Questions about an E-26 I'm considering

[John2510]

I'm considering making an offer on a 1984 E-26 (my first boat) and have a few questions.

Is there only model of E-26 (at least in 1984)? Sailboatdata.com lists a "26-2" - http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=529

It has only a manual bilge pump. Is it practical to install an electric one that's float activated? What's involved (brands, etc.?)

Both halyards broke when they were transporting the boat (it was a donation to a charity). I assume the replacement is going to require going up the mast. I'm not inclined to try and do that myself. It also lacks a wind direction indicator on the mast. What would be a reasonable price to expect to pay to a marina for replacement of the halyards and installation of a directional indicator?

Thanks....

 

[Loren Beach]

As to the model designation,
The 80's E-26 is sometimes referred to as an E-26-2 to differentiate it from a late 60's Ericson 26 which was a totally different design and was the company's first 26 footer put into production.

Not many buyers would even know that the earlier one exists...

Owners of sisterships should be checking in with answers to your other questions.

Regards,
Loren

 

[e38 owner]

There is plenty of info on this site.
Putting in a bilge pump is not that hard.
On a e 26 I would probably take down the mast and do the work. It worrys me to go up the stick if I am not sure how old the halyards are etc.
I am sure there are 26 owners that know the method to lower the mast.

 

[Glyn Judson]

Replacing halyards.

John, If both halyards broke and there is not at least a spare and spinnaker halyard, I can't see how you could install new halyards without dropping the mast. By the way, it's always smart to go up the mast using TWO halyards, one for lifting and one for safety, both of which can be managed by someone or a second person on deck. As to fitting an automatic, electric pump, my recollection of our former boat, a 1979 E25+ (almost identical to your E26) was that there wasn't much of a bilge to pump from at all. Having an electric pump would probably give you peace of mind but the space (height) of the bilge would limit the capacity of one. Ours was/is powered by an outboard motor and that left fewer through hull fittings to worry about. We virtually never had anything but a puddle of water in the bilges. My solution to that was to buy a large sponge from my local grocery store that I'd use from time to time to sop up what little was there. In order to insure that you have as few potential leaks, small or large, you might want to consider replacing all the hoses such as the four in the head and two in the galley as well as two for your inboard engine if you have one and consider replacing all the hose clamps with Swedish ABA clamps, the finest on the market for our application. As I type this my memory recalls more details. The primary source of water in the bilge probably came from the hole drilled smack-dab in the bow at the very bottom of the sealed anchor locker. Well, our locker might not have been sealed as much as I'd wished and maybe some of the sea water that would wash in through the hole and out again would find its way into the bilges. That hole should remain in the bow by the way as a means of draining the anchor locker. While you're at it, do also consider replacing all the through hull fittings, both mushroom and valves, with modern seacocks unless already there. The fellow who bought the boat from us installed an electric pump with a built in device that sensed for the presence of water evert three minutes or so by turning on for a few seconds. When visiting him with that pump installed, it drove me crazy to hear it endlessly go on and off. That's all that comes to mind for the present. Good luck, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey CA

 

[Michael Lewis]

E-26 bilge pump

Hi there, I am sure you will enjoy your E-26 as much as we enjoy Nunki.

Our 26 has a manual bilge pump (WhaleGusher) which is worked from the aft starboard side of the cockpit. It runs through the centre of the cabin under the wood floor with the input in the forward most access point. There is a very shallow true 'bilge' under the floor liner which seems to get the odd bit of water so what we do is feed a narrow piece of fairly flexible tubing through the floor access points into this area and manually pump it out. I don't think there has ever been more than a quart of water.

Personally I would stay off the mast and use the mast tower at a marina to deal with the lines and wind indicator.

Any other E26 questions I would be happy to respond.

Michael
Vancouver, B.C.

 

[John2510]

More bilge observations/concerns

Thanks. I'm sure I will more questions.

Not climbing the mast is good advice. I've broken my neck in a fall once (a horse) and not inclined to repeat the experience.

I noticed that the bilge seemed basically full. The broker attributed it to the boat sitting in the water for 4 months or so without attention. I'm not sure how much a concern that should be. It was a donation to a reputable charity, and the back story was that the previous owner simply got too old to sail it anymore.

The survey was done in-water (July, 2012), and excluded the hull exterior. It didn't mention anything about water being in the bilge, but recommended retrofitting an automatic pump.

I've attached a photo of the sole. At the time, I didn't realize that the dark areas corresponded do the access points, and presumably the water holding areas, of the bilge. I thought they were simply uneven wear, but now I think maybe water from the bilge has wicked up into the sole. If so, I'm not sure if that will dry out properly(?)

You can see in the top left of the picture (port forward), where the sole is slightly delaminated.

Thanks again.

Hi there, I am sure you will enjoy your E-26 as much as we enjoy Nunki.

Our 26 has a manual bilge pump (WhaleGusher) which is worked from the aft starboard side of the cockpit. It runs through the centre of the cabin under the wood floor with the input in the forward most access point. There is a very shallow true 'bilge' under the floor liner which seems to get the odd bit of water so what we do is feed a narrow piece of fairly flexible tubing through the floor access points into this area and manually pump it out. I don't think there has ever been more than a quart of water.

Personally I would stay off the mast and use the mast tower at a marina to deal with the lines and wind indicator.

Any other E26 questions I would be happy to respond.

Michael
Vancouver, B.C.

 

[Glyn Judson]

Water in the bilge and sole.

John, That standing water needs to be pumped out and there's every good chance that water has saturated the core. Beyond cutting it out and replacing it, all you can do is hope that it will dry over time and maintain most of its rigidity, so it's important to keep the bilge relatively dry. Is the sole spongy or springy when you walk on it? Take a close look at the area of the starboard, forward bulkhead where I see four bolts and apparent water incursion. Look for dry rot or ask the surveyor his opinion. I don't recall there being any (through) bolts in my bulkhead in that location. By the way, I came up with a novel way of securing and supporting the pull-out, starboard berth. Feel free to contact me back channel if you are interested in the details. Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA glynjudson@roadrunner.com

 

[Michael Lewis]

E26

Hi John and Gyn,

Firstly I too have the four bolts in the base of the bulkhead that is part of the head.

I may be mistaken but my understanding is the wood on the floor is an inset upon the fiberglass liner. If you were to pull out the wood there would be fiberglass below it, That being said and looking at your photo I am guessing that your boat had enough water in it at one point to discolor the wood and since the discoloration lines up with the access points it probably rose up out of the bilge beneath the liner. I would pump out the bilge and see how fast more water shows up, it could be coming from a number of sources. If your boat is the samw as ours there are two holes in each of the access points, one for the existing bilge pump arrangement and one that gives you access into the true bilge, that is where we pump from. Just for your interest below are two links to pictures that PO's have posted of Nunki.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/b0ssk/2696862881/in/photostream/

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...d=2529378&back=boatDetail.jsp&boat_id=2529378

I too would be interested in the starboard seat pull-out arrangement, a photo would be great. Any improvement over what I have now would be welcome. It works fine but makes getting to the water tank and the storage compartment a real pain.

Michael

 

[Glyn Judson]

Water, bulkheads and such.

Michael & John, Well, I guess too many tides have risen and fallen since I owned our E25+ to remember those four bolts, thanks Michael for the clarification. As a point of interest, my wife and I used to live in Vancouver way back when, when the world was still black & white. As to my pull out berth ideas, please email me back channel as shown in my previous post on the current subject and I'd be happy to share. Cheers, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

 

[Christian Williams]

Looks like you might plan on a new sole. Under the PO my boat suffered sole immersion, which ruined it. The teak and holly veneer plywood needed to be destroyed to be removed, since it was glued down to the hull liner (at the factory, prevents the "floor" from squeaking). A new sole is a common job in older boats, since the sole gets beaten up even if not soaked. No big deal, but somewhat time consuming--remove old sole, measure, pattern, cut new T&H ply, bevel edges, reinforce bilge access hatches, two coats penetrating epoxy (so it will never absorb water again), seven coats varnish. A temporary exterior ply floor lets you use the boat while varnish dries.

Say,was this your own surveyor? How did the water get in?

 

[Alan Gomes]

Question about glued sole

I also have an E26-2 (1984) and will need to tackle this project, maybe later this year. Is it pretty much a given that the factory glued these down, or did that vary at all depending on the boat, year, etc.? Also, any idea what they used to glue it down, and how much hassle was it to remove the glue? Seems like this factor makes the project much worse than otherwise.

Thanks,
Alan Gomes

 

[Christian Williams]

My 1985 has the "triaxial force grid" hull liner, which provides molded bilge compartments in an otherwise flat gelcoat sub-sole. Ericson glued the sole to that, meaning several square feet total of glue. Looks like the boatyard which removed the original wood used chisels, then ground the glass liner smooth with a sander. In any case, if you unscrew the sole and it comes up, well, it isn't glued down.

I am about to reinstall my new sole, and, believe it or not, I think I will glue it down again (in addtion to the peripheral screws). Without that bond, it does squeak underfoot, which creates a very half-a**ed effect in an otherwise solid yacht. I'll probably try some strips of butyl rubber, and if that doesn't work some minimal beads of Lifecaulk.

 

[markvone]

E26-2 Answers

Hi John,

Welcome to the site. The link you list in your post is for the 1984 and up E26 which is just a slight variation of the Bruce King designed 1978 - 1983 E25+. The date of 1972 on the sailboat data site is incorrect. The older Crealock designed E26 is a masthead vs fractional rig. The bilge on the E26-2 is very shallow and water can get over the sole with little total accumulation. The shallow bige also limits the space available for an automatic electric bilge pump. The E26-2 has a deck stepped mast and internal lead keel so water can not get in through those two typical areas but any leaking can get over the sole in pretty short time.

I owned hull #205 back in the 80s and can answer any questions you may have. I'm also in the area.

Mark