Upgrades: The New Rudder

I was reading a discussion thread about Ericson 39s. The consensus was that backing this vessel is a poor idea. “Just don’t do it…” seemed to be most common counsel. I had a Columbia 34 that had a generous spade rudder, I was able to back that boat with minimal problems and could dock the boat with minimal difficulty and embarrassment. If I had one critique of the Ericson 39 it would be this: The rudder is too damn small. 

The Ericson 39 is an early IOR design. Its lines were shaped by that rule. The beautiful long overhangs, the fin keel owe their comely form to Bruce King and his interpretation of the IOR rule. My first impressions sailing this boat were that the boat responds well in the “lumpy gravy” sea state for which the Santa Barbara Channel is known.  Indeed, with gusts up to 30 knots, the 39 responds well both up and downwind.

But the issue of backing remained. “Just don’t do it” is impractical advice. Mary can tell stories about trying to get this boat to track when leaving our slip at Channel Islands’ Landing. While the Beneteaus and Jeanneaus seemed to effortlessly leave their slips, even the Catalinas departed with ease, our Ericson was, at best, unpredictable in reverse.  When the boat was surveyed, Jim Wallace suggested that we consider replacing the rudder. 

I am something of an Ericson purist. I grew up on an Ericson 30, and have loved the Ericson 39 since I first saw it in Sailing Magazine. Jim Wallace had crewed with Bruce King on his ’39. I felt that, given that pedigree and love of Ericsons, this might be an acceptable modification. Now, I must also admit that I have seen many poorly conceived and wretchedly executed “upgrades” – I prefer to say degradations – made on Ericsons. I think of the fellow whose Ericson 38 was hauled out when we were doing work on Tiburón; he decided that the keel needed fins and that he was the guy to design and fabricate them. 

After some time Mary and I hit upon the Schumacher Rudder.  Originally designed for the venerable Cal 40, it had the advantage of changing the aspect ratio of the original rudder to provide more depth and more wetted surface area, while not significantly impacting the PHRF rating on the Cal. This seemed to be the ideal solution. Now onto fabrication. Just how does one make a rudder? This is an important part of your vessel. It is not so simple as just slapping a little new glass on the existing rudder (like the fins to the keel described above). This requires expertise; expertise that I lacked. 

FinCo Fabrication: Say those words with reverence. FinCo Fabrication, in beautiful Santa Ana, CA, is the place. They specialize in fiberglass fabrication and have expertise in restoration, fabrication, and repairs of all things nautical. I was impressed that they are also Star Sailors (a breed unto themselves!). FinCo worked with the folk at The Boat Yard to produce the new rudder. In all, the process took about one month from delivery of the old rudder and post, to the installation of the new Schumacher rudder. They even arranged delivery of the completed rudder from their plant in Santa Ana to Port Hueneme. 

The first thing that I noticed about the new rudder was that the boat will track in a straight line in reverse. It will turn both to port and starboard in reverse, as well (I do have to admit that having a maxi-prop helps this process). Weather helm is diminished. The boat has become more nimble, while still moving like an Ericson. We have had almost a year with the new rudder and have been pleased with the results.  

- Pablo

Upgrades for Comfort

Tiburón is a 1971 Ericson 39. We are her third owners. The previous owners clearly loved the boat. She was well cared for, had been meticulously maintained, and offered at a price that was beyond reasonable. We purchased her in September 2018 and have been engaged in a process of bringing “Classic Plastic” into the new millennium. 

Form follows function. The previous owners enjoyed cruising and racing the boat. We elected to liveaboard, and intend to cruise. This meant that there would be a greater demand on the AC and DC power use. We wanted to upgrade the rudder to a more modern design that would allow better control of the vessel when backing under power and would diminish weather helm. We also felt that we needed to make the boat “ours” with some minor changes in décor that allowed the boat to feel more “homey” than her IOR Lead Mine sisters might have.

We opted not to make any changes in the boat for several months. This was intentional. It not only allowed us to begin a working budget, but allowed us to live with the boat as it came to us and to plan out changes that would suite our needs. Mary and I are tall people. Neither of us could be described as small people. We found that the table that ran from the mast to the galley offered ample opportunities for painful bruises and little room to move. We also realized that the oven had two settings: “hot” and “hotter than hell”. The first changes were to produce a table that could fold down around the keel stepped mast and to replace the stove. This made the boat immediately more comfortable.

The table was Frankensteined together from two existing tables. We had the large table that ran down the full length of the Salon and a smaller teak table that was in the navigation station. We opted to use elements of both tables to create a mast mounted table that could seat six people comfortably and could be folded out of the way as necessary. The table also housed the electronic compass that drove the autopilot.

The table folds down neatly and allows room enough for the two of us to move throughout the Salon. The table is held in place by friction with the rug. I have a bungee cord that I thought I would need to keep the leaves from opening while under way. This has never been an issue.

These, along with the dark blue rug and the lighter cushions, were the first changes that we made. Mary also fabricated a foam topper for our berth. All of the first changes were fairly minor, but resulted in a much more comfortable living space.

Next time we will discuss the rudder and electrical upgrades. Thanks for spending a few moments with us. Please take a moment to join our mailing list. Feel free to leave a comment or a question.

A Beginning

Have you ever thought, "If I could only [fill in the blank]..."? Of course you have. That is the human condition. We are by nature dreamers. We long for something that is just out of our reach. We are restless. But we also crave security. We are aware the risks come with daring. And so most of us lead lives of relative comfort that is mortgaged by our dreams. While vivid in our imagination, our dreams remain largely unrequited. This is the cost of comfort.

One day, I was with my wife, Mary, and she saw the look on my face as I was watching the sunset over the ocean. She asked what I was thinking. I responded, "I miss sailing." That offhand comment began a change in our lives' trajectory. A year later we were living on our floating tiny home, Tiburón.

Tiburón is an Ericson 39, built almost fifty years ago. She has undergone substantial upgrades, which will be outlined in other posts. We have sailed this boat in the Santa Barbara Channel for just over a year, with out two cats, Selene and Aurora. We will continue to make upgrades, inclusive of solar and wind power generation, a new staysail, and a self-steering windvane system. We are also working on upgrading our navigational skills. Both Mary and I grew up sailing. Much of what you will find here will document how we are rediscovering our skills.

I am not a romantic about the ocean. I know that it is bigger and badder than I will ever be. I don't approach blue water cruising with a naive sense of entitlement. I know that the ocean can swallow my boat - and Mary and me with it - in a heartbeat. But the ocean still beckons.

To reference Christian Williams: Throw off the docklines. Our boats will takes us wherever we wish, if we only trust them.