Worn gelcoat on E38 reverse transom & other cosmetics

[MelsAngel]

I'm into the 26th season on Mel's Angel, hull #49 of the first production run of Ericson 38. A well worn but much beloved boat.

After more than 2 decades of facing upwards, the reverse transom really has had it -- I can see areas of spotted under-coat/fiberglass beginning to show through. The original hull color was sand color, now faded. I have been watching this problem worsen for more than 10 years. It was intensified right from the commissioning when I rejected the ugly serif type face selected contrary to my specification to the dealer, and he angrily ground it off before complying with my specs.

Over the years, I've considered many alternatives for the transom. Most attractive would be something more resistant to sun than Awlgrip or Imron, both of which require professional application and are very expensive. I'd be interested in knowing of any other Ericson owners have encountered this issue and come up with creative and economical alternatives.

Also - the old Pacific Seacraft site had names and contacts for vendors of the rubrail components (rubber insert and plastic extrusion, and as I teach my 17 year old how to pull the boat into a slip, I can see that replacements are in the future. Did anyone capture those vendor listings?

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Mel Snyder
Mel's Angel

 

[gareth harris]

Welcome.

For the rub rail, try www.wefcorubber.com. I got both the rail and insert there, I believe it will work for you. Pacific Seacraft used to sell the pieces for the nose and aft end of the rail, I do not believe they are available now.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

 

[tenders]

Welcome.

For the rub rail, try www.wefcorubber.com. I got both the rail and insert there, I believe it will work for you. Pacific Seacraft used to sell the pieces for the nose and aft end of the rail, I do not believe they are available now.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

Semi sequitur A: I happen to have a fiberglass bow cap from Pacific Seacraft. It is the wrong angle for my '69 E32 but it might have been designed for a smaller boat. Anyone interested can send me a private message (PM) about it.

Semi sequitur B: There's an article in the May Good Old Boat called "Replacing a Bow Trim Casting" describing how to make a new piece out of PVC.

Summary: cut a female template from cardboard. Buy PVC electrical conduit of sufficient diameter and end caps from hardware store. Cut PVC approximately to correct length, fill with dry sand, press on (do not adhere) end caps, and heat to 235 degrees for half an hour. Bend hot, sand-filled PVC to template. Pour cold water on PVC to hold the bend. Using the template, trace the curve on the top of the PVC. Remove end caps and sand, cut vertically with a bandsaw, and attach to bow. The author used Life Seal with no screws to avoid cracks.​

Non sequitur: Gareth, I'd like to send you my Erie Canal book -- could you PM me a mailing address?

TPE

 

[treilley]

You can easily paint with Interlux Perfection and get great results for relatively low dollars. The problem is that the rest of the topsides may not fair well in comparison to the new transom. My boat was painted with Imron in '89 and I polished it this year. It did not look althogether bad but after polishing it, I am sold on Imron. I will never use Awgrip which cannot be polished. Here are some threads on painting and polishing.

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=4597&highlight=perfection

http://archives.sailboatowners.com/...on is looking real gooooood !!!!!&id=467589

This one is about my sole(damned as it may be!) but there are photos of the topsides after polishing.

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=4717