Ericson 32-3
Built 1985–? by Ericson Yachts
About the Ericson 32-3
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1985–?
- Builder
- Ericson Yachts
- Designer
- Bruce King
- Length
- 32.5 ft
- Waterline
- 25.83 ft
- Beam
- 10.83 ft
- Draft
- 6 ft
- Displacement
- 9,800 lb
- Ballast
- 4,200 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass
- Hull / keel
- fin keel
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 22 gal
- Holding
- 17 gal
- Stern thruster
- none
Sources disagree on water tank — left blank rather than guessed.
Bruce King's 1985 Ericson 32 (called 32-3 by sailboatdata); Practical Sailor says it ran about four years with more than 700 built. Keel-stepped mast. Deep fin standard; shoal (4.33 ft) and wing (4.42 ft) keels and a tall rig optional. The 32-200 (1988) shares hull dimensions and is listed with a Universal M25XP; sailboatdata says renamed Ericson 333 later. Main water tank size disputed (see disputed); optional 20 gal forward tank per PS. Aluminum fuel tank.
Known problems for this model
-
Hull oilcanning forward hull
Some owners report the hull flexing in the large unsupported area forward above the V-berth in heavy seas, enough to pop interior trim loose.practical-sailor.com
-
Balsa-cored deck deck
Decks are end-grain balsa cored with plywood in high-load spots, so leaks at hardware can lead to delamination; check with a moisture meter.practical-sailor.com
-
Keel bolts through the TAFG grid hull
The external lead keel is bolted through the bonded Tri-Axial Force Grid liner; the grid must stay bonded to the hull, and keel bolt condition is worth inspecting.practical-sailor.com
-
Gelcoat flaws and thin glass at sharp mold turns hull
Owners of both the 1969 and 1985 designs report gelcoat defects and thin laminate at tight mold corners.practical-sailor.com
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Rubber rubrail replacement other
The rubber rubrail deteriorates with age and matching molding can be hard to source.practical-sailor.com
Engines & parts
Universal M-25 / M-25XP / M-25XPB parts: good
Factory standard engine — you entered “Universal M25XP”
Marinized Kubota blocks with plenty of parts support: the M-25 is based on the Kubota D850 and the M-25XP on the Kubota D950 (B7200 tractor engine), so many internal parts can be bought through Kubota/tractor channels for far less than marine prices. Kubota dealers need the block model/serial, which is often painted over, so cross-referencing can be hit or miss. Some marine parts (e.g., gear case cover) are no longer made.
Parts sources: Westerbeke / Universal (factory parts store), Kubota USA parts lookup
Common problems (2)
-
Discontinued marine parts and Kubota cross-reference engine
Owners struggle to cross Universal part numbers to Kubota numbers and find certain covers and marine-specific parts discontinued.forums.sailboatowners.com · ericsonyachts.org
-
Repower fit questions engine
Owners of older Catalina 30s ask whether an M-25XP drops in; it generally fits but couplers and mounts may differ.facebook.com
Model sources (3)
Other Ericson models
- Ericson 27 1971–1978
- Ericson 30+ 1979–?
- Ericson 35-2 1969–1982
- Ericson 38 ?–1987
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.