Ericson Alberg---letters & photos & more old advertisements
Here are three good photos of the "split window" version of the old Ericson Albergs. This boat has been modified by adding wheel steering as seen in the second photo. The offset entry way is evident in the photo below---many thanks to Kevin in Tampa for sharing these photos of his beautiful boat as well as the items below that show the Pearson Alberg.
Below is the letter from engineer Roger Brown that I mentioned on page one of this site.
Enclosed are the earliest Ericson ads that I have. They come from an Ericson-produced scrapbook, and are quite possibly the first Ericson ads ever published. Ericson was founded in 1964, so the 1965 ads are pretty early in their history. I also found a newspaper article from 1970 discussing the origins of Ericson. My own recollection is that the first boat was the 32, which came from a Columbia plug that was "discovered" somewhere, although the article states that the 35 came first. I don't know who the designer of the 32 was, but it definitely has a Columbia look to it. I don't know much about the history of the first Ericson 35, but the article and the other letters in Latitude indicate that it is an Alberg hull with an Ericson designed deck. In looking at it, the house is reminiscent of a couple early King designs from about that same era - the Islander 37 and Ericson 30. Since the designer's name is conspicuously absent from the Ericson 32 & 35 ads, it supports the theory that these designs came from questionable origins. On the other hand, the Ericson 26 ads all mention Bill Crealock's name, and I believe that he was commissioned to design the 26 specifically for Ericson.
My recollection is that Ericson was founded by three individuals, at least one of whom came from Columbia. Curt Densmore, who was my mentor and historian, retired and moved back to Minnesota a few years ago. Jules Marshall currently has a powerboat building company in Perris, CA. called Navigator Yachts and would probably be the best possible source of more information, if you were able to get in touch with him. I don't recall the name of the third person.
I was chief engineer at Ericson from 1983 to shortly before their demise in 1990, so I am quite familiar with the more recent models but not as much so for the older models. Incidentally, we made a practice of destroying all obsolete plugs and molds to prevent the emergence of another company in the same way Ericson came about.
There is an excellent web site about Pearson Alberg 35 sailboats by Tom Alley in New York. In fact he has published the entire article from Good Old Boat magazine regarding the Ericson Alberg 35. http://www.alberg35.org/
This old Ad is from WINDWARD magazine in the July 1966 issue.
Below the photo is the text of the Ad.
The Ericson 35 has proved she's a racer! An Ericson 35 recently took first overall in the Santa Barbara Island Race (Bill Nevin's Babba II) while two other Ericson 35s were first and second in class in the Mackinac (Chas. Berc's Wildwind and Dave Howell's Decision).
But not only is the Ericson 35 a winner on performance, she's a winner on looks and comfort, too. the sleek fiberglass hull, streamlined cabin and teak trim exterior give her the looks that appeal to the skipper who loves to race, while the luxurious, spacious interior provides comfort for the off-duty crew that needs to relax.
"Races are won on the midwatch!" How often have you heard that expression? the Ericson 35 offwatch is the most comfortable ever. Deep foam bunks sleep seven smoothly. A gimballed two burner range with oven in a complete and convenient galley feeds the inner man quickly. Plenty of locker space, to stow away all that gear that finds its way aboard in a long race.
Even the most hard bitten skipper finds time for those memorable weekend cruises with the whole family. They, too, will find the same contentment below decks as the racing crew in an Ericson 35.
The Ericson 35 is a yacht to be enjoyed 24 hours a day. Step up! Make the Ericson 35 your choice!
This page was last updated on: December 5, 2008
RIGHT: The PEARSON ALBERG at anchor and a profile drawing as well. Note the different portlight treatment and the rounded rudder as opposed to the "squared off" rudder of the Ericson..(seen in the old AD elsewhere--the Doctor AD). the Ericson has 3 small portlights forward.
