Opinions on Ericson sailboats

[lyl]

Watching the Christian Williams YT channel, I'm inspired. Plenty of Ericson sailboats out there, most appear to be in good condition and reasonably priced. I'd love to hear opinions on them.

[Orion Jim]

What is your intended purpose and what models are you interested in? I had one for 18 years.

[Celestialsailor]

Can't say they are of the highest quality but if they were taken care of and no water intrusion into the deck core, they make a decent coastal cruiser and beer can racer.

[SV Siren]

The few I have been on have been well loved, and are pretty good boats for what they are. The 35' is a favorite of mine. We see a number of them in the Great Lakes(USA).

[SV__Grace]

My first keelboat was an early 80's Ericson 25 and I loved that boat. Basic but bulletproof, which is what you want unless you're a racer because it is a great platform for updating and creating the cruiser you want.


Years passed and after two divorces and 3 boats I started my third marriage out with a Catalina 27 and while it was a decent boat and a lot of fun, the build doesn't compare to Ericson.


Other Ericsons I've become acquainted with in meeting their owners reinforced my experience that they are well built boats, a cut above Catalina, Hunter, Macgregor, etc.

[captpati]

Years ago I had a 1978 Erickson 30 named Mon Jou Jou. I loved it. Great boat for cruising on the Chesapeake. I’ve owned a Bristol 38.8 for a couple of decades since then. While the Bristol is beautiful, strong and reliable, the simplicity of my old faithful Erickson is often recalled with deep fondness. ❤️

[GKJ Texoma]

Owned an Ericson 30 for a while. Only complaint was the cramped engine compartment.

Check out: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/

[Rhapsody32]

I had a '76 Ericson 27 for several years. Very well-built boat. Great coastal cruiser and club racer.

[Cheechako]

Always liked the old 35... There were tons around.

[StuartSailor]

I had a 28+ for a few years and loved it. Small cockpit though which is good and bad, depending on how you’re using the boat. I used her for coastal cruising and beer cans. Unfortunately I lost her during a 2004 hurricane.

A member of my local sailing club has the 35’ version and has cruised the Bahamas and Florida Keys with her. She has a 135 PHRF so is also very fast. Good luck.

[DEAN2140]

Look out for the aft locker. I knew a guy with an Ericson 35 that did the single-handed Transpac. While at sea he entered his aft locker to investigate some steering problems and it closed and locked him in. I don't recall how he got out; maybe he had sharp teeth.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by DEAN2140

Look out for the aft locker. I knew a guy with an Ericson 35 that did the single-handed Transpac. While at sea he entered his aft locker to investigate some steering problems and it closed and locked him in.

on the cape dory I discovered that even if the locker closes on you .. the bronze latch can be sprung from the inside. nice work spartan marine. now if you can just keep it from bruising my wife's legs.

[thomm225]

Well, good coastal cruiser and club racer was mention and you can also add circumnavigator.

Webb Child sailed an Ericson 37 Round the World in the mid 70's. (without an engine)

I believe he had 3 knockdowns during the voyage but was able to continue.

[Don C L]

They are common here in SoCal, still, and a friend of mine had a 27 that he lived on, and sailed, while we both were in college. He was an experienced sailor and he loved it. He took it out to the local islands quite a few times. One really terrible thing about his boat though was that it was faster than mine. If I was going to take one to Hawaii I might beef up the rigging a bit but that's all I can think of.

[Manateeman]

If you like the Bruce King design Ericson 31 you will love the last one ever built, not by Ericson Yachts, but by me.
No stronger Bruce King design hull was ever built.
I’m lowering the price to $10,000.
I want to see this boat go to someone who will fix it and sail it.
Captain Mark