Factory Authentication of an Ericson Yacht

[boatrips]

I am looking for authentication by the factory that I own an Ericson Yacht.

I have a 1968, 30 ft Ericson Hull Number 79, located in Seattle Washington.

I'm a USCG Charter Captain and I want to use the vessel for teaching sailing classes.

This necessitates that document the vessel as coastwise trade and the Coast Guard requires that I have a builders certicficate signed authenticating that the boat I own was built at the Ericson factory.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of the factory people that could help me in this matter?

 

[Shadowfax]

Have you tried calling Pacific Seacraft? They own Ericson now

 

[Loren Beach]

Since 1968 is prior to the requirement of the HIN on the transom...
and you presumably have a bill off sale to establish that you own it now...

You are left with the same sort of requirement that anyone might have as a part of obtaining federal documentation of an older boat, it seems like to me.
This involves establishing a chain of ownership back to the building of a vessel, and the issuance of a carpenter's certificate, if I recall the ancient legal name of the document.
It has gotta be, somehow, do-able, or no one could ever document an older vessel.


The thing is, the Ericson factory of the 60's is maybe a couple of corporate iterations back from when some remaining assets were acquired by PSC.
When you add up the years, there is a high probability that the proper person (s) to authenicate this stuff is now deceased...

There has, just IMHO, got to be a way to meet their requirement, even if I cannot think of it off hand.
How much of the chain of ownship for your boat do you have now? Can the state assist you in this?

Best of luck,

Loren

 

[Glyn Judson]

Title, build documents, etc.

Loren and all, Some years ago I was in touch with Robin on a regular basis at PSC who helped me immensely with E31 historical questions and issues. From time to time, maybe tywice a year I'd ask him to see the original Ericson build folder for my boat, as the files for every boat they made were in cardboard storage boxes under the stairway in the shop, I know I saw them there many times. The occasion arose for me to visit the factory to take some wiring photos on their current boat so I made a date with Robin and he took me to several boats in progress for me to photo. I thought I'd casually make my usual request again. When I asked him, he cringed and sheepishly said, "I knew you were going to ask me that". He went on to explain that he'd just come back from a two-week vacation and upon entering the shop, stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the stacks of historical Ericson files completely gone. There had to have been at least a dozen or more of those storage file boxes there that were now gone. He went into the offices and asked around only to find out that in his absence, ALL of them had been tossed in a dumpster. He told me that his first thought after hearing that was, "Glyn's going to kill me". I was literally, physically ill for days afterward. Years before I had borrowed two of those folders, one for my 1979 E25+, hull #514 and one for my friends E25+ hull, #515. They were lent to me at the beginning of lunch. I had to swear to get them copied and back in the file box before anyone of the execs returned. Success, I got them copied and and back in time to keep her from getting in toruble. There was a wealth of historical build data in them, waaay cool!! The present owner of our E25+ (one dock away from our current boat) now has them as well as my friends son for hull #515. I just wish I could have done the same with our E31 files. As a matter of fact, I was pressuring him to give me all sixty-nine E31 files. That was a bummer day, Glyn

 

[Martin King]

When Ericson was liquidated, whole banks of filing cabinets containing
many of the engineering drawings done in house, as well as design work
from Bruce were sold off. It's been how many years now? 15?16?That
stuff that dated back to the 60's was probably trashed as it has never
surfaced as far as I know. That was a sad day.

Martin
E31C