ericson 38/ Tartan /Morgan

[jdinafrica]

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on an Ericson 38. How would this boat compare to a Tartan 37 or a Morgan 382. They are all similar in price but Morgans and Tartans are not common on the West Coast. I am looking for a coastal cruiser with aspirations to eventuely go offshore such as cruising South Pacific. It seems the Tartans and Morgans would be suitable for this, but what about the Ericson 38. I have checked out the ericson owners site but they seem to have a strong bias towards ericsons. Are there Any other boats I should consider that are found on the West Coast preferably the pacific NW. Looking for around 38 ft in the 50,000 to 70,000 range. Performance cruiser would be prefered.

Thanks

[FrankLanger]

It's not such a bad thing to have a bias towards Ericsons, as you suggest they have on the Ericson owners website.
Good luck in your search!
Frank (a happy Ericson 30+ owner )

[ehmanta]

I've had a T-37 for eleven years, love the boat. Ironically, I looked seriously at all three that you mentioned and chose the Tartan. The Sparkman/Stevens design has beautiful lines and sails great. One thing you need to look at for cruising is tankage. The Tartan has 50 gallons of fuel, 90 gallons of water plus an additional twelve in the hot water heater. I think the Morgans was respectible, but I don't remember the Ericsons. The other important issue is stability and the ratios.