So Close.........

[Mike.Gritten]

Welcome to the best boating site on the net, Eric. You're joining a great group of 35 mkII owners here so you will get lots of opinions and advice. Just remember, that advice might be worth exactly what you're paying for it! Papillon was our first/only sailboat purchase and we couldn't be happier with our choice. She is big enough to live on but small enough that we take her out regularly and try to sail her as much as possible. You'll catch on to handling her quick enough. Make sure to take a few extra crew the first few times out so you have help while learning to dock and manoever her in tight quarters.

 

[jkm]

Eric

You'll appreciate the size when some late afternoon you get hit with 20+ knot sustained winds and the swells kick up. It ain't the same boat in 14 knot winds and becomes very exciting and a real hoot to sail. You know she's pushing 12000 pounds through the water, effortlessly, and you'll feel giddy.

It feels and looks great pushing aside the ocean!

John

 

[Mort Fligelman]

So Close

But from what I read you can't get any closer until the gold changes hands.

I am still a Chicagoan.....Glenview...NW Burb, and winter in Florida.

Sailed a 30 footer since 1970.....3 as a matter of fact....started with a 19, went to a 24, and then onward to the 30 range.....

I wish I could have started at 30.....Headroom, Inboard, stowage.....felt that I never wanted or needed a larger boat until father time started catching up with me......Sailing with friend I found that the larger boat was much more stable....frankly, easier to dock...did not get caught by the wind as easily...

In all...have no fear......I have a 35-3 and it has been a revelation as compared to the 30 I had for 26 years....I loved my Seidelmann 299....won many a race with it.....but the Ericson is a real dream.....

Keep reading here.....the sum total of Ericson knowledge is here....your education will be as complete as it was at the UofC....I did not go there, but tapped many a keg with friends that did.....

Best of luck.....may the wind always be at your back...

 

[CaptDan]

Nice purchase, and a very fair price if it is in very good shape!

The 35-2 is a small-ish big boat-easy to handle and very very capable.

You will have years of enjoyment with it.

Keep us posted!

S

Congrats on your purchase. I agree - sort of - with the 'small-ish big boat' description, though she'll tend to elongate when single handing, and when you're peering up at the bottom when she's hauled out in the yard.:nerd:

I see nothing wrong with starting out with a 35 footer, because it's an excellent size you can grow into, and likely not grow out of. Whether daysailing, bouy racing or coastal cruising, the E35II can handle it all, IMO.

And there's another intangible: the way she LOOKS. Even when she's lying in her moorage, you'll be tempted to walk around and admire the sheer, form, and that distinctly shaped transom.

I hope the survey goes well, and you have many wonderful years aboard.

Capt Dan G>E35II "Kunu"

 

[Eric Miller]

Thank you all for the comments and support. I am really excited about this boat, so is my fiancee. We are both captains and she was a halibut and salmon fishing captain in Alaska for 3 years. We now live in Chester, MD, (close to Red Eye's and the Jetty for the locals!) and are looking forward to being able to use the Bay.

I go down to look at her on Tues. ( a four hour drive down to Deltaville, VA) and then the survey is supposed to be later in the week. I'll be sailing her from Deltaville to Chester and am a bit daunted by the length of the trip. I see that many on here are from Annapolis area, it will be great to be able to have people close by that know my boat better than I do to go to for help. I love the boating community and the tight knit group that forms and I hope to be able to find like minded people close by. All in all I am as giddy as a schoolboy and can't wait for the chance to sail again. I haven't sailed in over a year, the last time was at Chapman's in Stuart where I studied, and the desire to get back out there is strong.

Thanks again for all of the support and if you see a 35 Ericson out in the Chesapeake dead in the water, it's me, come give me a tow!

 

[newgringo]

You will learn FAST!

Hey Eric,
Congrats on the E35. Don't worry about not being an experienced sailor. We bought a E32-3 without knowing how to sail at all. Some local experts recommended I get some experienced crew and go racing. Did that and learned more in one season series than years of cruising. And we placed third in our local cruising class. Was really good advice. Now love to hoist sails. And with your online Ericson resource here you will be able to really become proficient in all aspects of sailboating and maintaining them.

 

[Eric Miller]

What does it cost to enter into the racing game?

 

[Shadowfax]

It costs nothing to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on what, if any, improvements you make to make you go fast. I don't know where you will end up marina wise, but a local Yacht Club or Sailing Association is sure to have some sort of racing program for you to try out. They are numerous in the Annapolis Eastport area and can also be found in Rock Hall proper. The RHYC is located on the Chester River not far from Kent Island and the MRYC is just outside of St. Michaels, both have extensive racing programs. Look around, finding someone to race or race with will not be hard to find on the Bay.

 

[Eric Miller]

Thanks, yeah, I am looking at probably being at either Lippincott Marine or Mears Point Marina. I work about three minutes from both and I live even closer to both. They are pricey, I guess, but nothing like Annapolis or other more desirable locales.

I will certainly look into the racing series, if not for this year, definitely for next. I think the boat I am buying was not at all set up for speed, in fact, longer term cruising, but it is easier to take things off of a boat than put them on, I suppose. Although I was at West Marine last night for fun and found a single shackle that cost 177.00 I guess it makes the wind blow more consistently or something, but I couldn't figure it out.

 

[newgringo]

My biggest expense is all the good food and drinks the skipper (me) provides! Our local Corinthian Yacht Club is pretty cheap. $65 initiation and $65 yearly dues. A PHRF handicap number is also needed and may cost something. Our club has a handicapper who "just does it". We don't have entry fees for most of out regattas. Now to make that boat go fast on all points of sail, well that can be bongo bucks. I am drooling over a line controlled whisker pole for some $800. I tried to build my own cheapo pole and busted it in the last race. Not much of a loss. The main part is some capable good natured folks to crew who will make a skipper out of you. As others have mentioned, just talk it up at the marina. You will be welcomed.

 

[sleather]

Two places at once?

Eric, See if you can hop-on-board as crew on some one elses boat this year. Racing teaches you more about boat handling than any course can. The only problem is you'll be spending your sailing time on the "other" boat for awhile.

 

[Loren Beach]

Good advice

What Steve said!

As for spending time on other "racing" boats, I would note that this can directly lead to more sailing on your own boat, with your new friends coming along as crew.
Works for me, as the saying goes.

Don't worry about your boat not having enough "go fast equipment" on board, either. As long as the basic running rigging all functions, you will all have fun jus' makin' that Ericson go a nanoknot faster!
:nerd:

As an actor once said: "If it's gonna happen it's gonna happen Out There!"

Cheers,
Loren

 

[Rob Hessenius]

Somewhat agree

I agree with Steve to a point. Go out and sail a race or two on someone elses boat, but get into your saddle this year. The trickiest part of racing for a newbie is at the starting line. Just relax with all the activity and don't hit another boat at all avoidable means! After the gun goes, sail the boat to next mark as fast as you can and on to the next mark and eventually you will cross the finish line. After the race think about what happened and means to not put yourself in that situation again. Get out there and just enjoy the ride. Racing is just a sailboat ride with other boats doing the same thing as you. You will be surprised at how you will become a better sailor because of your race expierences. Just enjoy your boat and learn from it daily, it wants to be used. A sailboats only goal, is to go sailing.

 

[Eric Miller]

Wow! That is a lot of great information. I really like the idea of joining a crew, and getting them to come aboard my boat as well! I never have any weekends off, but I heard yesterday that there are some racing groups out of Annapolis that are usually held on weekdays and that would work nicely for me.

Thanks again!

 

[Eric Miller]

Pictures!!

Here is my Shutterfly collection for the boat. It and other pictures taken later will serve as "Before" content. Hopefully I will be adding "after" pictures later on.

http://firstladye35.shutterfly.com/action/

Let me know what you think about that chainplate attachment....it is worrisome.

 

[sleather]

Chainplate

Eric, Yah that one chainplate is a "goober job" for sure. It could be a lazy-man's fix(just keep adding caulk till it doesn't leak) OR it could be hiding a more serious problem. I would demand a very close inspection after the plate is removed. My .02

 

[Eric Miller]

Kind of what I thought too. The other plates don't look as bad, some look just fine. I am a big guy, 285+lbs and I jumped and stomped on the deck all around the plate as well I leaned and pulled on the wire attached and saw and felt no movement or give whatsoever. I hope I can do a bit better repairing the plate without having to remove it and retune the rigging.

I don't know much about the rigging, but it is expensive to re tune, right? I can do the repair to the plate with epoxy, sealants, and what not, but I have no idea about the rigging. Maybe I can just keep putting silicone on until it doesn't leak???? I checked throughout the boat and saw no obvious signs of water damage internally, and that includes behind the cheap ugly headliner that I zipped open, but some of the back plating certainly left something to be desired. Figuring I'll have to take each plate out and repair and back plate at the same time, but I want to wait until winter for that mess.

 

[Sean Engle]

Congrats

Confirmed the deal today, paid a little more than I wanted, but not much more. Sight unseen, never done that before. The survey is next week and I should be able to bring it back from VA to Kent Island, MD the week after.

Thanks for the support everyone and I hope to be a part of this forum consistently. I'll have to start reading all the previous threads. This is my first sailboat and it is 35ft. That is kind of scary, but I'll figure it out.

So, onward and upward.

Oh and by the way, my favorite saying is this: What is like to sail/drive a boat in the ocean? Like standing in a cold shower tearing up 100 dollar bills....
I am looking forward to it!

Congrats on the purchase, Eric - and welcome to the family!

You'll get lots of useful info here on the site to maintain your boat, and you should be sure to check out the downloads section for useful info.

One word of advice, however (or perhaps several): Make sure you purchase several important books on sailboat and general boat repair, and do lots of research and asking of questions here before you start cutting or tearing into your new boat. You, as many of us do, end up finding out the hard way that there were reasons why some PO did something the way he did (the opposite is also true)...

There are a several threads about books to own (search for them above) - among them are Nigel Calder's book (in-depth reading), and an entire series from Don Casey (easy-to-read, nice high overviews). When you want to purchase books, however, I suggest going to www.fetchbook.info to do a search - you'll save a ton of money.

Happy ownership!

//sse

 

[Eric Miller]

I go down tomorrow to VA to pay for the boat. The survey came back very good, a few little problems, nothing serious. Those Chainplates aren't leaking, just ugly. But they must have been a problem at some point because the surveyor said a bulkhead had been replaced. He said the replacement was top notch and was barely noticeable unless a person really knew what to look for.

Besides that, on the negative, there were 6 blisters on different parts of the boat that were the size of a dime. Some corrosion on the engine panel where the autopilot connects and that's about it.

On the positive, the engine is in great shape, the sails are "nearly new" in appearance and "crispness" and the hull did not have a single growth. In fact, the hull looked so clean he wants me to find out what bottom paint was used so he can recommend it for that area.

So, the timeline is thus (and I hope this is practical): pay for it tomorrow, get documented, registered and insured, buy a few little things for the trip back up here from VA (approx. 100 Nautical Miles) and then, on May 16th bring the boat up from VA with two other people on board. Two of us will be licensed captains and the third a virtual novice, none of us are proficient sailors either. The trip should be interesting to say the least.....

Anyway, I am incredibly excited and can't wait to get the boat up here in her slip for the summer.