Ericson 35-38 ft.

[Rustyf]

From what I have read these boats appear to be highly desirable coastal cruisers which can be had for a pretty good price. Anyone have some thoughts on Ericsons?

[JohnRPollard]

Most of them were built before the company went out of business in the late 80's or early 90's, after which the moulds and tooling were purchased by Pacific Seacraft. PSC subsequently built a number of them, mostly 333s and 380s I believe. They may even have made some 35s. Initially the PSC Ericsons were built using much the same gear/equipment/components as they had been been built with at Ericson. However, at some point in the mid-late 90's PSC overhauled them and upgraded the components to be more on par with the quality most people expected from other PSC models. I think they called these "Regatta Edition" or something like that, maybe "Offshore Edition". Those few boats built to the upgraded spec are VERY nicely finished and fitted out -- and quite costly. They occasionally show-up on the used market.

I don't know much about the pre-PSC era at Ericson, but they seem to be very popular around here on Chesapeaek Bay.

Addendum:

Here is an example of a 380 built by PSC to the normal Ericson spec:

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...g_id=1508&url=

Here is an example of a 333 built to the upgraded PSC spec (note, for instance, the portlights):

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...g_id=6824&url=

[Rustyf]

Thanks John for that useful information. I would be very interested in the Ericson 33 if it were on the west coast especially the Pacific NW.

[Aasem]

Ericson owners LOVE their boats. They're very well built (from all eras) and the owners are loyal. You'll see what I'm talking about here:
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/index.php

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by Rustyf

Thanks John for that useful information. I would be very interested in the Ericson 33 if it were on the west coast especially the Pacific NW.

RustyF,

Glad to be of help. Regarding that 333, the one I linked to is the shoal draft version. There is a deep draft (close to 6', I think) that might be more desirable in your neck of the woods. There are a few on the Great Lakes that pop up every now and then, most of which have the deep draft. Shipping a boat, even from Florida, isn't as big a deal as it may sound. But a boat from the western Great Lakes would nearly halve the distance/cost. You might check in with Larsen Marine in Illinois, they seem to handle many of the PSC Ericsons ( http://www.larsenmarine.com/ ).

I also should have mentioned that the later 38s built by PSC had a re-deisgned transom and cockpit that incorporated a swim scoop. Those boats are called 380s. Best of luck in your search.