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New owner of a 1975 e25, about to begin a limited refit.

Greetings from a rainy Wisconsin. About to undertake a limited refit of newly purchased e25, enough to put her in the water next summer and see how she sails. Looking for advice from other Ericson owners who have undertaken similar projects.
 

kapnkd

kapnkd
Greetings from a rainy Wisconsin. About to undertake a limited refit of newly purchased e25, enough to put her in the water next summer and see how she sails. Looking for advice from other Ericson owners who have undertaken similar projects.


Ahoy and welcome! The majority of Ericson boats are great sailing vessels and am sure you will be pleased. THAT being said, since it's a '75 there can be problems for you to face given her age and how she was cared for.

Can you possibly provide some photos, findings from a professional survey - if done, what you hope to accomplish with a "limited refit" and what your anticipated usage of the vessel will be? SAFETY comes first, of course, followed by ANTICIPATED future problems of needing to be done and then the "Wouldn't it be nice if......".

Ericson over the years (and even still) have proven to be a competent/competitive racer as well as a comfortable cruiser with lots of cabinetry wood below for an inviting warmth and beauty. Our E32-II (since new in '73) has comfortably sailed us through the Bahamas, Florida and now Michigan, not to mention weathered a few severe storms with grace. Later on the racing course with my son - she more than earned her share of awards and went from "Ha, here comes that Ericson" to "Darn!!...Here comes that Ericson" .

Almost 5 years ago, my son and I noticed a minimal lower shroud problem of water intrusion in the chain plate area and dry rot. We decided to replace the whole bulkhead instead of just a patch job. ...THAT led to the "Never Ending Project" of replacing ALL major bulkheads, and then electrical, and then fresh water systems, and then head plumbing because of that DANGEROUS consensus comment: "WHILE WE ARE AT IT"!

It HAS proved more than worthwhile, but is indeed a labor of love and something to be enjoyed as much as sailing due to just being on the boat makes the BEST of a day and times of togetherness. We've found our projects to be equally as bonding as moments shared on a race course or simply a day sail. ...A simple break at our clubhouse for refreshments, sharing our woes and hearing other's equally tough times - AND - remedies is indeed helpful and special. (Even though you may not belong to a club - you will still find sailing friends/neighbors who WILL take notice and talk [sometimes taking too much of your work time]).

The key thing is for you to prioritize your list of MUST do and want to do items. They must balance with your time available to do them and your budget (which, said list, WILL grow faster than weeds in your lawn!
Do set realistic goals and don't think everything will go according to what you've set as timing goals. ...Remember that "Murphy's Law is superseded by "O'Toole's Law" that said Murphy was an OPTIMIST. ;)

Congrats on your purchase and DO provide us with more info on your boat, more details of what you hope to do and how it is going. This is an EXCELLENT site to resolve any issues and technical problems you will possibly encounter.

Fair Winds,
-kerry
 
warm welcome

Hey Kerry,
Thanks for the warm welcome to the Ericson family, and the words of caution and good sense. My wife and I are new to sailing, and this purchase will serve as a relatively affordable first vessel to hone both sailing and refitting skills.
Being landlocked, I plan to trailer the boat to different waters in the Midwest, and since our e25 was not factory equipped with a tabernacle, the installation of a mast hinge and raising system will definitely be one of the first big projects. Rebedding of all deck hardware, dropping and repairing the centerboard, rebuilding the winches and manual bilge pump, rewiring the DC system, glassing over abandoned thru hulls and inspecting current ones, and installing a bow eye are all projects I would like to tackle this winter.
I had a very fortunate encounter with a local fellow sailor who offered me the use of his boat shop over the winter. This will allow me to work on projects I had planned for summer of next year, and hopefully get the boat to water much sooner than anticipated. I will be able to post photos much more easily once the boat is in the shop.
I plan to use this website to obtain tips and advice throughout the process, and look forward to meeting fellow owners. Until next time, may the four winds blow you safely home.

Aaron
 

kapnkd

kapnkd
Hey Kerry,
Thanks for the warm welcome to the Ericson family, and the words of caution and good sense. My wife and I are new to sailing, and this purchase will serve as a relatively affordable first vessel to hone both sailing and refitting skills.
Being landlocked, I plan to trailer the boat to different waters in the Midwest, and since our e25 was not factory equipped with a tabernacle, the installation of a mast hinge and raising system will definitely be one of the first big projects. Rebedding of all deck hardware, dropping and repairing the centerboard, rebuilding the winches and manual bilge pump, rewiring the DC system, glassing over abandoned thru hulls and inspecting current ones, and installing a bow eye are all projects I would like to tackle this winter.
I had a very fortunate encounter with a local fellow sailor who offered me the use of his boat shop over the winter. This will allow me to work on projects I had planned for summer of next year, and hopefully get the boat to water much sooner than anticipated. I will be able to post photos much more easily once the boat is in the shop.
I plan to use this website to obtain tips and advice throughout the process, and look forward to meeting fellow owners. Until next time, may the four winds blow you safely home.

Aaron

Hi Aaron,

Sounds like you've got a clear and definite plan in mind - and a good one. I would only recommend (from experience) when planning the time involved you double it as boat projects always seem to take longer ;). My son has a trailer-able S2 7.9 so I will ask him for tabernacle advise, hints, do's and don'ts to pass on to you (including dropping the centerboard). Hopefully your winches will get by with just a good cleaning and re-lube but parts are out there if needed and it makes for a great winter day indoor project.

Electrical rewiring is a chore to say the least. We put in a new Blue Seas panel in our boat along with all new wiring, including AC shore power. The only remaining wires we are still using are the ones embedded between the deck and inner liner where they come out at the cabin light openings. Be sure to use stranded and tinned wire so as to minimize any future corrosion issues. I rationalized the fiberglass sandwich protected them plus the voltage current still holds true when tested.

Fantastic that you have access to indoor storage that will allow you to continue working on the boat during the winter months! Many of us out here are envious for sure.

We are looking forward to hearing about your progress and seeing the photos. ...As I mentioned before the "Been there done it" crowd can and will provide advise all along the way for you.

Best regards,
-kerry
 
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