Where are all the 36C Owners??

[Wander]

Thanks Glyn. Sending you a message now. BTW, I'm working my way through This Old Boat and in the section on chain plates he strongly recommends replacing knees and glassed-in chain plates with through bolted systems. I agree with the designer that it would be a travesty on boats like the E31 and 36C.
Joe

 

[MarkA]

Greetings Gents,
It sounds like you all have abitious winter boat repair agendas. I have owned my 36C for over 3 years and can attest to her sailing abilities. Unfortunately out here there is no need to haul and cover the boat so the projects get deferred in lou of sailing. I am always interested in sister vessel findings and will gladly participlate in the exchange of info regarding the 36C.

Hey neighbor! Long time no see!

 

[Wander]

Autohelm Rotary Drive

Matt,
Sorry it's take a while. Here is a picture of how my rotarary autohelm motor is mounted. It stays nice and dry. Do you have a similar mounting area?

I will be at Strictly Sail in Chicago on Friday, 1/27, if anyone is heading in that direction.
Joe

Greetings everyone-

I have a couple of questions that have been on my mind since I purchased my Ericson 36C and stared her refit.

Can anyone speak to the integrity of the aluminum chainplates? I have some surface corrosion in the cabin where the chainplates leaked and the staples in the headliner interacted with the aluminum. These are just small pits, but it got me thinking about the chainplates themselves. They look well bonded to the hull and I cannot see any cracking, but I have never owed a boat with this type of chainplate before. Have any of you had any issues, or replaced them?

Looking forward, I am also curious what type of autopilot/selfsteering gear everyone is using. I keep going back and forth on this one. I have reservations about placing a rotary drive where it will get a repeated dowsing with salt water, but like the idea of and integrated radar/plotter/autopilot system. Anyone with experience with a windvane on this boat instead?

Here is a photo of my project from the day she arrived in the driveway after sitting for 10 years. It is lots of labor, but I already love her.

View attachment 10396

 

[erikwfab]

Sealing 36C chainplates

The chainplates / knees on my 76 boat are aluminum and are glassed to the hull.This appears to be a robust method of supporting the loads one can expect here. I can't notice any deck or hull deflection in this area when sailing in stiff wind. 2 years ago I used butyl tape to seal the chainplates, by removing the stays, SS cover plates, filling in the screw holes etc. Not long after, they began leaking again, and now after reading the pearls of Glyn i will use the 3M 101.As mentioned the stationary cleats and dorade boxes that were sealed with butyl tape have not leaked. Joe, your photo of the auto helm actuator is exactly what I have heard from other 36 owners. My plan is to modify the top angle of the steering box, and then reinforce it to handle the loads imposed by the steering gear. This reminds me, check how your 4 steering cable pulleys are mounted. If they are screwed to wooden blocks which are in turn bolted to the fiberglass sides of the steering compartment, you want to beef this up!There are numerious ways to do this, using through bolts, backing plates, SS mounting plates with countersunk screws etc. Whichever method you decide to use, make sure you align the pulleys correctly. One of the mounting blocks failed on me in a good blow in SF Bay once and loosing steering can be quite exciting. Fortunately I had reinstalled the emergency tiller hardware a couple weeks earlier and was able to make it in to my Emeryville slip. Another thing to check on your rudder is the lower pintle or gudgeon, which supports the whole thing. I know mine is worn because I can hear it "bonking" when I'm anchored or in the slip and there is motion from waves. I haven't had her out in over 2 years, but recall the lower rudder bracket being a sizable iron. Next haul out I plan on renewing this bearing. Back at ya neighbor !Cheers,

 

[Brass Dragon]

Regarding chainplate integrity

On my 36C the chainplates are definitely aluminum and painted black down below. I had to take the mast down to ship the boat up from Florida. I found that the stainless pins had been seized to the aluminum plates. I was able press them out but found that the edge of the aluminum had corroded. My plan has been to drill them out from 1/2" to 9/16" or 5/8" dia and press a stainless or aluminum bushing in. This made alot more sense to me anyway. Interestingly, I ordered a set of remaining 36C drawings from Bruce King and found that his chainplate drawings showed a stainless bushing in there. So either Ericson ignored this detail and they were never put in or they fell out along the way and the aluminum swelled to fit. I think the former.

 

[Dave N]

Snowing here...

How about some more 36C pics?

 

[Wander]

Erik,
Thanks for the info on using butyl tape on the chain plates. I will take your advise and go the 3M route as well when I get that far. I put together a color-coded map of the wet spots on my deck and the next step is to start cutting out sections of the top skin. That will probably start next weekend.

I will also have to check my steering cable pulleys. I have plans to replace the steering cable because it has stretched to the point I can no longer tighten it to take out any slack. I may need to find a six year old kid to help remount the pulleys! That's a very tight space.

On a related note, I will be posting a new thread about an issue with my wheel. There is more play in the wheel-to-shaft connection that anywhere else in the steering system. I need to come up for a solution for that.

Regarding the pintle and gudgeon, here is a link I found from someone that used Teflon tape for that fix. I'm hoping I have time to work on this before the sailing season starts.

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?3778-Rudder-swing-on-Ericson-36C

Joe

The chainplates / knees on my 76 boat are aluminum and are glassed to the hull.This appears to be a robust method of supporting the loads one can expect here. I can't notice any deck or hull deflection in this area when sailing in stiff wind. 2 years ago I used butyl tape to seal the chainplates, by removing the stays, SS cover plates, filling in the screw holes etc. Not long after, they began leaking again, and now after reading the pearls of Glyn i will use the 3M 101.As mentioned the stationary cleats and dorade boxes that were sealed with butyl tape have not leaked. Joe, your photo of the auto helm actuator is exactly what I have heard from other 36 owners. My plan is to modify the top angle of the steering box, and then reinforce it to handle the loads imposed by the steering gear. This reminds me, check how your 4 steering cable pulleys are mounted. If they are screwed to wooden blocks which are in turn bolted to the fiberglass sides of the steering compartment, you want to beef this up!There are numerious ways to do this, using through bolts, backing plates, SS mounting plates with countersunk screws etc. Whichever method you decide to use, make sure you align the pulleys correctly. One of the mounting blocks failed on me in a good blow in SF Bay once and loosing steering can be quite exciting. Fortunately I had reinstalled the emergency tiller hardware a couple weeks earlier and was able to make it in to my Emeryville slip. Another thing to check on your rudder is the lower pintle or gudgeon, which supports the whole thing. I know mine is worn because I can hear it "bonking" when I'm anchored or in the slip and there is motion from waves. I haven't had her out in over 2 years, but recall the lower rudder bracket being a sizable iron. Next haul out I plan on renewing this bearing. Back at ya neighbor !Cheers,

 

[Wander]

Fortunately I didn't find any corrosion or wear on my plates when I took down the mast. One of the benefits of sailing in fresh water! (And the previous owners were older and didn't push her to the limits.)

I am very interested in the 36C drawings you obtained. Are there still copies available? I have one large blueprint and an electrical diagram that came (I think) from King's wife. I would be very interested in getting a copy of the drawings if possible.

Thanks!
Joe

On my 36C the chainplates are definitely aluminum and painted black down below. I had to take the mast down to ship the boat up from Florida. I found that the stainless pins had been seized to the aluminum plates. I was able press them out but found that the edge of the aluminum had corroded. My plan has been to drill them out from 1/2" to 9/16" or 5/8" dia and press a stainless or aluminum bushing in. This made alot more sense to me anyway. Interestingly, I ordered a set of remaining 36C drawings from Bruce King and found that his chainplate drawings showed a stainless bushing in there. So either Ericson ignored this detail and they were never put in or they fell out along the way and the aluminum swelled to fit. I think the former.

 

[mattwierzba]

I appreciate all of the discussion that was instigated in regard to my chainplate question.

I think it was Joe who asked how the chainplates were bonded to the hull. I ripped out all of the headliner material I could find when I took possession of my boat. Without removing the wood around the chainplates I was still able to see behind it. Basically, there are tangs at the top and bottom of the chainplate and a fillet along the entire length of it on both sides. The rigger who is helping me with new standing rigging suggested that I grind the glass away from one of the tangs to look at the metal underneath it. I chose the chainplate that had leaked the most with the idea that moisture may have penetrated in some way. Ultimately, I was pleased to find a shiny intact tang when I was done with the grinder- no white powdery residue was present. I glassed back over it and on I go. I'm sure this aspect of the construction would be shown on the drawings that were obtained.

I also had clevis pins that were stuck for a number of years that were difficult to remove and also caused some surface corrosion. The idea of the bushings is interesting to me. Once the stainless bushings "meld" to the aluminum, will the galvanic corrosion basically stop, or could this set up a worse situation in the future (more corrosion)?


Good luck with your decks. I found that job to be pretty easy. Once the surface skin in removed, just take a chisel to the wet core and leave the inner skin intact. I dried it out, added new core, then glassed back over it using West System.

Thanks for the tip on the 3M 101 as well.

Matt

 

[Wander]

Matt, I would be open to starting another thread with you on your experiences with the wet deck. I debated whether to go at it from below to save the built-in non skid but ultimately decided the non-skid wasn't worth saving. So within about a week I will start cutting open the top. Any thoughts on how you approached this would be greatly appreciated.

FYI, the new osscilating tools from Fein, Milwaukee Tool, etc. proved to be great for getting under the fiberglass in the test bores I did in the cabin.

Joe

 

[MarkA]

Matt, I would be open to starting another thread with you on your experiences with the wet deck. I debated whether to go at it from below to save the built-in non skid but ultimately decided the non-skid wasn't worth saving. So within about a week I will start cutting open the top. Any thoughts on how you approached this would be greatly appreciated.

FYI, the new osscilating tools from Fein, Milwaukee Tool, etc. proved to be great for getting under the fiberglass in the test bores I did in the cabin.

Joe

I'll be stalking this new thread closely....

 

[mattwierzba]

Ericson 36C Deck repair

Joe-

I'm not exactly sure how to start a new thread, but I would be glad to share photos of my step by step process. I decided early on that saving the factory non-skid was not going to happen. Most of my issues were related to removal of the teak deck. There were lots of screw holes where water got into the core. I replaced 80% of the cockpit sole, areas around the chainplates, anywhere else there was moisture. Besides obvious soft spots under your feet, you will know right away what is wet and what is still good core once you cut into it. It is actually really difficult to separate the core from the inner and outer skin if it is still good. I found a Fein multitool to be invaluable. I plan on using Kiwi grip to renew the nonskid on the entire boat to get things functional and uniform.

Matt

 

[Wander]

Here is the link to my new thread on the deck recorring project.
Joe

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...Recorring-the-Deck-on-a-36C&p=72468#post72468

 

[Brass Dragon]

BK Drawings for 36C

Yes, I believe you can still get prints of drawings that Bruce King designed. I contacted BK Yacht Design by e-mail a year or two ago, through Bruce's son Martin who frequents this site. They still have some copies of many of the drawings for the 36C and presumably for other models as well. They ask a reasonable charge per print to cover costs. I found the drawings very helpful though if you want em all, it adds up. The available drawings for 36C at the time included Sail Plan, Arrangement, Bobstay Plate, Steering System, Staysail Tack Fitting, Rudder Fittings, Stemplate & Jib Tack Assembly, Chainplate Arrangement. Bowsprit (what?), Rudder Structure, Hull Lines, Deck Lines, and Table of Offsets. Some of the prints are a bit faded but readable.

 

[Wander]

Thanks much. This is exciting news, as I had thought everything related to Ericson boats got lost after Pacific Seacraft stopped operations. I've sent a message to the address I found at http://www.brucekingdesign.com/contact.html and I will let everyone know what kind of response I get.

Joe

Yes, I believe you can still get prints of drawings that Bruce King designed. I contacted BK Yacht Design by e-mail a year or two ago, through Bruce's son Martin who frequents this site. They still have some copies of many of the drawings for the 36C and presumably for other models as well. They ask a reasonable charge per print to cover costs. I found the drawings very helpful though if you want em all, it adds up. The available drawings for 36C at the time included Sail Plan, Arrangement, Bobstay Plate, Steering System, Staysail Tack Fitting, Rudder Fittings, Stemplate & Jib Tack Assembly, Chainplate Arrangement. Bowsprit (what?), Rudder Structure, Hull Lines, Deck Lines, and Table of Offsets. Some of the prints are a bit faded but readable.

 

[Wander]

Just to follow up on this post, I never received a reply from my message to the Bruce King people regarding drawings. I'm assuming it's not something they want to do very often for people.

 

[larossa]

Rotary Auto Pilot

Joe,
I have an E31C with the same type of steering box. I would like to add an auto pilot to her. I am most interested in the set up that you have. I have not seen any type that would work with this steering box. It looks like you have a Ray Marine system. Can you tell me the model that you are using? Would you recommend it? Would there be another type that could be adapted to a steering box system? Your thoughts and additional pictures would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

Matt,
Sorry it's take a while. Here is a picture of how my rotarary autohelm motor is mounted. It stays nice and dry. Do you have a similar mounting area?

I will be at Strictly Sail in Chicago on Friday, 1/27, if anyone is heading in that direction.
Joe

View attachment 10441

View attachment 10442

 

[larossa]

Auto Helm

Erik,
I notice that it appears like you have some type of an auto helm in your pic that is used with a steering box simular to mine. It looks like a different type of auto helm that I see in the post from Joe's. I have an E31C with the same type of steering box. I would like to add an auto pilot to her. I am most interested in what type of set up that you have. Can you tell me the model that you are using and do you have any pics of your set up? Would there be another type that could be adapted to a steering box system? Your thoughts and additional pictures would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

Greetings Gents,
It sounds like you all have abitious winter boat repair agendas. I have owned my 36C for over 3 years and can attest to her sailing abilities. Unfortunately out here there is no need to haul and cover the boat so the projects get deferred in lou of sailing. I am always interested in sister vessel findings and will gladly participlate in the exchange of info regarding the 36C.

 

[singlerider]

San Francisco Bay

This is my first post on the forum. I am the owner of Hull # 7 (formerly Dawn Treader).

I live in the SF Bay.

-Shane Engelman

 

[Glyn Judson]

Ericson Cruising 36 looking for friends.

Shane, May I assume that you are the proud owner to a Cruising 36? I wish I could help more but am persuaded to respond given that we own an Ericson Independence hull #55 named the Dawn Treader. The Independence 31 is the baby brother to the Cruising 36. I'll attach an image of her just for fun There are other C36 owners on this list so be patient and you'll begin to hear from them. Welcome aboard, Glyn Judson,Dawn Treader, E31 hull #55 Marina del Rey CA