Hi everyone, first time here. I currently own a catalina 27, I've had it about 6 years, great boat, love it.But theres a 35 thats come up for sale at a great price right down the street from me.I've cheked the the boat out a least 5 or 6 times, had a couple friends check it out. Jumped around the deck, tapped with mallets, great shape, new sails, diesel,radar, gps, hot water....For the age this boats in remarkable shape.I love the lines this boat has,with the old fashion overhanges.Next step is bite the bullit and get survey and hope it's is good as I think it is.I'd like to hear some feedback on E 35 ll and current values. Thank You
I agree with Loren, the C27 is an excellent design. If memory serves, it scored top points in favorite sailboat of that size range in a Good Old Boat Magazine survey few years back.
That said, and though I'm partial, I believe you'd be thrilled with an E35II - not just from an aesthetic standpoint, but in performance, interior layout and build quality. The hull is bit tender and develops weather helm easily, but that can mostly be mitigated by trim and sailing technique - a small price for lively performance
Here are a few things to watch out for - particularly in that vintage.
The 69-72 E35IIs often carried wooden spreaders; later years were aluminum. You'll want to check that; hopefully the spreaders were upgraded. If not, the wooden ones (assuming they're in place) should be inspected for rot and integrity.
The big 'gotcha' with these boats (as with many others of that age) is water intrusion into the main bulkhead. The cap shroud chainplates are covered with mahogany boards at the far corners of the bulkhead in the salon. These can be removed by drilling out the plugs and unscrewing the covers - a task I STRONGLY recommend doing. The only way to know FOR SURE that the bulkhead isn't rotted is to remove those covers for a throrough look-see.
The second biggy is balsa delamination in the decks; if you've already sounded these with a mallet, do it again. Despite the bad stories one may hear, not all good old Ericsons suffer spongy decks, but you don't want unpleasant surprises after the sale. The boat should also be hauled, and the bottom checked and surveyed as well.
As to current value - given the vintage, diesel engine, equipment, and condition - expect a range of approximately $14-20K. But given today's economy, and motivation of seller, this is ONLY a rough guess.
Good luck, and keep us posted. I hope this works out for you.
Capt Dan G>E35II "Kunu"