Erikson 27 mods

Good evening to everyone!

I have a friend who is probably going to give me an old Erikson 27 (I believe a 74) with some structure damage to the bow. Considering the level of work Im going to be putting into it, I thought I would ask what other areas I may consider looking at. Ive read alot about these hulls being slow, is that just a consequene of the wetted surface? I can't imagine its under powered given the sail area.

Oh and Im an engineering student so I can probably work something out so don't hesitate to give me ideas, thanks

 

The Ericson 27 is a nice boat. They are relatively heavy, and therefore a little slow compared to more modern boats. I worked for the designer, Bruce King, in the 1970's and he was one of the best at that time.

You're far better off restoring the boat to its original condition than modifying it in any way. I believe some of these boats have had corrosion issues with the chainplates, so you may want to remove and inspect them.

 

No fine tunning anywhere? minor hyrdodynamic issues or anything?

 

Frostfire,

Honestly I would prefer to see some pictures of the boat, particularly the damaged areas before making any recommendations. It is sad to say but a lot of older boats honestly just aren't worth the cost of doing a restoration. The best option for this boat may really be to sell off the deck hardware and rigging, take the ballast to the recycling yard, and use the money to buy a boat in better condition. I can point to a lot of owners that have gotten free boats and wound up spending a lot more on repairing them than a decent condition boat would have cost up front, plus they would have been on the water years sooner.

As far as the Errickson 27 specifically, it is a big heavy boat for its size, that is never going to be a stripped down race car. It is of course possible to design changes to the keel or rudder that would improve performance, but at a cost that would not likely be justified. Putting a modern torpedo on the boat for instance would allow you to keep the same draft and heeling moment, but reduce wetted surface and weight. Though it will cost more than the boat is worth (somewhere between 2500 and 10K in decent condition depending on the engine and tiller/wheel layout) to have a new keel designed, fabricated, shipped and installed.

 

My experience is even minor modifications of a stock production boat hurt the resale value. That said, I suggest sailing the boat for some time, one to two years, and then consider what should be modified.