Sea trial for 1990 Ericson 34-2 next week

[Phr3d]

OK. Maybe I am missing something but the $11K for unstepping the mast and replacing the shrouds is ridiculous. And so is the $7K for the engine. Half that or much less at a reputable boatyard here in SF Bay. Maybe San Diego is different. From what you explained, I would recommend you do the engine work yourself if you have basic mechanical skills. It is not complicated and you will learn a lot. The bottom paint might be $2K. Was this bid from the surveyors or from an actual boatyard?

Bottom paint - it was a verbal quote (some calculator action happened) at the yard where it was hauled for the survey.

 

[Phr3d]

Just a comment about the observation of some water intrusion on the cabin sole at the mast. On my 87 E34, I saw the same water mark, checked the mast boot and it was fine. The leak was from the lower section of the mast below the gooseneck and above the cabin top. There is an aluminum bar stock placed in the rear of the mast essentially to fill up the sail track which is, of course, empty below the gooseneck. That aluminum bar stock was not sealed and rain water leaked into the cabin from that point. A little sealant stopped that leak completely. But the E34 is a great boat.

Got it, look for sealing below the bar stock. Thanks!

 

[Phr3d]

20k is a lot to "add" to your purchase price and still be at an honest value IMHO. As others have stated you could do a lot of this provided you have the expertise, time, & have a place that will let you do your own the work. The thing that stands out to me is the 7k "to put engine right". Are they going to rebuild the whole engine ? If you are going to pursue further hopefully what you found will allow some monetary concession by the seller to make it all a little more palatable.

Yeah, that number caught my attention right away. It was enough to make me question this boat. I think there a number of things on the list of needs I will do to reduce labor cost and there may be ways to pay people to do work that are not as expensive.

The engine/trans have a bunch of little things that with the rust and corrosion, sort of make sense to pull the engine and clean and paint at the same time.

Dunno exactly how much of the 20k I can reduce with my labor in the time I have with the boat in San Diego also. Getting some time on it I think will clarify the "do it now" pieces and getting it back to Cabrillo will make the work trips manageable.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

I might have missed this, but do you intend to sail, truck, or something else from San Diego to your home port? Looks like about 80 miles to Newport Beach.

 

[Phr3d]

I might have missed this, but do you intend to sail, truck, or something else from San Diego to your home port? Looks like about 80 miles to Newport Beach.

I was looking at that today with my daughter, the plan is to sail/motor. What speed am I looking at for motoring with an E34? The trip would be straight into the wind most days and there is some current (also the wrong way) to deal with...

I think I was told it was 10 hours from San Diego to Catalina. It looks like Oceanside, Dana Point and Newport are stopping places. While it would be great just to get it home, I don't know if a one-day trip is realistic. It could be a very early day, a very long day or probably both.

I am totally open to suggestions.

 

[Phr3d]

The straight line is just over 80 nautical miles without harbor or marina distances. It avoids the shipping channel also. Could some locals give advice on this please?

Paul

 

[Loren Beach]

Figure about making 5.+ Kt average. About 16 hours, perhaps.
That's hoping for about 6.5 to 6.8 Kt maximum motoring speed in smooth water, which it may not be.
Edit: my math was wrong initially. Dave was correct.
What are the prevailing winds like for this trip direction?

 

[Dave G.]

At 6 knots looks like 14 hours to me IF you sail a straight course. Not likely, so much longer in reality. I personally would break it into at least a couple of days. Hopefully a SoCal member can make a suggestion for a good mid point marina to duck in for a night. As this boat is new to you be prepared for the unknowns, I would stay close ish to shore and maybe have 2 stops planned ?

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Stories of fuel problems when going into big water after a boat has been sitting made me paranoid when we bought our boat. We had about a 50 mile trip. I considered having the fuel polished, but decided against it. I did change the fuel filters. There was No wind during the trip. And, about 15 miles in the engine died. Started again, died. I changed the filter, primed, a little more progress, then it died for good. (This was a problem that plagued us for our first year of ownership and I think I traced it down to a faulty bleeder valve.) The point, as Dave said, is be prepared for unknowns. The other point, make sure you have a sea tow membership. We ended up with a 3+ hour tow (still no wind) and fortunately we'd purchased the membership.

 

[Phr3d]

The belts, fuel filters, water pumps and exhaust elbow/hose were on my short list. I was also going to spend a few different days in SD Bay to see what it will do.


Having some arrangements for Oceanside and Dana Point (San Clemente) in case of "fuel problems" or the "unknown" seems important.

TowBoatUS insurance says $3000 "Commercial Towing Assistance".


This is a fairly close "regular day" picture for wind.

 

[Phr3d]

The dialog box blocks some of the information, but there is some current (more south and then less further up the coast).

 

[Phr3d]

"Not likely, so much longer in reality."

LOL

 

[Dave G.]

I was also going to spend a few different days in SD Bay to see what it will do.

Yes ! That's an excellent plan. Wish I had done the same when I bought mine

 

[Prairie Schooner]

. . .
TowBoatUS insurance says $3000 "Commercial Towing Assistance".
. . . .

Wow, maybe the West Coast is different. We have BoatUS and it's about $200/yr. There are different plans. It's also available through West Marine (here). 'Unlimited' salt water towing. After that tow three years ago, they might start making money on us this year.

 

[Phr3d]

Wow, maybe the West Coast is different. We have BoatUS and it's about $200/yr. There are different plans. It's also available through West Marine (here). 'Unlimited' salt water towing. After that tow three years ago, they might start making money on us this year.

Hmmmm, how much is "unlimited towing" modified with the "up to" clause?

Maybe this is what Dave G meant by "close ish to shore".

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Hmmmm, how much is "unlimited towing" modified with the "up to" clause?

Maybe this is what Dave G meant by "close ish to shore".

View attachment 49759

Ahhhh. I thought you meant the insurance would cost you $3K/yr. Friends estimated our tow would have been in the neighborhood of $700-$800.

 

[Christian Williams]

The basic ("cheap") Boat US tow service is for limited miles. I.e, tow you into Oceanside. Check the terms. Long distance towing is always expensive and to be avoided.

This trip should be easy, leaving at night, expecting to motor most of the way. Weather reports can be expected to be accurate and the controlling issue.

Naturally that puts a lot of emphasis on the engine, which with a new boat is an unknown factor, so I would run it until satisfied it works and digest Post #29 .

I don't have the charts handy, but shipping lanes should be studied, and I would not like to make this trip without reliable GPS and AIS.

It's Spring. Look at the weather. Most of the time it's benign, just make sure it is.

Nerve wracking? Yep. But if the engine runs, and you have extra fuel filters and know how to change them, and some folks on board to worry with while enjoying the challenge, bringing a new boat home is always a memorable experience.

 

[Dave G.]

bringing a new boat home is always a memorable experience.

YES, YES, YES !! Be smart, Have fun !

 

[Phr3d]

Good afternoon,

Well, survey came back. Oil samples too. Would some of you who know about the following comment on what to do about osmotic blisters and dezincification of propeller? There's some other things too that I think I'll need to put up some pictures and ask questions about.

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Frank Langer]

There are differing views on osmotic blisters. They are quite common on boats, some kinds more than others. Some people think that they are more a cosmetic issue, especially if they are small fingernail size rather than one inch size, and if they have mainly occurred in the gelcoat and not penetrated the epoxy hull.
If you are planning to keep the boat a long time, I would want to repair blisters rather than ignore them. Repair involves grinding each blister a bit, drying out the hull with heaters or hot weather over a longer time, filling the blister holes with epoxy, usually adding an epoxy barrier coat made for this purpose, and covering that with two coats of bottom paint. Alternatively instead of grinding each blister, the gelcoat can be peeled with a machine, re-faired as necessary, epoxy coatings, bottom paint.
A boat yard can charge many thousands of dollars for this work, so get a few estimates if possible. If you can do the work yourself, it's messy but can save you alot of money.
Either way, a boat with blisters should allow you to negotiate a lower purchase price.
Let us know what you decide, and good luck!
Frank