# Ericson 32-3



## Kenneth K (Mar 3, 2016)

I posted a thread a few weeks ago about about C&C vs Ericson 30s. Many thanks to the replies. In the process, I discovered the CS30 which became my new favorite boat--unfortunately, the only two for sale on the west coast are both under contract.

As I've widened my search, I've come to also like the Ericson 32-3. The added couple of feet seeming to bring the performance more in line with it's faster 30 foot competitors.

Can someone offer some insight into these two factors of the E32-3?

1. I find the look of the raised stern very attractive. What's the technical term for that type of design and what are the pluses and minuses? And,

2. It seems to be pretty "foresail heavy" with 289 sq ft of the total	497 sq ft sail area being upfront. Comments?

Any other particualrs of the 32-3 worth knowing about?? I've looked on the Ericson website, but it tends to be an Ericson love-fest over there--hard to find many critical comments....

Ken


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

I like Ericsons a lot, I almost bought a 27 and have looked at a few others. They seem to be above average build quality, tend to be performance oriented (at least for there day) but still have a nice comfortable cabin below. If it is in good shape go for it. I am not aware of any Ericson specific issues, just that they are getting kind of old so typical issues of deck cores and things that effect all boats of that age.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Very nice boats... great cockpit ergomomics, good manners, comfy below. Some layout variations- aft vs fwd head, but nice warm finish below and usually the reliable Kubota/Universal diesel.

Only one true 'double', though the dinette probably makes down (but that is a PITA if it's a regular chore). Bruce King generally drew some handsome boats, this is no exception. 

The reverse transom is a stylistic thing mostly, but does remove some weight in the stern with the downside of reducing cockpit size. This one is not extreme and nicely done.(some have very flat runs aft that make a heck of a racket when tied stern to a breeze and the waves 'chuckle' under the counter)

With the headsail on a furler you can easily set the boat up nicely, I don't believe this boat will have the 'headsail heavy' behaviour of some of the more race-oriented/IOR influenced designs of the time.

An ex racing friend traded his Laser 28 for one of these nearly 20 years ago, he's 80 now and still enjoying it.


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## Kenneth K (Mar 3, 2016)

I find both your comments to be right on. I viewed a few 30 footers in Vancouver last weekend--an Ericson 30+ and a CS30. Both nice boats, but I found cabin height to be a problem on both of them. ......pushing me more toward the E32-3.

I agree about the cockpit ergonomics, too. I now view a T-cockpit as essential. It's fairly subtle, but the coamings of the E32-3 curve outward slightly as you move aft. It makes the aft cockpit actually slightly wider than forward. And the curve matches nicely with the curved/raised helm seat which is also more subtle than many other designs. I didn't notice it all right away, but when I did, it made the cockpit really stand out to me as a slick design.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Ken it's a shame you are in the pnw, a friend here in my yc has a E 32 he wants to sell


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## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

Is the helm cut off from the rest of the cockpit with the traveler in front of the helm? I like being able to work the Main while steering. I don't see a down side to it, my wheel is so big I have to step on the seat to get back there anyway. For a cruiser, even not single handing its nice to get to as much sail control as you can. I have the CS30 and love it but wish the traveler wasn't cabin top. Good shopping.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

albrazzi said:


> Is the helm cut off from the rest of the cockpit with the traveler in front of the helm? I like being able to work the Main while steering. I don't see a down side to it, my wheel is so big I have to step on the seat to get back there anyway. For a cruiser, even not single handing its nice to get to as much sail control as you can. I have the CS30 and love it but wish the traveler wasn't cabin top. Good shopping.


No.. The original E35 was that way, but not this one.


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## Kenneth K (Mar 3, 2016)

deniseO30 said:


> Ken it's a shame you are in the pnw, a friend here in my yc has a E 32 he wants to sell


Send me a link if you have one--the visual comps are all helpful. How did your friend like their boat? Any things they didn't like? I've heard lack of storage space can be an issue.


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## Kenneth K (Mar 3, 2016)

albrazzi said:


> Is the helm cut off from the rest of the cockpit with the traveler in front of the helm? I like being able to work the Main while steering. I don't see a down side to it, my wheel is so big I have to step on the seat to get back there anyway. For a cruiser, even not single handing its nice to get to as much sail control as you can. I have the CS30 and love it but wish the traveler wasn't cabin top. Good shopping.


All the boats I've looked at have cabin-top travelers. All three brokers claimed that is the preferred configuration. Is there a consensus on that amongst the captains?


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Kenneth K said:


> All the boats I've looked at have cabin-top travelers. All three brokers claimed that is the preferred configuration. Is there a consensus on that amongst the captains?


... about as much consensus as which anchor to use, or what US presidential candidate is the best of a bad lot..  

The main (only?) advantage of a cabintop traveler is that it is usually completely out of the way of any dodger/bimini arrangement you might desire, and, of course, it keeps the traveler out of the cockpit.

But, IMO, the then-necessary center boom sheeting has reduced mechanical advantage, needing more parts and/or a winch to operate in all conditions.. making it slow and often an awkward reach and nearly impossible for the helmsman to adjust from the steering position, esp with a wheel. In addition, the center boom sheeting arrangement is going to be much more prone to boom breakage during a nasty accidental gybe than end-boom sheeting.

There is a fix for the lack of access, there's a system called 'German Sheeting' that leads a double ended sheet all the way back to the cockpit down either side of the boat. Still may require a winch for adequate power, but at least the helmsperson can adjust from there.

End-boom (or near end-boom) sheeting will generally put the traveler in the cockpit, and hopefully forward of the helm position. For a tiller steered boat the traveler at the fwd end of the cockpit on a bridge deck is most practical, one hand on the tiller, the other naturally reaches for the sheet and traveler lines. A traveler at the back of the cockpit (behind the helm) is really awkward to use. A traveler immediately ahead of the wheel is not a bad setup either, but it can be a bit of a shin banger depending on the layout.

But... there are plenty of issues with any cockpit traveler too - interference with seating if not recessed, the afore mentioned shin bruising issue but the additional leverage of having the mainsheet at or near the end of the boom (and enough parts in the tackle) generally precludes the need for a winch - and it's usually at least reachable by the person steering.

For those truly cruising and not concerned about the easy adjustment that goes hand-in-hand with good sailtrim, and wanting a greenhouse enclosure to boot, the cabintop traveler is the only solution.

JMO, as ever...


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## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

I just answered my own question from reading Fasters comments, I've always wondered why the Main sheet goes through three different pulleys on my boom instead of just one, its to spread the shock to the boom in a Gybe with its mid boom position. 
I prefer the end boom sheeting for leverage, feel, etc. unfortunately my Boat is not set up that way and since I usually don't run with the bimini it would be nice to control from the helm. A traveler redesign is not a simple task but if I come up with something I will probably implement it.

Agree BTW with all his points, the broker isn't going to get into this much detail but if the Traveler is cabin top the designers can do anything they want in the cockpit with no safety concerns or Canvas conflicts. You have to ask yourself what kind of sailing you will be doing and buy accordingly, or do as everyone else does and start buying boats and see what you like and apply as much of what you learned as you can on the next one.


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## Kenneth K (Mar 3, 2016)

Yeah, I realize now I let a broker BS me on this topic. I asked him about the loss of leverage in cabin-top travelers. He said the pulleys give the leverage back (which is true, though it does require pulling 2-3 times the length of mainsheet sheet through the system). Then he said that aft travelers can flatten the main too much by pulling the clew too far downward. It seems that that would be incorrect. Since the boom is completely stiff, the attachment location of the mainsheet to the boom would have no effect on the sail shape. The location of the mainsheet attachment would only affect the forces required to move the boom; ie a mid-point attachment would require twice the force as an end-point attachment.

That being said, two other questions arise:

1) if the boom is not completely rigid, but flexes even slightly, then wouldn't sheet location affect sail shape? Aft attachment resulting in a slight rise at the boom's center; mid attachment causing a slight lowering at the boom's center (if I am reasoning correctly).

2) for travelers of a _given length_, a mid-mounted traveler would seem to pull the boom further sidewards than an aft mounted traveler. Do boat designers, then, typically lengthen a traveler as they move it aftward to compensate for this?

As for me, who will primarily be cruising, none of the above should make much difference, and I'd prefer the cabin-top configuration. For single-handling, I'll definitely be researching the "German Sheeting" system, or at least seeing if I can come up with the Polish equivalent of the same......


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## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

1) If your Boom flexes enough to affect sail shape you're in a lot of trouble. Not a concern.
2) They make them as long as practical for the position. 

If you're OK with the cabin top then there are lots of Boats to choose from, not a hard and fast rule but older Boats tend to be more in the cockpit and newer Boats tend to be more cabin top. The more I think about it the cabin top is a safer position for leisure crew and most these days are just that.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Well most often travelers will be as wide as they can be, if in the cockpit from side to side of the cockpit. Sure you can counter act the lever action with pulleys, but that makes things more complicated, increases loads, so you have more chance of catastrophic failure. Biggest issue though is the load is on the center of the boom, while if designed that way OK, but often they are designed for end boom then converted. It is a pain to have the cockpit divided, but it sure makes single handing a lot easier, so there are benefits to both. I have a strong preference for end sheeting, but then again I have a preference for tiller, so be it as it may.


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## Kenneth K (Mar 3, 2016)

At the risk of reviving an old, dead post...... just wanted to say that after months and months of searching, I found a boat. I went back to the Ericson 32-3 I had viewed in April even though I had to ship it in from out of state. 

My original goal had been to find a nice-condition racer-cruiser with a PHRF below 170. Once I started looking at C&C-30-2s and CS30s, that PHRF number came down to the 150s. Maybe it was the nicely appointed cabin of the Ericson that made me realize I was more a cruiser than a racer....but to keep in the 150 PHRF range, I had to move up to a 32 footer in the Ericson. And maybe that makes it an unfair comparison. At 32.5 ft, the Ericson is 8% larger than the C&C and CS 30s. That extra 2.5 feet mean an extra 8-10 inches in every cabin (important to a cruiser-type). Anyway, it worked for me.

Thanks for all the great input from your SN posts. It really helped steer me in the direction of finding the right boat for me.

P. S. Haven't had the boat in the water yet. Launch date is Oct 15th.

Regard,

Ken


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## Kenneth K (Mar 3, 2016)

Pics....


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Congrats on the "new" boat! Having moved up to a 33 footer from a racing oriented 30 footer six years ago, I think you made a good choice.


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## mikel1 (Oct 19, 2008)

Ericsonyachts.org is a must for you . . . They are a great knowledgeable and helpful group . . .


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

Thanks for the update. It's always nice to hear how things work out. Nice boat!


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Congrats... a good choice, I think.


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## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

Ken thanks for the update. I bought two Septembers ago and took advantage of the first winter to start the growing list of to do items.
Nice choice and performance oriented as well with that PHRF. Two random thoughts, speed is always good racing or not, and you never know what you will end up doing at least I don't usually, so something with a turn of speed is always good. There's something about the having a schedule to go sailing that seems to fit well into a busy life that works for me, we enjoy our club racing.


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