Just bought an Ericson 30+, I have many maintenance questions

[light24bulbs]

I just purchased an extremely nice single owner Ericson 30 plus 1984 tall rig. She's in great, almost incredible shape but..since it's a boat, she needs a ton of work too. I have a huge dump of questions so I was hoping someone might have some answers to some of them.

1. Shrouds are original and at this age should be replaced despite that they look absolutely flawless. Should the turnbuckles also be replaced? They look excellent, other than the fact that the threads look a little discolored. Has anyone used RiggingOnly.com as a sort of DIY solution? I think they will make rigging to length, couldn't tell.

2. On the cabin lights, most of the covers are failing because the plastic is simply old. One light is missing altogether. These are the square plastic lights and I think they're pretty nice looking overall. Are covers and replacement lights available anywhere? If not I may spend the $400 to replace them all with nice brass LED lights like this https://store.marinebeam.com/5-5-led-cabin-dome-light-stainless-steel-or-lacquered-brass/

3. The depth sounder and wind instrument have stopped working. They are DMI brand. The guages are on but reading zero. Any common failure points here, such as connectors or cables I should check in particular? Otherwise I will just begin poking around with the multimeter. Supposedly they're good instruments, although parts are now quite expensive. http://www.dmimarine.com/parts/index.HTML

4. Woodwork. Some of the floor needs refinishing (not a ton). Can I just use a matte polyurethane? Was it originally varnish, should I use that? Likewise the walls and paneling, are they simply oiled with teak oil? They look good but it wouldn't hurt to do again.

5. Sails. The main in particular will need replacing sooner than later. Also, the roller furling sail is slightly short and requires a pendant to keep a safe halyard angle on the top...slidey rolley thing. Should the new sail be taller to use all available area? For the main, is there a preferred arrangement for cruising sails on these boats? Partial battens? Number of reefs? It's a huge main, I'll ask for some deep reefs, for sure.

6. Anything I should know about this motor? It's been upgraded to a larger heat exchanger and the exhaust one way valve before the wet exhaust bucket thing has been swapped for simple a uhm..loop. like..up and then down again. Like a P trap in reverse. Is there a run down of all the wear/ maintenance items? I understand them to be: oil filter, oil, fuel filter (what microns, where is the primary located?), Occasionally clean heat exchanger and replace zinc pencil, occasionally clean wet exhaust bucket thingy.

7. Any other tips you can leave me with?

Thank you!

 

[Loren Beach]

Congratulations on finding one the most popular Ericson's with a number of active owners posting here.
You ask a number of different questions - from sails to rigging to woodwork, to the engine, to electrical, to..... ?!

When you search this site you will find that threads and inquiries, like this one, work best when focused on one area at a time.
Ask about the standing rig in one thread or better yet search and find that there might already be a thread about dealing with an old (30 plus years) standing rig. BTW, that's easy. Replace it, turnbuckles and all. Do the lifelines while you're at it.
There may be a closer rigger to you, but I can recommend Ian, who now runs for former Brion Toss shop in Pt Townsend.

Start or contribute to a thread about light fixtures. Same for diesel engine maintenance. Those DMI instruments might be savable, but you might also find more joy in buying a new set of depth, speed, and wind instruments. I replaced the OEM Datamarine instruments with Raymarine, and have enjoyed the uptick in technology for 20 years.

Anyhow, pour yourself a cup of coffee and explore the site and read some threads. Take a dive into the "blog" section, too.
We are glad to welcome you aboard!
Loren, moderator

 

[light24bulbs]

Got it! Thank you very much and will do. Single topic threads will be more useful for others and I will search first before asking.

 

[Frank Langer]

Congratulations on your purchase! We have owned our 1984 E30+ for 16 years, and love our boat! These boats are very well built and sail really well. Also this web site is a great resource for helpful info--experts in boat systems, blue water sailors, rigging and diesel experts, etc.
I do most of the maintenance on our boat, which has taught me alot and saved lots of money, and allows me to solve most issues while underway, which is reassuring.
Now to your questions. Standing rigging/shrouds should normally be replaced in our northern Pacific environment about every 20 years. There were somewhat faulty Navtec turnbuckles installed on some boats, and these should be replaced. Given the discolouration on yours, I would hire a rigger for an hour to check your rigging and advise on its condition and need for replacement. Proper rig tuning is really important on these boats.
For your cabin lights, the round ones you found would be a very good replacement for the square plastic ones--we have the round ones and love them.
Your instruments are probably quite dated, and maybe due for replacement, but in the meantime, I would clean all your wire connections, especially the ground wires to see if that gets them working again.
For your cabin sole/floor, if there is no rot, do a light sand with 220 grit paper (the teak holly veneer is thin), and recoat with 2 or more coats. I use exterior polyurethane, and I mix satin and semigloss 50/50, which looks great, not too shiny. For the veneer on the walls I use satin, not oil.
For sails, the mainsail is large and more easily managed with 2 full and 2 partial battens, and two full reefs. I have a 125% furling headsail which works well without being overpowered. I do alot of singlehanding, and this boat is very good for that.
Regarding your motor, I'm thinking you have the 16 hp. model 5416 diesel engine. It is a good engine. It needs oil and filter change every 75 hours, fuel filter change about once per year, valve adjustment about every 5 years, injector service about every 5 years, raw water impeller check annually and maybe a new one every two years, heat exchanger pencil zinc replacement about every 6 months, coolant change every 3 to 5 years, all dependent on how much you use the engine.
I've tried to answer your questions and cover some basics, but feel free to ask more questions.
I had alot of help from Nigel Calders Boat Owners Mechanical and Electrical Manual, which is considered by many to be the Bible for boat owners, definitely a must have!
Frank

 

[light24bulbs]

Excellent help! I'll buy the book. Thank you very much.

 

[Shannon & Doran Jones]

Congratulations! We purchased our 30+ four years ago and I recall posting a similar message to this group. It is an amazing group with incredible knowledge. Take one project at a time and remember to get out sailing. Our first year we spent 100 days on the water despite the repairs and upgrades. For rigging, it’s a good idea to get an inspection to identify any issues. As Frank mentioned tuning your rig makes all the difference. Instruments - corrosion is a common cause for failures. Start with the basic checks from the main source and work your way to the instruments. Most of the issues we have seen with our boat have been failed connections. Frank has covered all the other areas you mentioned. Take it slow, enjoy the learning and most of all get out sailing.
Shannon

 

[fixntheboat]

I recently purchased a 73, E32-2. Starting a full refit, in the cold Rocky mountains. Happy to see all the info I can find here,. Engine is brand new, 20 some yrs sitting and started right up. Of course I did full service, and winterized.. Now replacing hatches and portlights(Rich-Newfound Metals).Also working with Ed at Zephyr on sheaves. Lot a folks in PT Wa. takin care of me. I'll be looking forward to the help and input I canfind /or provide here. I need to pick up Nigels book. Thanks all!

 

[bigd14]

Congratulations! Love that blue hull (I might be slightly biased ).

. Shrouds are original and at this age should be replaced despite that they look absolutely flawless. Should the turnbuckles also be replaced? They look excellent, other than the fact that the threads look a little discolored. Has anyone used RiggingOnly.com as a sort of DIY solution? I think they will make rigging to length, couldn't tell

I used Rigging Only for my 30+ re-rig. Very happy with their service, product and price. I had the mast down and sent them the old rigging which they matched with updated turnbuckles and fittings. I recommend that approach, otherwise there is a chart showing the rigging sizes in the downloads section: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/resources/e30plus-standing-rid-specs.62/ The chart may or may not be accurate depending on your model, past owner modifications etc.

You should also inspect the U-bolt chainplates and their corresponding aluminum plates under the side decks carefully. These can be replaced with U-bolts custom made by Garhauer. Here is one post on replacing those U-bolts, there are many. https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/30-plus-chainplates.19802/#post-155476

Post up some photos of the exhaust. One way valves can be problematic.

Also, since the access into the aft end of the boat through the lazarette is extremely limited unless you are the size of a small child, maintenance of everything back there is difficult and may not have taken place regularly. Check all thru hulls and hoses back there (and elsewhere), the corrugated hose Ericson used is prone to cracking. Check the prop shaft seal and the steering quadrant and cables. Change the transmission fluid.
I greatly improved access to the stern area with this modification:

E30-3 - E30+ Stern Access (Pt 1)

I have been meaning to post this for awhile but only recently took some pics. The aft end of the 30+ is only accessible through the lazarette. It's not a comfortable space. Add a spare battery various hoses, and a hot water heater and its nearly...

ericsonyachts.org

E30-3 - E30+ Stern Access (Pt 2)

In response to comments on the previous blog entry. Yes! Access to the quadrant is easy. You do have to lie on your back, but you can scooch right up under it. I constructed a shelf to fit over the fuel tank which is mostly the same level as the...

ericsonyachts.org

Good luck with the projects and enjoy owning one of the prettiest boats on the water!

 

[light24bulbs]

Congratulations! Love that blue hull (I might be slightly biased ).

I used Rigging Only for my 30+ re-rig. Very happy with their service, product and price. I had the mast down and sent them the old rigging which they matched with updated turnbuckles and fittings. I recommend that approach, otherwise there is a chart showing the rigging sizes in the downloads section: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/resources/e30plus-standing-rid-specs.62/ The chart may or may not be accurate depending on your model, past owner modifications etc.

You should also inspect the U-bolt chainplates and their corresponding aluminum plates under the side decks carefully. These can be replaced with U-bolts custom made by Garhauer. Here is one post on replacing those U-bolts, there are many. https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/30-plus-chainplates.19802/#post-155476

Post up some photos of the exhaust. One way valves can be problematic.

Also, since the access into the aft end of the boat through the lazarette is extremely limited unless you are the size of a small child, maintenance of everything back there is difficult and may not have taken place regularly. Check all thru hulls and hoses back there (and elsewhere), the corrugated hose Ericson used is prone to cracking. Check the prop shaft seal and the steering quadrant and cables. Change the transmission fluid.
I greatly improved access to the stern area with this modification:

E30-3 - E30+ Stern Access (Pt 1)

I have been meaning to post this for awhile but only recently took some pics. The aft end of the 30+ is only accessible through the lazarette. It's not a comfortable space. Add a spare battery various hoses, and a hot water heater and its nearly...

ericsonyachts.org

E30-3 - E30+ Stern Access (Pt 2)

In response to comments on the previous blog entry. Yes! Access to the quadrant is easy. You do have to lie on your back, but you can scooch right up under it. I constructed a shelf to fit over the fuel tank which is mostly the same level as the...

ericsonyachts.org

Good luck with the projects and enjoy owning one of the prettiest boats on the water!

There's a lot of food for thought here, thank you very much.

How much did the riggingonly.com option cost? The yard here has a team of riggers that has offered to do it. My wallet is quivering but my brain is saying give in. I need new turnbuckles as well, according to everyone, so, yeah. Luckily the boat came with one spare from the forestay roller conversion but 5/6 of a lot of money is still a lot of money. Whatever. WOAH, that chart is awesome! Thank you! I also have the original blueprints which seem to have some of those numbers and of course I could get the tape out. I know that the rig is stock because its the original shrouds so..that's got to be it. Unless.. This boat was made with a short rig and a tall rig right? Is that for the tall rig? Was the tall rig the far more popular option? Anyway NBD, all questions that can be answered by simply looking at the boat itself.

I will take another look at the chainplate assembly. It looked absolutely brand spanking new to me during purchase inspection, but I'll have someone smarter than me double check. All of that hardware looks absolutely factory new to me, shiny and clean. (Somehow the boat has had next to no known deck-hardware leaks in 40 years in the PNW, which is mind blowing to me. Whatever they sealed it with was awesome, Ericson really did a great job with this boat.) There's a point at which nobody is ever going to be able to convince me something needs replacing that I can see looks flawless, but I'll try to keep an open mind.

I'll grab a photo of the exhaust. Maybe I wasn't so clear: there is no one way valve, it was causing problems so was removed and replaced with a tall loop/S bend/P trap, I don't know what sailors call it. I also don't know if that's suitable for offshore with big waves breaking over the transom but..it looks okay to me and it's made it this far.

That's a great post about access and a brilliant idea cutting that panel away. Funnily enough, when I was inspecting the boat, I climbed in there and knocked at the panel looking for the door before the owner took me into the cockpit and showed me the "real" way in. Also, thanks for linking your post, because it showed me where the primary fuel filter is which I've been wondering. As it is, I am certainly able to get in there at 6'1 by laying on top of the fuel tank zone, it's just a super b*stard. The hot water heater is the real trouble. We'll see how angry i get with the current arrangement.

I inspected the steering spinny pully thing..ahem quadrant during purchase and found the cable slightly loose, I'll give in a half turn tighten or whatever. Cable looked alright. I also have the backup tiller, god forbid. The port-opening wrench has been lost but I think I can make one with a piece of bar and a couple of bolts.

Thanks for the great post. Might be another month before I can get an exhaust pic, long-covid slows everything down a lot.

 

[Dave G.]

The hot water heater is the real trouble.

IF you don't plan on taking hot showers on board you can always remove it for much better access to EVERYTHING ! I did exactly that and wow maintenance is much less painful.

 

[Kenneth K]

How much did the riggingonly.com option cost? The yard here has a team of riggers that has offered to do it.

I think it would be typical to replace the turnbuckles along with the shrouds. If you also replace the toggles that connect the turnbuckles to the chainplate u-bolts, be prepared that off-the-shelf toggles likely won't fit: details here,

Replaced your SS Standing Rigging? What did you do?

Just got the first half of my stainless rigging back from West Marine. The new stuff is very high quality. Problem is, the original Ericson rigging was a mismatch of sizes. The deck u-bolts (chain-plate attachments) vary between .460-.480" in diameter (averaging out to just about 12mm). The...

ericsonyachts.org

Whatever they sealed it with was awesome, Ericson really did a great job with this boat.)

I thought the same about my boat when purchased in 2016, but I've had deck leaks develop over the years. Learn how to access the deck hardware bolts above the zippered headliner. Leave clean paper towels lying or taped to the inside of the headliner below the bolts. Leaks will show up as brown stains below the bolts even though small leaks might dry up before you would otherwise notice them. Up on deck, I learned that the rusty fasteners in the fittings often correspond to the leaks.

 

[Frank Langer]

There's a lot of food for thought here, thank you very much.

How much did the riggingonly.com option cost? The yard here has a team of riggers that has offered to do it. My wallet is quivering but my brain is saying give in. I need new turnbuckles as well, according to everyone, so, yeah. Luckily the boat came with one spare from the forestay roller conversion but 5/6 of a lot of money is still a lot of money. Whatever. WOAH, that chart is awesome! Thank you! I also have the original blueprints which seem to have some of those numbers and of course I could get the tape out. I know that the rig is stock because its the original shrouds so..that's got to be it. Unless.. This boat was made with a short rig and a tall rig right? Is that for the tall rig? Was the tall rig the far more popular option? Anyway NBD, all questions that can be answered by simply looking at the boat itself.

I will take another look at the chainplate assembly. It looked absolutely brand spanking new to me during purchase inspection, but I'll have someone smarter than me double check. All of that hardware looks absolutely factory new to me, shiny and clean. (Somehow the boat has had next to no known deck-hardware leaks in 40 years in the PNW, which is mind blowing to me. Whatever they sealed it with was awesome, Ericson really did a great job with this boat.) There's a point at which nobody is ever going to be able to convince me something needs replacing that I can see looks flawless, but I'll try to keep an open mind.

I'll grab a photo of the exhaust. Maybe I wasn't so clear: there is no one way valve, it was causing problems so was removed and replaced with a tall loop/S bend/P trap, I don't know what sailors call it. I also don't know if that's suitable for offshore with big waves breaking over the transom but..it looks okay to me and it's made it this far.

That's a great post about access and a brilliant idea cutting that panel away. Funnily enough, when I was inspecting the boat, I climbed in there and knocked at the panel looking for the door before the owner took me into the cockpit and showed me the "real" way in. Also, thanks for linking your post, because it showed me where the primary fuel filter is which I've been wondering. As it is, I am certainly able to get in there at 6'1 by laying on top of the fuel tank zone, it's just a super b*stard. The hot water heater is the real trouble. We'll see how angry i get with the current arrangement.

I inspected the steering spinny pully thing..ahem quadrant during purchase and found the cable slightly loose, I'll give in a half turn tighten or whatever. Cable looked alright. I also have the backup tiller, god forbid. The port-opening wrench has been lost but I think I can make one with a piece of bar and a couple of bolts.

Thanks for the great post. Might be another month before I can get an exhaust pic, long-covid slows everything down a lot.

I think the steering cable should be tightened so as to have about 3/4 inch slack at the longest point. Others can correct me if I'm remembering incorrectly. Periodic lubrication with a simple oil also helps.
Frank

 

[light24bulbs]

I think the steering cable should be tightened so as to have about 3/4 inch slack at the longest point. Others can correct me if I'm remembering incorrectly. Periodic lubrication with a simple oil also helps.
Frank

What does that mean? 3/4 slack at the longest point..is that like..you can deflect it 3/4 of an inch if you push? Or you can pull it out another 3/4 if you try? New to this.

It's supposed to have a little slack is what I'm hearing.

Thank you!

 

[light24bulbs]

I think it would be typical to replace the turnbuckles along with the shrouds. If you also replace the toggles that connect the turnbuckles to the chainplate u-bolts, be prepared that off-the-shelf toggles likely won't fit: details here,

Replaced your SS Standing Rigging? What did you do?

Just got the first half of my stainless rigging back from West Marine. The new stuff is very high quality. Problem is, the original Ericson rigging was a mismatch of sizes. The deck u-bolts (chain-plate attachments) vary between .460-.480" in diameter (averaging out to just about 12mm). The...

ericsonyachts.org

I thought the same about my boat when purchased in 2016, but I've had deck leaks develop over the years. Learn how to access the deck hardware bolts above the zippered headliner. Leave clean paper towels lying or taped to the inside of the headliner below the bolts. Leaks will show up as brown stains below the bolts even though small leaks might dry up before you would otherwise notice them. Up on deck, I learned that the rusty fasteners in the fittings often correspond to the leaks.

Thank you! I will try that trick with the paper towel. The fasteners/screws in the fittings mostly look fine but I'll keep an eye.

I truly don't want to go reseal every piece of deck hardware with butyl tape. I did that on my Catalina 22 and I don't think I can handle that again, on an emotional level.

The big leak trouble has been the anchor locker but it's been "repaired" and there's a billion threads about that I think since they all leaked. The helm post has also started leaking at the deck joint but it's an obvious fix, more goop.

 

[Frank Langer]

What does that mean? 3/4 slack at the longest point..is that like..you can deflect it 3/4 of an inch if you push? Or you can pull it out another 3/4 if you try? New to this.

It's supposed to have a little slack is what I'm hearing.

Thank you!

Yes, my understanding is that you should be able to push the cable side ways about 3/4 of an inch at the longest part of the cable. Mainly you want it tight enough so it doesn't slip off the quadrant but not so tight as to stress the system or make it harder to turn the steering wheel. It's also important that the bronze sheaves there are in alignment, and lubricated periodically, and that the bushings are not worn too badly.
Frank