Interested in an Ericson 34

[Horace74]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum and I do not currently sail an Ericson yacht. However, I am looking to move up in the next year or so from my San Juan 28 and I have decided the Ericson 34 will be my next boat. Any 34 owners here who have anything specifically I should look out for? Thanks.

Horace

 

[supersailor]

Interesting. I moved up from a San Juan 26 to An Ericson 34. Great move.

 

[Horace74]

San Juans are GREAT boats and we love her but we would like more creature comforts with the same or substantially similar sailing characteristics. How do you like your Ericson 34? Anything I need to look out for?

 

[HerbertFriedman]

Six years ago we moved up from a Tartan 30 to our '87 E34. Wonderful boat but do be prepared, it is a lot more boat. The mainsail on our boat is quite heavy (tall rig) and I can no longer raise it by hand, beyond halfway between the two spreaders, it is a slow winch job. And flaking it at the dock is a two man job and quite heavy. I made a Sailrite stack pack, and that made quite a difference but then again, you need to dead into the wind to raise the mainsail. Boats are full of compromises. The standard Universal M25XP runs great but is underpowered, repowering is expensive, probably 2/3 the cost of the boat. Workmanship is fine but watch for soft spots in the deck if the PO was sloppy in bedding deck fixtures.

 

[Tin Kicker]

Welcome to the group. Seems to me there are a couple in the Chesapeake area. Telling where you are located may help.

 

[Loren Beach]

IF.... you find a boat that is otherwise good, do not be fearful of an engine changeout. I have some pix and nattatives in my blog entries here, and will be glad to answer questions directly. Figure about 12 to 15K total, with you doing some of the cleanup and prep. We would have probably moved to the lager E-34/2 about 4 years ago when we found a neglected one with a dying Volvo engine, but the seller was unwilling to sell it for what it was actually worth. So later we replaced our M25XP with a new Betamarine. Everything worked out great; there are always multiple paths forward - in many of life's venues.

 

[supersailor]

If you love your 28, you are going to be awestruck by the 34 or its sister the 35-3! The SJ 28 rates on the Base PHRF (folding prop, 150, spinnaker) at 186. The 34 rates at 123. The 34 will smoke the 28. The motion in a seaway is easy and the hull shape does not pound. This is important in our rather boisterous Straights that I sail on. Think 25-30kn with opposing tide of up to 6kn. On my first sail after purchase, I poked my nose out of Victoria BC and found 28-35kn winds on an opposing tide against 6-7 foot seas. Not going was a problem as our import papers said we hade to import on that day or resubmit the application. With two reefs and a 130 hard on the wind, she did 6.9-7.2kn. The SJ was lucky to do 3.5 in the same conditions.

The light air performance of all the large Ericsons is awesome. No one in my Club wants to attempt to match the 34 in real light air.

If you buy the 34, you are going to love it!

As far as problems go, my boat was in excellent shape sailing wise with good sails (main, 130, 70, two symmetrical chutes). The engine compartment was a disaster with wiring by an over caffeinated, hyperactive spider. I'm good at mechanicals so I bought anyway based on everything being good. Three engine electrical failures later, I threw away the electrical system and rewired to my own plan. No more failures in the last 5 years. The electricals on any 80's or 90's boat is going to be kind of mickey mouse anyway. If you buy, I have a thread on rewiring Terra Nova.

If you want to continue this conservation, we can move it to a private thread or contact me on my email rwm91@hotmail.com.

 

[Horace74]

Thanks for the replies! I currently sail out of Deltaville on the Chesapeake. I am at least a year or more away from a purchase but I would like to start getting as much information as possible about the model.

 

[supersailor]

Interesting Herb. I don't find the 34 to be greatly underpowered. I can cruise at just under 7 knots and I'm not slowed much punching into seas maybe to 5 1/2-6 knots but the reason I bought a boat with outstanding ability to go to the windward was to be able to sail and not have to listen to that diesel thumping away. The secret with the M25XP is to be propped just right. With the wrong prop, the 25 doesn't work well.

 

[HerbertFriedman]

Bob, I agree about the great sailing ability of our E34 and you may be right about the prop. The PO put on a "cruising" prop, a three blade Campbell Sailor with dimensions 15-8. According to some charts I found, I think that prop is about right but I cannot get above 2500 rpm so I may be over propped. I had the engine worked on by a very competent diesel mechanic and he did not comment on the prop but said the engine is a bit "tired". I have 2500 hours but as usual these are mostly short runs to get in and out of the marina with only a few runs of a few hours or more. In flat water, I can get a little over 6 ktn and of course much less in headwinds. But the engine runs great, not over heating so I am content to leave the prop alone. Do you have any experience with a three blade prop, am I likely over propped?

 

[Loren Beach]

Different hull but same engine. After decades of trying various props -- two blade fixed, two blade feathering, and nowadays a three blade fixed (narrow blades), we motor at 7. knots. Before this we used to believe that our hull should motor at 6.5 or so.
Your M25XP should power you up to about 2900 to 3K rpm (WOT) in smooth water with a clean smooth hull, maybe a bit more. Cruise at 2500. Your hull should maintain about 6.6 or more, IMHO.
My guess is that your E-34 is over propped. (Unless Bob disagrees with me, and in that case listen to Bob!)

 

[HerbertFriedman]

I thought that the WOT for the M25XP was more like 3300 but in any case, my WOT of 2500 and cruising at 2200 rpm does sound low. Any idea how much I should re-pitch the prop, 15-8 to 15-?. Also any idea how much that costs?

 

[supersailor]

An interesting question, Herb. I see a couple of possibilities. One is that you are over propped. In which case lessening the pitch could allow you to come up to RPM. A good prop shop could change the pitch of your current prop. The other is that you mention that you only use the engine for short runs. Diesels hate short runs and reward the owner by carboning up. They still run fine. They just lose "oomph". This problem can be cured by running the engine hard for about an hour once a month. Another could be that the injectors are worn but you should show smoke in the exhaust then.

Although not a diesel, I bought an Opel Manta (car) from a guy that drove it only 2 1/2 miles a day and did no other driving. I was shocked that the car got only 12mpg (4 cylinder manual). After a month of a 25 mile one way commute, the car was getting 25+mpg. All that carbon buildup from the engine never warming up burned off.

Your diesel should take at least 40 minutes under load to fully warm up. The temperature gauge showing operating temp doesn't count. That thick block takes much longer to heat up. If it is carboned up, it will take awhile to burn it off. A vacation up the Delta would do it.

I don't really understand the comment from the mechanic that the engine is "tired" A compression check and a cylinder leak down test will determine the health of the engine. If the compression is normal and no leakage is noted, the engine is healthy. These engines routinely last 7,000+ hours. Mine has 3,200hrs. We are almost half way through the life of the engine. Wish we could say the same about the Hurth. All the other stuff like injectors and pumps are replaceable. Of course, these comments are based on people actually maintaining their engines.

I also wonder if that mechanic just didn't want to fuss with the problem. Chasing down these types of problems can be time consuming and many times not show enough results to justify the costs.

 

[supersailor]

After posting, I saw your comment. The M25XP is rated at 3,300 RPM. Cruise is 2,200-2,600 RPM.

 

[HerbertFriedman]

I agree with your comment about the mechanic not doing a thorough job although checking compression and a leak check I believe would have been much more expensive, and the mechanic "felt" that the engine was running OK. So now comes the tough question, should I spend the money for compression check and also check of the injectors or spring for the prop re-pitch. One issue would make a decision easier: do you feel that a 15-8 three blade prop is over pitched? From the charts I have seen, 15-8 is about right. I will contact the diesel shop and ask for an estimate on the engine checks, do you know if the injectors can be checked or just replaced? I do run the engine for a few hours maybe one a month or two so maybe carbon build-up is not the issue

 

[Loren Beach]

I agree with your comment about the mechanic not doing a thorough job although checking compression and a leak check I believe would have been much more expensive, and the mechanic "felt" that the engine was running OK. So now comes the tough question, should I spend the money for compression check and also check of the injectors or spring for the prop re-pitch. One issue would make a decision easier: do you feel that a 15-8 three blade prop is over pitched? From the charts I have seen, 15-8 is about right. I will contact the diesel shop and ask for an estimate on the engine checks, do you know if the injectors can be checked or just replaced? I do run the engine for a few hours maybe one a month or two so maybe carbon build-up is not the issue

A data point-- at about 1200 hours I had the injectors serviced (new tips) on our former engine. The shop agreed that was at about a general hour point for a service.

 

[supersailor]

Without the tests it is hard to do a lot of judging about the engine. AS Loren has pointed out, the injectors are probably overdue service. Heck mine are due again. How the years go by! Repitching the prop would definitely help. I don't know the price as it was last done on my previous boat 25 years ago. I would guess around $150 but I hear everything is priced out of sight in your area. Call a prop shop and ask. Repitching brings the engine into the proper torque curve and eases it's load.

Because you mainly use the engine in and out of the harbor, maybe you should just not worry about it until it's haul out time and maybe not then if cost is a prime consideration. Then compression check (although you are probably fine), injector rebuild and possible prop repitching. Removing the injectors and the compression check are easily in the range of tasks that a reasonably determined amateur can do. Check with your friends and see if any are amateur auto mechanics. Take him out to dinner afterward. Oops, can't do that right now.

 

[HerbertFriedman]

thanks all, I think once this virus business is over, I will take my boat over to Sausalito to my diesel mechanic for an injector checkout and compression test. My next haul out is in about 1 1/2 yrs and I am not particularly happy with the yard's engine work anyway.