (coupled with a Weber small rectangular canister grill that I store in the port lazarette. The oven in the picture is very different/more modern.
 

David Vaughn

Member II
Blogs Author
Well, saw the boat.

The interior was updated by a previous owner who was professional cabinet maker, and he obviously knew what he was doing. It is better looking in person than the photos showed. Only things I could find to complain about was a tiny bit of odor upon opening the head door, one of the fairleads for the furling line had pulled out of the deck (wasn't through bolted), and some of the exposed wood (toe rail, rub rail, cockpit coaming) needs new varnish. I'm weird, I enjoy varnishing.

Don - the stove is an Origo Alcohol/Electric cooktop. Not familiar with these. We don't have much need for an oven, so it should work for us, though it's not gimbaled. Beneath that in a custom enclosure, is an electric toaster oven. I get the feeling this was set up more for cooking at the dock than underway. We'd do some of both so we'll see.

We've made an offer subject to survey and sea trials. Fingers crossed.

Thanks again to all for the input.


Ericson cooktop.jpg
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Didn't know Origo had an alcohol/electric hybrid, interesting. I do like my Origo and it cooks as well as gas.
Back in the 90's they sold a lot of that stove model to production builders like Bayliner. I suspect that a lot of those customers were only ever cooking while on shore power.
 

David Vaughn

Member II
Blogs Author
Well, the survey came back with only one real issue, some moderate blistering. More importantly, the Admiral's review was 100%.
We've signed the papers and wrote the check. She's ours now.

Thanks to all for your input. Now the fun starts.
 
Top