Ericson Yachts
Ericson Yachts, Inc. was a pioneering builder of fiberglass yachts. Ericson is now out of business, but its designs have been reproduced periodically by other manufacturers.
Contents
History
Ray Handy and several other former employees of Pearson Yachts continued building the Pearson Alberg 30, after Pearson ordered the molds destroyed. The employees kept the molds and kept making the Albergs. They eventually formed Ericson Yachts in Costa Mesa, CA in the early '60's. Among the early team members were Jules Marshall, Kurt Densmore, and Bruce King with Don and Gene Kohlmann joining around 1964. The first Ericson boats were the 26 and the 30, and both began production in 1966.
The Pearson-Alberg 35 became the Ericson-Alberg 35. With the addition of Bruce King, other Ericson Sailboats became available in various lengths and designs. Designer Bruce P. King had a long and successful relationship with Ericson Yachts, starting with the Ericson 23, 30, 32 and 41 of the late 1960s.
A circa 1967 advertisement describes Ericson as a division of H&J Products, Inc. In 1971, the company was bought by CML Group, which was founded in 1969 by Charles M. Leighton and G. Robert Tod, the company name formed by Leighton's initials.
With the exception of a few forays into the cruising market with the clipper-bowed Cruising 31 and the Cruising 36 (both models later called Independence), the Ericson formula produced a well-finished cruiser-racer with good sailing characteristics.
The business entered into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the mid 1980s. CML sold off Ericson Yachts. CML's executives had decided that the yacht business was too cyclical to provide steady profitability.
Gene Kohlmann regained control of the company in 1984 and ran it with Don Kohlmann until 1990, when Don Kohlmann joined Pacific Seacraft and brought with him the molds for the Ericson 32-3/333, 34/350 and 38/380. Production of the latter two boats resumed in 1991, and in 1998 the Ericson 333 appeared for a short run. After Ericson became part of Pacific Seacraft in 1990, some Ericson designs were produced from 1990 to 1999, notably the Ericson 350 and Ericson 380.
Pacific Seacraft itself was purchased by Southern Californian businessman Jeffrey Emery in September 1998.
Ericson sailboats are enthusiastically still being sailed today.
Models
| Model | Years Built | Hull Numbers | LOA | LWL | Beam | Displacement | IOR | PHRF | CSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ericson 23 | 1968-1971 | 1-165 | 23' | 19' 6" | 7' 6" | 2,700 lbs. | 264 | 2.15 | |
| Ericson 23 II | 1974-1979 | 201-470 | 22' 11" | 19' 6" | 7' 11" | 3,100 lbs. | 222 | ||
| Ericson 25 | 1972-1978 | 1-384 | 24' 8" | 20' 10" | 8' 0" | 5,400 lbs. | 18.0 | 1.82 | |
| Ericson 25+ | 1979-1984 | 501-693 | 25' 5" | 21' 10" | 9' 3" | 5,000 lbs. | 204 | 2.16 | |
| Ericson 26 | 1966-1969 | 1-190 | 25' 10" | 21' 11" | 9' 2" | 5,250 lbs. | 234 | 2.12 | |
| Ericson 26 II | 1967-1968 | 1-11 | 25' 10" | 21' 11" | 9' 2" | 5,250 lbs. | 234 | 2.12 | |
| Ericson 26 III | 1984-? | 200-? | |||||||
| Ericson 26 IV (300s) | 1987-? | 300-? | |||||||
| Ericson 27 | 1971-1979 | 1-1302 | 26' 9" | 20' 6" | 9' 0" | 6,600 lbs. | 25 | 1.88 | |
| Ericson 28+ | 1980-1984 | 501-594 | 186 | ||||||
| Ericson 28 | 1985-? | 600-? | 28' 6" | 24' 2" | 10' 6" | 7,500 lbs. | 186 | 2.06 | |
| Ericson 29 | 1970-1979 | 2-626 | 28' 7" | 22' 0" | 9' 3" | 8,500 lbs. | 198 | ||
| Ericson 30 | 1966-1970 | 1-150 | 30' 3" | 23' 4" | 9' 6" | 7,800 lbs. | 26.5 | 192 | |
| Ericson 30 II | 1977-1979 | 1-47 | 29' 11" | 25' 4" | 10' 5" | 8,990 lbs. | 162 | ||
| Ericson 30+ | 1979-? | 501-? | 29' 11" | 25' 4" | 10' 6" | 9,000 lbs. | 162 | ||
| Ericson 31C | 1976-1978 | 1-25 | 30' 11" | 23' 11" | 10' 5" | 11,400 lbs. | 1.85 | ||
| Ericson 31 (Independence 31) | 1978-1981 | 26-71 | 30' 11" | 23' 11" | 10' 5" | 11,500 lbs. | 1.85 | ||
| Ericson 32 "Scorpion" | 1967-1967 | 1-24 | 32' 3" | 6' 3" | 198 | ||||
| Ericson 32 II | 1969-1978 | 101-573 | 9' 8" | 8,806 lbs. | 180 | ||||
| Ericson 32 III | 1985- | 601-? | 150 | ||||||
| Ericson 32 200 | 1988-? | ? | 32' 5" | 25' 9" | 10' 9" | 9,700 lbs. | 2.02 | ||
| Ericson 33 | 1981-1984 | 1-28 | 33' 0" | 26' 10" | 11' 2" | 9,500 lbs. | 25.2 | ||
| Ericson 333 | |||||||||
| Ericson 34-T | |||||||||
| Ericson 34 | 1987-1996 | 34' 10" | 123 | ||||||
| Ericson 35 | 1967-1968 | 1-45 | 34' 9" | ||||||
| Ericson 35 II | 1969-1981 | 102-612 | 34' 8" | 27' 10" | 10' 0" | 11,600 lbs. | 1.77 | ||
| Ericson 35 III | 1982- | 111-? | 35' 6" | 28' 4" | 11' 4" | 13,000 lbs. | 123 | 1.93 | |
| Ericson 36C | 1975-1977 | 1-66 | 36' 0" | 30' 0" | 12' 0" | 16,000 lbs. | |||
| Ericson 36 Ron Holland | 1979-1984 | 1-? | 35' 7" | 29' 0" | 11' 10" | 11,600 lbs. | |||
| Ericson 37 | 1973-1975 | 1-53 | 37' 5" | 28' 6" | 11' 4" | 16,000 lbs. | 120 | ||
| Ericson 38 | 1979-1987 | 1-126 | 37' 8" | 30' 6" | 12' 0" | 14,900 lbs. | |||
| Ericson 380 (Pacific Seacraft) | 1993-? | 1-26 | 37' 10" | 30' 6" | 12' 0" | 15,500 lbs. | 114 | ||
| Ericson 381 | 1982-1986 | 501-539 | 117 | ||||||
| Ericson 382 | 1985-1986 | 200-230 | |||||||
| Ericson 38 III | 1987-? | 231-? | |||||||
| Ericson 39 | 1970-1979 | 1-106 | 39' 0" | 30' 0" | 11' 4" | 19,000 lbs. | 108 | 1.69 | |
| Ericson 39B | 1974-1978 | 201-221 | 39' 0" | 30' 0" | 11' 4" | 22,000 lbs. | 108 | ||
| Ericson 39 SM | 1971-???? | 39' 0" | 30' 0" | 11' 4" | 19,000 lbs. | ||||
| Ericson 41 | 1967-1970 | 1-50 | 41' 4" | 29' 2" | 10' 8" | 17,800 lbs. | 150 | 1.64 | |
| Ericson 46 | 1971-1974 | 2-23 | 45' 10" | 35' 0" | 13' 3" | 31,500 lbs. | 72 |
Note: PHRF handicaps are based on Southern California PHRF Buoy ratings
- Ericson 33 - PHRF 126
- Ericson 33P - PHRF 120
- Ericson 34 - PHRF 123
- Ericson 34T - PHRF 144
- Ericson 35 - PHRF 150
- Ericson 35-1 - PHRF 192
- Ericson 35-2 - PHRF 150
- Ericson 35-3 - PHRF 123
- Ericson 36 - PHRF 102
- Ericson 36CR - PHRF 186
- Ericson 36M - PHRF 90
- Ericson 38 - PHRF 114
- Ericson 38+20 - PHRF 132
- Ericson 38-20 - PHRF 132
- Ericson 41S - PHRF 150
- Ericson 41T - PHRF 132
- Ericson 46-C - PHRF 81
Sources
- Hornor, Jack. "Ericson 38 - 2nd Time Around," Boat/US Magazine, May, 2002.
- "New Boat Review," Practical Sailor, 24(2), January 15, 1998.
- Southern California PHRF (Rating Board)
- Ericson Owner's History Webpage
- Ericson Discovers The Keys to Success
- Kretcschmer, John, Used Boat Notebook, Sheridan House, 2002 pages 101 -105
- Spurr, Daniel, Heart of Glass, McGraw Hill, 2000 pages 144, 239 - 240, 292 & 352.
- Jones, Gregory, The American Sailboat, MBI Publishing Co., 2002, ISNB 0-7603-1002-5 pgs 168 - 169
- Editors of Practical Sailor, Practical Boat Buying, Belvoir Books, 2003 ISBN 978-1879620728 pg 191
