WHY BUY AN ERICSON?
* Beautiful inside & out!
* Too many sailboats feel like walking into a cave. Ericsons have airy, cozy interiors that feel like you're still outside due to the huge companionway, big windows, and skylight! Not the mention the lovely brightwork (wood).
* Sails great!!
* We've lived on Ericson sailboats for over 10 years now. They are a great liveaboard, cruiser, day sailer, probably even racer. They are known for being strong, well built, fast boats that have stood the test of time.
WHY BUY AN ERICSON FROM THE 70's?
* One of the safest sailboats around!
* You'll never have bolt-on keel problems because the keel is completely glassed in. The hull is all in one piece. This was before manufacturers figured out how little fiberglass they could get away with using, so the hull is ultra thick. Running into a reef is never something you want to do (for the record, we never have), but if you must, better to do it in a 70's Ericson. Once the 80's came around, they started bolting on the keels and making the hull thinner (on most sailboats, not just Ericsons).
WHY BUY THIS ERICSON?
* We are liveaboards so it's been constantly inhabited. No long winters spent moldering in moisture unattended. We’ve sized up to a bigger boat but this one will be sorely missed.
* We're emotionally attached to this boat and sad to see it go. If you have any questions about the Hot Tamale after you buy it we'd be happy to answer them because we want to see it live its best life.
* We used a composting toilet so you will notice zero holding tank smell. We are re-installing the original freshwater head, but if you are interested in composting toilets (not for the faint of heart but they have their benefits), we could negotiate an install. It is already set up for it.
* We are honest folks and will tell you all the problems we know of. We have a detailed record of the repairs, maintenance, and upgrades we have done over the last seven years: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c1CehzwzrStv3Rth6Z_t7x33vxT4R7OV_XKfJ0DwtjI/edit?usp=sharing
* Luxury 8” memory foam mattress from Mattress Insider (~$900 value) is likely to be the most comfortable thing you’ve ever laid on.
* Rule 1100 maintenance pump (installed 2024) and alarmed Rule 4000 “crash” pump with premium float switch (installed 2020, barely ever used) give you maximum bilge pumping power in the event of taking on water.
* Just look at it!! We love the Federal Yellow color so much we asked Cabrillo Boat Shop if they could paint our next boat like that. Turns out, it costs over $10k... more than we're even asking for the Hot Tamale. We will sorely miss coming home to the Hot Tamale but after seven years it was time for us to upgrade to a bigger boat.
* Repaint the deck, and you'll have the sexiest sailboat in the entire marina (in my opinion).
* We have a survey from 2019 we can share. If you don’t feel like paying for a surveyor, you can probably use this survey for slip and insurance (they usually just want one from from the last 10 years)
Note the low price is because the inboard currently doesn’t turn over. It was quoted a rebuild: one of the three cylinders wasn’t firing, but now the new starter won’t engage. See the Google Doc linked above for more detailed explanations.
The boat is outboard-powered now, outboard to come (Tohatsu 9.9 2-stroke, with bracket and wedge to come). The nice part about having an outboard mount is you are never more than a few hundred bucks away from repowering your boat if the engine fails (as all engines eventually do).
CC Marine recommended a $20K rebuild for the inboard, but there may be other, cheaper mechanics to get a second opinion from. If we were continuing to live on this boat and wanted an inboard, I would remove the Yanmar entirely and the diesel tank (currently dry so that job is half done for you) and buy a Thunderstruck electric inboard kit. You now have an inboard with barely any moving parts that will thrive on neglect and far outlast any combustion engine in existence. We found someone skilled who has done this before and could connect you with them... they seem happy to give advice.
Alternatively, just don't do anything to it and use the outboard. The boat is good to go as is!