My 4 foot-itis has kicked in

[William]

Money to burn??

I agree totally Doug. I have a 35 YEAR OLD Atomic foour that runs like a champ why would you replace it and spend $7000.00 on a 35 year old boat...makes no sense. As far as the gas being dangerous...you bet it is! The stuff will burn but if you do what you are supposed to you will be just fine. How many gas powered sailboats have You personally seen exploded? Me myself.....none! Fred sorry to here that you got a bad engine..but I hate to tell you that every builds them..Universal, yanmar, ford, chevy...thats a fact of life and it really sucks when you are the one that it happens to. Talk to the guys at your marina about car troubles...they will all have stories of how crappy the other brand is...that doesn't make them ALL bad. My boat is worth maybe $12000.00, my atomic 4 runs great and is atleast as safe as having propane on a modern boat..it isn't worth the cost of putting a diesel in it. With that being said..I love the new hunters and agian to each his own...for me they are one hell of a bargin and I would love to have the diesel for increased fuel savings but that is a few years away so for now I will putt away on my great ole boat! one last thing Fred...My A4 pushes my C&C 27 along at hull speed at about 1600 rpm so I don't have a need to push it any harder! As far as your "bad points" story...it can't happen on my A4 either...I love the modern world!!!

 

[Sergio]

Allow me to moderate my stance

Franklin, of course you are right. I was wrong to malign all Hunters when I just meant to malign Fred's. There are design faults and cut corners on all manufacturers lines. Fred bought a boat with roving "every other foot or so" I accept that this was the case, and it is cutting corners. Subsequent Ericsons have 16 ounce unidirectional roving, 8 inches wide from stem to stern continuously. This poorly thought out aspect of the E29 was not carried over to other Ericsons for good reason.The H340 I discussed had its shrouds terminated to the deck surfaces only and this is cutting corners and not well thought out, and dangerous. If you look at subsequent Hunters this was changed and the chainplate bridges the deck and the hull, binding them together in a far more substantial manner. The earlier method was poor engineering and Hunter recognized this and to thier credit responded by correcting it in other models. So, sorry Gary, this is not a case of unfounded predjudice or an opinion without supporting facts.I found it amusing that Fred would attack the entire Ericson line based on this shortcoming of one model. Just as I have never owned a Hunter, I presume Fred has not owned all models of Ericsons. This is especially interesting given the design vulnerability of the the H340's deck to hull joint. This would not condemn the entire Hunter line (or the H340 itself) but according to Freds post, it should.Franklin, this is not like say, a "Hinkley sinking" so all Hinkleys are in danger of sinking, the flaw here was quite specific and was recognized as such and rectified by the manufacturer.  As for the A4, I would agree with Williams perspective, if it aint broke why spend seven grand to fix it? The danger of gas powered engines is exagerated and personally I would run it as long as it gave good service. I simply remarked on the wisdom of Fred's seemingly shortsighted purchase when he seems to hate the A4. The A4 purpose built marine engine has been around since 1947, quite some time prior to Freds decision to order one in his 1976 E29. Out of the 40,000 or so made it is thought that 20,000 are still in service. It would seem Fred had plenty of opportunity to get an informed opinion on the suitability of the A4 from many informed people. Or perhaps he simply was unfortunate and got a bad one.Finally Fred you seem angry. And you while you may in fact know it all, I'm not so sure you do, but you certainly come off as a know it all. I am not an Ericson freak or any other kind of freak. As for your anti Mexican comments, they speak loudly of your character.

 

[Moody Buccaneer]

I happen to like my A4

I have the engine out of my boat to get at the keel bolts. It would be a perfect time to convert to diesel ... go I checked compression on my 30+ year old A4 and it was spot on ... less than 5psi variance between cylinders.It's getting treated to some new parts, a fresh coat of paint and going back into the boat for another 30 years.I HATE the smell of diesel ... if I want diesel fumes I'll get a truck ... (just stirring the pot)

 

[Fred Ficarra]

Sergio your last post was 100% assumptions.

I never said any of the stuff you accuse me of. I never slammed the entire Ericson line. I did say they were over priced and under engineered and the MARKET proved me RIGHT! I talked about my E29 and my A4. I'm the one who had to rebuild the damn thing on the dock at Friday Harbor. I saw how poorly it was engineered. And my ignition was points triggered. And when I bought my A4 there was no other viable option for the E29. It sits under the stern berth for gods' sake. Only a flat-head would fit there. And the danger of this engine is two fold; gasoline and only two main bearings. And this is a 1920's design, not 1948-ish. Remember, this thread is about the E29. You are accusing me of every cliché of foul posting known, when it is YOU who took it upon yourself to do the very thing you are accusing me of,,, nuff said.

 

[Jared]

Nice Ericson

I don't know, this Ericson seems pretty nice... Nice deal on ebay. Just having fun! Full disclosure - I have an H34.

 

[jviss]

Atomic 4 Seal of Approval

By the way, Hinckley put Atomic 4s into sailboats. I saw a 1968 Sou'Wester 34 with the A-bomb. If they thought it was good enough, that's good enough for me. Except I still wouldn't go for a gas engine in my boat.

 

[Dwain]

Sergio

I own a '98 H340, built in '97. That's the 1st year of production and they never had deck mounted shrouds or chain plates.I believe you may not know of what you speak!Dwain

 

[Tim R.]

Disgusted

I don't care who is right or wrong here. What Fred said about boats being built by mexicans is totally offensive. I am sickened that anyone thinks it is ok to write such a derogatory comment on a public forum. Phil, this was a perfect opportunity for you to remove a message. As far as I am concerned I will be skipping any of Fred's posts in the future.Tim R.

 

[Franklin]

HELLO FELLAS

Just in case you can't read, I thought I would point out that if anything, Fred's words are degrading of Americans, not Mexicans. He is saying that if the boat was made in Mexico, then that would explain why it was built so well.Teach, can I? Can I please? Pretty please?

 

[abe]

Tim/Franklin...making a big deal over nothing...

First, let me say that I have no idea if Fred's comment has any validity. That said, I remember 20 years ago when people bought VW Rabbit...people really went for the German made one over the American one. The facts were that the German made were much better. I do not find his comment offensive if in fact it is true that a particular product made in another country is better or worse. Give the guy a break........all workers are not equal and products made in other countries are sometimes better (German tools, machinary, Japanese tech stuff, and sometimes things are inferior...made in China). No one is trying to be racist about this.Finally, to judge someone on one little comment..."I will never read anything else" is proposterous.abeabe

 

[Don-MT]

Fred,

Good to see you back! I hope your summers going well.Shine On!Don

 

[Fred Ficarra]

Thanks Don, Vacation was great in our dependable

HUNTER. It was such a good feeling to pull out of Desolation Sound and not have the crankshaft BREAK! That happened 21 years ago. I can still plot the exact location on a chart.  And what's with the racist comments? All I said was that Ericson had to move production to Mexico. That would explain how they were dealing with the 'overpriced' part of the equation. Sheeze!

 

[Bob7291]

Ericson Question

Ericsons are great boats. I have a '73 E27 and it is a great performer in strong and light conditions. She handle well in heavy wheather in winds 15-30 knots albeit double reefed and 95% headsail. With 2900 lb keel and 32 foot mast it is a tough boat to knock over. Best, though... the cockpit arrangement lets me singlehand!

 

[Bob7291]

E 29 ......Holy Guacamole

Hello,My name is Pat, I'm on the west coast and I have owned our '73 E29 For the past ten years. I grew up on Ericsons so buying a 29 was a nobrainer for me, (nothing against other boats but I totally trust Ericsons) I too have had to put alot of time and money into her but it has been worth it. I could go into everything I've done but I won't at this time.But if you want you can email me at PDModlin@adelphia.net with any questions you might havePatE29'73#224Holy GuacamoleDavis Modlin Atomic4

 

[Bob7291]

E 29 ......Holy Guacamole

Hello,My name is Pat, I'm on the west coast and I have owned our '73 E29 For the past ten years. I grew up on Ericsons so buying a 29 was a nobrainer for me, (nothing against other boats but I totally trust Ericsons) I too have had to put alot of time and money into her but it has been worth it. I could go into everything I've done but I won't at this time.But if you want you can email me at PDModlin@adelphia.net with any questions you might have.P.S.Good old boat has that back issue for sale on their web site. Jan/Feb 2004PatE29'73#224Holy GuacamoleDavis Modlin Atomic4

 

[Bob7291]

This is Great!

You guys are killing me!!!Just a lot of un substantiated opinions. Last I checked its the sailer, not the boat. Ask Nick Scandone. That's the great thing about sailing. Not everyone can sail or is willing to learn. And learning is the great part. This is a sport where you never stop learning (if your so inclined).Now to dispell the myths.For every bad story there is a good one.Yes, for a few years Ericson hulls where laid up in Mexico. A-4s need special attention paid to them. But so does propane, paint thinner, acetone and any other toxic flammable chemical.No, after 40,000 units not one A-4 has ever exploded. 20,000 are still in service.Diesels are very problematic if they are not run often.Different people buy boats for different reasons. I have sailed a number of different boats and Hunters and Ericson are both great boats. It's like trying to decide which color is better blue or green (that one will get the indians going).Europe has a great way to rate boats for insurance reasons. They rate the boat by how far the boat should be used offshore. Someone should look up Ericson and Hunters.Finally, all of the information for the points being argued is available on this trendy thing called the Internet. There are some very objective articles about all of these boats and about A-4s as well.Yes Ericsons are good boats and so are Hunters. Buy the boat that suits your needs and budget and go sailing. And keep Nick in you thoughts and prayers.Sorry for being so lond winded.Jay GillCarpe Diem1977 Ericson (w/A-4)

 

[Bob7291]

I Almost Forgot!

Sorry Sergio-Do your homework and move up to the larger boat if the budget works.Life is not a dress rehersal.Just ask Nick Scandone.Jay GillCarpe Diem1977 Ericson 32

 

[Franklin]

Jay

"Europe has a great way to rate boats for insurance reasons. They rate the boat by how far the boat should be used offshore. Someone should look up Ericson and Hunters."I think I know which ratings your talking about and the Hunters 31' and above are rated A (Open Ocean). Can't get a rating on Ericson because this rating is a new rating that they started in early 2000s and only on new boats.