Brian,
Here is an account of my learning curve with owning an E25, “Seahorse.” I am a pretty inexperienced sailor so I don’t know much. Please keep a proper perspective on what follows! I’ve made a bunch of mistakes and probably made things much more difficult and dangerous than someone more experienced. I offer the following as a path to my learning, not to begin a critique by the entire Ericson Community in tribute to my stupidity and ignorance!
I think most people will tell you that raising and lowering the mast on an Ericson 25 is not to be taken lightly because it is quite substantial. Our previous boat was an Aquarius 23, where I would simply walk the spindly stick along the deck into an upright position. The Ericson is a bigger animal so you’ll have your hands full if it is not properly equipped for the task. Seahorse did not come with the mast raising and lowering equipment - and there is a big difference in hardware between having and not having the proper items installed to raise and lower the mast! If you don’t have the setup, and have access to a boatyard or a cherry picker, you might want to consider the expense of using one of these. Regardless of your final choice, I recommend read everything you can about this procedure and pay close attention to how things should go together. Have plenty of quick thinking people at the ready to avert possible disasters. (Serve the beer after the mast is secured.)
The first time I raised my mast, I had problems holding it true to the centerline to raise it straight up – and it is mandatory that you do so otherwise you will damage your mast base. I ended up having two people standing on the ground with ropes loosely noosed around the mast at about the lower shroud tangs to keep it from swaying – and this didn’t work as well as hoped. Big lesson: NEVER raise or lower your mast in a cross-wind! Our first attempt was using the halyard winch but we continually bound up lines because we couldn’t keep a straight load onto the winch. As mentioned above, we did not have the ability to effectively prevent yaw, either. We finally got it up using a pickup truck as the “power winch” with two guys lifting and getting the mast started upwards off the horizontal position relieving the position of the worst strain on the rig. Not a great solution, but effective. Also, whenever you raise or lower your mast, always have your turnbuckles taped and standing free with no twist. It is virtually guaranteed you will bend something you didn’t want to if you don’t tape lines and shrouds into position first.
Since then, I have acquired the necessary hardware to raise and lower the mast and it works much better, but it still makes me very nervous. Make sure your rigging, hardware, and fittings are first class, as-new, and properly sized. Jeff Marble (E25, “Amigo” in Fairfield, ID) had a fitting fail last year lowering his mast when it neared the deck (where you’ll obviously have the most strain) that broke his tabernacle base and his forward hatch. It only fell from two feet and he was lucky he didn’t do far more damage. Jeff graciously allowed me to pirate hardware off Amigo which I sent to West Marine for replication.
Here are a couple more quick comments and observations you might want to consider. Most of my knowledge has come from making big mistakes; I’ll pass on a few preventative comments.
Make sure with your trailer that you maintain well greased bearings (but do not overfill and blow the seals). Remember, when you launch from towing any distance at all, your trailer bearings will likely be warm and when they hit the cold water, they will suck it in. I always grease them before putting in the water and then nightly when on a long road trip. Keep a new set of bearings in your parts kit and disassemble them at least once a season for inspection and repacking.
When you finally get your boat on the hard, take a few minutes to take the mahogany face plate off your compression post and inspect the contents. It won’t take you long, but you may be surprised what you may find. I found a vacant 3-story mouse house and the centerboard line twisted on itself two full turns. No wonder the centerboard seemed difficult to lower and raise! Also, unfortunately, these centerboards have a tendency to split on the trailing edge (out of sight in the retract position – of course). Amigo’s and Seahorse’s were no exception. Make sure this has not happened to yours. If it is split, it will tend to swell and you may not get it fully retracted. Carefully inspect your cb pivot pin as well. The board weighs about 150 lbs. made of a lead plate encased in fill and fiberglass so it will make a pretty good thud when it comes loose from the boat if you aren’t prepared – and I doubt if it floats.
I tow with a crew cab F350 Powerstroke. On some steeper ramps especially with loose sand and gravel, I actually need to engage the 4 wheel drive to get moving! A one-ton is more than adequate and I have easily hauled from Florida to Idaho at 70+ mph. Any good three-quarter ton would be good if you are towing any distance. Lighter duty trucks than this probably aren’t the best choice. These are pretty big trailerable boats (mfg. lists them at 5,400 lbs.) and when you get your cruising gear on them, tanks full, and adding the trailer’s weight, I think 7,000 lbs. might be a bit on the light side.
One final thought and I’ll shut up: When launching and retrieving, there are a lot of things to do. As a pilot, I find having a custom checklist reduces the possibility that I don’t forget something really important - like disconnecting the electrical connection to the truck before backing into the water.
Again, these are just rambling thoughts and comments from someone who is old enough to know better. And, consider what you paid for this advice; it is probably stuff you already knew.
Steve
