Just bought a 1981 Independence 31 Cutter!

[David Vaughn]

We haven’t measured Kotona exactly but from looking at photos from the last haul out, 5’ or thereabouts looks right.
I know the distance from the bow roller to the waterline is right at 5’, we measured that for anchor rode calculations. And that looks to be, in the photos, roughly the same as the waterline to the keel bottom. Give or take a few inches for perspective; but I don’t think it would be over a foot in error.

The specs Sailboatdata shows are the same as in the original brochure. In the brochure an optional deeper draft is not mentioned. I’d go with the 4.9’.
There a copy of the original brochure in the Resources section here.

 

[DTrail808]

We haven’t measured Kotona exactly but from looking at photos from the last haul out, 5’ or thereabouts looks right.
I know the distance from the bow roller to the waterline is right at 5’, we measured that for anchor rode calculations. And that looks to be, in the photos, roughly the same as the waterline to the keel bottom. Give or take a few inches for perspective; but I don’t think it would be over a foot in error.

The specs Sailboatdata shows are the same as in the original brochure. In the brochure an optional deeper draft is not mentioned. I’d go with the 4.9’.
There a copy of the original brochure in the Resources section here.

Makes sense. Thanks!

 

[dt222]

I've used 5 feet as a default (hull #60).

 

[dt222]

On thing to check carefully are the chainplates. A previous owner changed to external chainplates on mine due to a failure of a starboard side plate at the deck level.

 

[DTrail808]

On thing to check carefully are the chainplates. A previous owner changed to external chainplates on mine due to a failure of a starboard side plate at the deck level.

Thanks Don. I haven't looked yet, but aren't the chainplates glassed in?

 

[David Vaughn]

On the later hulls, they are glassed in and that’s a bit of a problem. Stainless does not like to be deprived of oxygen. It gets all cranky and corrodes in places you can’t see and then fails catastrophically.

On the early hulls, the chainplates were fastened to knees that sat under the side decks and were bonded to the hull. The factory brochure shows this in the interior photos. And our boat came with a copy of a set of drawings from Bruce King’s office, showing this layout in detail. At some point Ericson went to glassing them directly to the hull. I don’t know what hull number that started with but if you don’t have the knees under your side decks then yours are glassed in.

Unfortunately, if yours are glassed in, as mine are, inspecting them is, shall we say difficult. You can dig out the sealant and inspect what you can at deck level. But to go further requires disassembly of the teak behind the settees. Oh and some of your galley cabinetry, for the port side. At that point you can see some of the plate that comes through the deck and goes into where they are glassed to the hull. Further inspection is not really an option without grinding out a great deal of fiberglass. Ask me how I know and I’ll point you to this: Teach Me About Chainplates

Fortunately for me, once I got in far enough I could actually see the chainplate I discovered that a previous owner had apparently already replaced them. Once the glass residue was off, the plates themselves looked brand new. No discoloration of any kind. I counted my lucky stars, glassed them back over properly, put my cabin back together and called it a day. Well, several days actually.

 

[DTrail808]

On the later hulls, they are glassed in and that’s a bit of a problem. Stainless does not like to be deprived of oxygen. It gets all cranky and corrodes in places you can’t see and then fails catastrophically.

On the early hulls, the chainplates were fastened to knees that sat under the side decks and were bonded to the hull. The factory brochure shows this in the interior photos. And our boat came with a copy of a set of drawings from Bruce King’s office, showing this layout in detail. At some point Ericson went to glassing them directly to the hull. I don’t know what hull number that started with but if you don’t have the knees under your side decks then yours are glassed in.

Unfortunately, if yours are glassed in, as mine are, inspecting them is, shall we say difficult. You can dig out the sealant and inspect what you can at deck level. But to go further requires disassembly of the teak behind the settees. Oh and some of your galley cabinetry, for the port side. At that point you can see some of the plate that comes through the deck and goes into where they are glassed to the hull. Further inspection is not really an option without grinding out a great deal of fiberglass. Ask me how I know and I’ll point you to this: Teach Me About Chainplates

Fortunately for me, once I got in far enough I could actually see the chainplate I discovered that a previous owner had apparently already replaced them. Once the glass residue was off, the plates themselves looked brand new. No discoloration of any kind. I counted my lucky stars, glassed them back over properly, put my cabin back together and called it a day. Well, several days actually.

Wow. That sounds like a nightmare! (with a good ending anyways)

I spent several hours on the boat yesterday doing some basic topside cleaning (hadn't been cleaned in years I think). It uncovered a much better looking boat than I thought. That was super rewarding even though it was just superficial prettying up effort.

I tied to turn on power to the boat through shorepower, but I just got beeping from the converter (I'm pretty sure). This uncovered a spiderweb of wires, loosely attached electcal components, and generally a mess. I think I have to address this part first so that I can get power to the boat, ensure the batteries are getting charged, and get (at least) the electrical systems in place to move on to the engine and getting her started.

I may call a marine electrician to help out with this as I'm not very good at electrical (yet) and I don't want to burn the boat down in the first week of owning her.

 

[David Vaughn]

Nigel Calder’s Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual is a great place to start learning boat maintenance and repair. Make sure you get the latest edition.

 

[DTrail808]

Nigel Calder’s Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual is a great place to start learning boat maintenance and repair. Make sure you get the latest edition.

Thanks David. I just bought it!

 

[bigd14]

Where would you start if you were me

In addition to carefully checking everything that can sink the boat my second priority would be to check everything that could cause the mast to come down- all wire, terminals, toggles, chainplates, and bulkheads/knees. Followed by anything that could be getting water into the deck core. Then it’s on to the fun stuff!

 

[KevinP]

View attachment 51687

She looks pretty good from here.

 

[DTrail808]

She looks pretty good from here.

Thanks Kevin. She's coming along. Engine, rigging, seacocks, sails all check out fine. Lithium on order. Started the process or varnish removal a couple days ago. This is going to be a big job, but probably a big impact too. I'll probably paint the deck after that. Not sure what the proper order is to do the varnish and painting the deck, but it looks like I'll do the varnish first

 

[David Vaughn]

Be warned, the more beautiful you make her, the more likely future deck projects will be interrupted by passing admirers with questions.

 

[DTrail808]

Be warned, the more beautiful you make her, the more likely future deck projects will be interrupted by passing admirers with questions.

LOL. Totally true David! Because the poor girl was negelected at the marina so long already, passersby are already making great comments when I'm there. I'm getting strong support (no assistance, though, haha) in my efforts to make her look great again.

 

[DTrail808]

Quick question to the group... So the "wood" on the interior level where the portlights are is in pretty poor condition. Checking the thickness there by feeling through the portlights feels as if it's maybe only 1/3 of an inch thick. This can't be all wood (I'm thinking). Is this just fiberglass with a wood veneer on the inside section? Trying to gauge how big of a prject it will be to remove all the portlights, apply new veneer (if that's all it is), and then reseat the portlights. Has anybody done this?

 

[David Vaughn]

On ours, that panel is just veneer. Ours is in good shape - it may have been replaced by a previous owner - so can’t help you much there, but…
We had to reseal the port in the head. Not a huge job, maybe medium sized. An extra pair of hands helps when reassembling.
Are your ports the rectangular, opening, Perko bronze ports? Looks like it from the photo but if not, what we encountered may not apply.

After removing the cap nuts on the inside you can start running a putty knife around the edge to loosen old sealant. Depending on what it is this may go easy or be a huge pain. Work your way around on the outside then go inside and do the same, or vice versa. The mounting ring that holds the screws is on the outside so for us it was easier to start there. On ours, a few of the screws along the top, IIRC, were just a little bit longer than the ones on the bottom. Check that on yours, if so, keep up with which one goes where or the cap nuts won’t go on fully or won’t completely tighten when you put them back. Not that I found this out from personal experience, it’s just a theory I heard somewhere.

Seal inside frame and outside ring with your choice of sealant, and reassemble. We used butyl tape and it has worked well. Took a couple of hours but ours was pretty well stuck on except for the leaky spot.

 

[DTrail808]

On ours, that panel is just veneer. Ours is in good shape - it may have been replaced by a previous owner - so can’t help you much there, but…
We had to reseal the port in the head. Not a huge job, maybe medium sized. An extra pair of hands helps when reassembling.
Are your ports the rectangular, opening, Perko bronze ports? Looks like it from the photo but if not, what we encountered may not apply.

After removing the cap nuts on the inside you can start running a putty knife around the edge to loosen old sealant. Depending on what it is this may go easy or be a huge pain. Work your way around on the outside then go inside and do the same, or vice versa. The mounting ring that holds the screws is on the outside so for us it was easier to start there. On ours, a few of the screws along the top, IIRC, were just a little bit longer than the ones on the bottom. Check that on yours, if so, keep up with which one goes where or the cap nuts won’t go on fully or won’t completely tighten when you put them back. Not that I found this out from personal experience, it’s just a theory I heard somewhere.

Seal inside frame and outside ring with your choice of sealant, and reassemble. We used butyl tape and it has worked well. Took a couple of hours but ours was pretty well stuck on except for the leaky spot.

Yes. It's an Independence, so they're rectangular Perkos. Great tips. I'll probably tackle this one one in the coming weeks.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Quick question to the group... So the "wood" on the interior level where the portlights are is in pretty poor condition. Checking the thickness there by feeling through the portlights feels as if it's maybe only 1/3 of an inch thick. This can't be all wood (I'm thinking). Is this just fiberglass with a wood veneer on the inside section? Trying to gauge how big of a prject it will be to remove all the portlights, apply new veneer (if that's all it is), and then reseat the portlights. Has anybody done this?

Here are some links which might be helpful:

Veneer Removal / Repainting

The teak veneer on the inside of the cabin trunk is badly damaged. It’s coming unglued in spots and has some bad water damage around the opening portlights. My original renovation plan was to remove it and replace with off white Formica. However, was recently looking at it more carefully and...

ericsonyachts.org

E32-3 - Portlights and Veneer

The opening ports on Thelonious were by Bomar. They were mechanically sound, but the lenses looked like Lebowski had dropped a bowling ball on them. In addition to cracks and crazes, they were fogged. Bomar lenses, unfortunately, cannot be...

ericsonyachts.org

Replacing Fixed Windows Research [Master Thread]

In reference to a previous thread: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=9484&highlight=Motion+Windows I just sent emails to Motion Windows in Vancouver, WA and to USA Marine Windows in Florida to get some prices on fabricating replacement fixed windows for my E30+. I did...

ericsonyachts.org

Tips for removing original portlights

Getting the outside screws out isn't too terrible. But there are two sets of two screws inside of the frame which are a real PITA. The biggest problem is that I can't even get straight access with a screwdriver. The screwdriver has to go in at an angle and not have a good fit on the screw...

ericsonyachts.org

E27 - Confessions on Rebedding Portlights

I thought I’d share my experience of rebedding my portlights on my 1977 Ericson 27. To more or lesser degree all portlights leaked. On the exterior, PO(s) smeared silicone around the frame, and on some cases along the glazing/gasket connection...

ericsonyachts.org

There are quite a few more, but those should set you up nicely.
Cheers,
Jeff

 

[Waayout]

When I bought Imi Loa the interior wood along the ports had been painted white and covered with stickers. I removed the stickers and repainted the wood around the ports matte white which looks ok and required minimal work. I seem to remember a post by Martin King regarding his work replacing some interior wood surfaces with white veneer which looked beautiful and countered the rather dark appearance below. I force myself to forget all his posts immediately as his expertise and willingness to go the extra mile are, to put it mildly, humbling. In a future I'm not entirely certain will arrive I intend to sand the interior wood, brighten it, and apply a few coats of matte varnish.

 

[DTrail808]

When I bought Imi Loa the interior wood along the ports had been painted white and covered with stickers. I removed the stickers and repainted the wood around the ports matte white which looks ok and required minimal work. I seem to remember a post by Martin King regarding his work replacing some interior wood surfaces with white veneer which looked beautiful and countered the rather dark appearance below. I force myself to forget all his posts immediately as his expertise and willingness to go the extra mile are, to put it mildly, humbling. In a future I'm not entirely certain will arrive I intend to sand the interior wood, brighten it, and apply a few coats of matte varnish.

Sounds like a cool project! If you end up doing it, I'd love to see pics. I think the path I'm taking is to restore is as close to stock as I can (visually), almost like restoring on old classic car. We'll see where I end up, but I love the idea of making it look like 1981 again.