erison 27 with OMC Zephyr

[bob]

Hey guys looking for help. i have found a real nice '74 27' Ericson inside and out looks nice. Sails look good. The only question that i have is regarding the motor. It's an OMC Zepher. As best as i can gather, its an old style 2 stroke mounted on a thru hull outdrive unit. those old 2 strokes were built fairly heavily. what is the word on these old guys. seems most of the other '74 27's used a single diesel. has anyone converted to maybe a newer Volvo omc. they look similar.

 

[Bob7291]

Saildrive

From what I could gather a couple years ago, folks who had those OMC saildrive units experienced some problems with corrosion on the lower units. I don't think the powerheads were prone to give trouble, but when you have that big hole in the hull, no matter what the method of sealing is, it had better be pretty bulletproof. You would want to have the lower unit examined closely, I'd think. Don't know about conversions, though memory says there is a guy offering a Honda bolt on unit for that - pricey, though.

 

[joe s23795]

Here is THE source for OMC Zephyr info:

The Yahoo Saildrive Owners Group -> it is dedicated to the OMC saildrive. BTW, the OMC powerhead was based on the Evinrude/Johnson 30-35 HP upper end. Powerhead parts are available. Unfortunately, parts for the leg (drive) are not.