Little info on E-34T

[desierto]

Hi,
I am a prospective buyer of an Ericson 34t and I find considerable less information in these pages than there is for other models.
Besides, what I've seen doesn't sound too good: one boat dismasting, another one pulling the chainplates...
Is the construction of this boat less robust than other Ericsons?

I see that the boat is nearly the same dimension as the 35II but 1000Lb lighter while the ballast weight is the same and the keel deeper. 35's are reputed (in this forum) to be quite tender. From those numbers the 34 should be less tender. Any experiences?

It sounds like undersized rudders is a common problem to E32's and E35's. What about the E34t? I also read quotes from $600 to $7000 for enlarging the rudder..., quite a difference! Any comments?

Thanks a lot.

Alejandro

 

[Seth]

Different animals

The 34T is a completely different design than any of the 35's of any vintage-and also from the late model 34's.

The 34T was a version of the early 70's 34/34R-a racing hull with a flush deck designed strictly to the IOR rule then being used-the T stood for trunk cabin, so this version had a cabin top that looked more like the other Ericson cruisers being built, and as a result was a more enjoyable boat to cruise on than the dark flush deck model. This also meant she was a bit less "racy"-heavier with higher profile, but there were several rigs offered back then, and the tall rig on the 34T was bigger than what the basic 34/34R had, so it made up for some of the baggage.

If maintained well, they hold up just fine, and make nice sailing boats.

Steve Valentor ("valentor" on the site) has one of the original 34's with a custom turbo rig added a couple of years ago-but he can probably post some pics of the hull shape-which again-has ZERO relation to any of the other E-boats, including the newer 34's-in terms of shape or design brief.

If the boat is in good shape at a good price, you could do a lot worse. BTW-the rudder on the 34 was very different than the 32/35's of the 70's and does not really need to be enlarged.

Good luck!

 

[windjunkee]

I would listen to Seth. He knows of what he speaks.

However, I am one who has had the rudder redone on my 32. I had an idea that I might be paying $1,000 or $1,500 for the job and I thought I was estimating VERY high. I was wrong. First I went to a naval architect. Technically, under international race rules, you are supposed to carry a certification with the boat when you have a design modification on something like the rudder. That rule is modified by US Sailing. Nevertheless, their is a particular amount of engineering that goes into a rudder modication.
I spoke with Alan Andrews, a boat designer and naval architect of some repute here on the west coast. He quoted, for the design and engineering alone, a figure of about $4,000.00. With the actual construction thrown in (he suggested carbon fiber for the blade the price rose to almost $7,000. Since I only paid $8,000 for the boat, I politely declined.
I thought there were three options -- new design from scratch; same design, same rudder shaft, different blade; or modification of the blade we had. Seth concurred. I went to meet with Dennis Choate, a boat builder of some repute here who also builds out Alan Andrew's designs. He looked at the rudder, listened to what I had to say and then quoted me $700, as long as I didn't bother him while he was doing it. It was the best $700 I have spent on the boat because the difference in control is amazing.

That being said, listen to what Seth says.

Jim McCone
Voice of Reason E-32-2 Hull #134
Redondo Beach, CA

 

[valentor]

Alejandro;

I believe you can find the original brochure for the 34t at the following link on this site:
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/local_links.php?catid=90

If not, you can get to it though the Specs and Documents link. It contains great pictures and drawings.

Also I am including a couple of pictures of my modified E34R. It is the same hull as the E34T, but with a sloped deck as Seth mentioned. We added 4 feet to the mast and 3 feet to the boom. Ballenger Spars in Santa Cruz did a fantastic job with the new rig. Seth's advice was invaluable in the refit. The boat sails great now and we have had very good racing results - especially when Seth is on board

The small rudder is an opportunity for improvement, but if you check with Foss Foam in Santa Ana, CA, they can quote a replacement for you. They will be rebuilding mine this winter and extending it by about a foot, their estimate was very reasonable. Please note though that the boat has been performing quite well with the small rudder.

One note of caution, the boat is after all 30 years old! Over the last seven years I have replaced the electronics, wiring, electrical and charging systems, plumbing, windows, winches, mast, rigging, steering system, and keel mounting structure but feel that my investment is well less than 1/3 of what it would cost to buy a new boat with similar size and features. We placed in the top 6 in all but one of our races this year - often correcting ahead of boats that cost more than 10 times as much!

From my perspective, the E34 is a great value. There are at least two E34t's in Chicago in addition to mine - and I see them in the water being used year after year.


Good luck with your purchase decision.

-Steve

 

[desierto]

what about cruising?

Hi guys,
Thanks for your replies. My plan is to use the boat for (frugal) cruising. Any important limitations worth mentioning?
And in general, weak points to check out?

Of course reading the brochure I feel like I should rush to buy it, but that's what brochures are for...

Alejandro

 

[MarkA]

I have a '78 34T, and I love it. I've only had it for one year, but it seems very robust, fast, and comfortable enough for cruising with my family of 6. if you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

 

[desierto]

headliner and tanks

Hi Mark,
I sent you an e-mail through this site and got no response, I don't know if you get them.
Anyway, I saw an E-34t last week and one thing I didn't like was how the tanks are completely inaccesible under the headliner (I don't know if I should call it headliner, it is pretty much like a double-hull). There isn't any acces at all to the inside of the hull.
I am not sure if many other boats are like that too.
Besides that, I found little storage space in general. However, I didn't look under the beds. What's in there?
Regards,

Alejandro

 

[MarkA]

Our tanks are accessible.

The fuel tank was replaced by a previous owner and it is fully accessible under the starboard settee. Judging by the cut-outs in the hull liner under the cushions, I think it was always accessible.

The water tank is a different story. The previous owner cut access ports to the tank's input and output stuff. No prob.

As for the rest of the hull, it is fully accessible from inside. You have to remove the teak liner or lift bilge covers, but the inside hull is as accessible as any boat from that era.

I would like more storage, too. But my family of six can comfortably store enough for a week's cruise. I haven't pushed it beyond that, yet. And I say this after a previous owner installed a holding tank that takes up half of the hanging locker!

For a 34-foot boat of that era, it stores quite a lot. The lazerette is huge. The galley storage is much bigger than it appears. My girlfriend brings boxes after boxes after boxes of stuff that I swear can't fit on the boat, but it disappears. There really is a LOT of storage space.

The starboard cockpit bench opens to the "engine room." You can store tons of stuff down there. The previous owner hung canvas bags under there, that could hold far more than I would have expected.

For $25k-$30k, the boat is hard to beat. It's fast, comfortable, handles well, and I believe in it. I've had it out in some rough shit (I used to commercial fish in the Bering Sea, so I know what that means), and it does surprisingly well. I trust it with my kids lives.

 

[valentor]

For what it's worth, there is even less storage in the racing 34R version than the T. However, I loaded my family of six and German Shepherd and sailed over 1000 miles for 28 days. We even had plenty of room for all the souvenirs we accumulated on the trip.

Also, we don't have any space or storage issues on the Chicago-Mackinac races with 10 on board. There are many, many places to store things.

In fact, I am certain that there is more storage space on the E34R than on the 40 foot Farr 395 I crew on occasionally. There is much more human space on the Farr, but not nearly as many compartments, space under and behind bunks, under the v-berth, in the lazarettes, under the galley... It's amazing how efficient the Ericson is.

-Steve