[hillenme]

Any idea what this metal plate, offset forward and starboard of the keel could be on this 1979 Ericson 34T?

I don’t want to call it an access plate as there is nothing to access, as above the plate inside the boat, is the fiberglass cabin sole; however, when you reach under the sole thru the bilge there is a sort of reverse recess which makes us more convinced this plate was installed at the factory as part of the original laminate.

Maybe an SSB ground plate? Any other Ericson 34 owners seen this?

 

[olson34]

If it was exposed bronze, then maybe it was once a ground plane for an antenna. There would be a wire inside going thru the hull to it, tho.
Quite a mystery.
If the factory was installing a metal plate on their hulls, this would be the first time in history to have a report to it!

 

[paulk]

Lightning grounding plate? Seems a bit large, but someone in FL where there's lots of lightning might think bigger was better for their boat. What's it made of?

This is labeled as a lightning grounding plate.