At 25 feet 4 inches, with a beam of more than 9 feet and a displacement of 5,000 pounds, the fiberglass 25+ is no trailer-sailer, despite being described as trailerable. King, who shaped much of the marque’s output from the late 1960s onward, gave it his signature “delta” fin keel and a high-aspect 7/8 sloop rig. Owners and the designer alike credit the combination with lively performance.
Design and Construction
The 25+ has a solid, hand-laid fiberglass hull with an external molded flange. The deck, cockpit, and cabin trunk are balsa-cored, with plywood replacing the balsa in high-stress areas beneath the deck-stepped mast and around deck hardware.
Practical Sailor found the exterior fiberglass work clean, with little roving printthrough, and noted that the cored deck gave a remarkably solid feel, without the sponginess often found in small boats. Inside, a molded fiberglass body pan is glassed to the hull to support the furniture and stiffen the structure.
The hull-to-deck joint uses a secondary chemical bond between flanges bedded in glass-reinforced polyester resin. Four layers of mat and cloth lap the joint on the inside, while a plastic extrusion with a soft insert caps it outside and serves as a rub rail.
Below the waterline, every through-hull has a Zytel reinforced-plastic valve. Most hoses are double-clamped, although the icebox drain has only a single clamp.
Rig and Sailing Performance
King’s delta fin keel is central to the design. He states that the form has very low induced drag, and the boat’s behavior under sail reinforces that belief. Owners report that the 25+ is fast despite its chubby proportions.
The fractional rig and inboard chainplates allow narrow headsail sheeting, with the genoa track tucked almost against the cabin side. A full-width mainsheet traveler on the bridgedeck gives positive mainsail control, while the split backstay accepts an adjuster that can induce useful mast bend.
The mast is a black, deck-stepped extrusion set on a stainless step that looks surprisingly fragile. Because the rig is intended to be stepped by the owner, the forward lower section of the mast heel is cut away so the mast can pivot. That cutout greatly reduces the bearing surface. By contrast, the Navtec chainplates and terminals are heavily built and strongly tied to the hull.
There’s no main halyard winch, only a single mast-mounted unit. The boat also lacks a boom topping lift, an omission reviewers found hard to defend on a cruiser.
Cockpit and Deck Details
The cockpit drains through a single recessed 1-1/2-inch scupper. Its stainless strainer reduces the effective drainage area by more than half. The port cockpit locker is also poorly separated from the area beneath the cockpit.
The companionway slides are well made, but they can be lifted out with less than an inch of travel. The cockpit coamings leave space for secondary winches or larger primary winches.
Accommodations
Below, the 25+ is a genuine accomplishment for its length. The main cabin provides an honest 6 feet of headroom and is finished in off-white fiberglass and teak, with a teak-and-holly sole. Later-production boats also have teak strip ceilings.
Forward, the V-berth and filler form a nominal double, although two normal-sized adults won’t fit comfortably. Opposite the berth area, a proper enclosed stand-up head sits to starboard and includes an opening port; a teak-lined hanging locker is opposite.
The main-cabin settees seat six, and fold-down tables accommodate four. The starboard settee can be extended into a double berth, though doing so blocks access to the storage bins. A human-sized aft quarterberth to starboard has enough headroom to avoid the usual coffin-like feel and is the most comfortable berth aboard.
The L-shaped galley is to port at the companionway. It includes a recessed Kenyon two-burner alcohol stove and a five-cubic-foot icebox. The icebox insulation is exposed in the port locker, where it’s vulnerable to damage from stowed gear.
A proper bilge and polyethylene drop-in storage liners beneath the settees reflect practical thinking.
Power and Equipment
Engine choices were unusually broad for a boat of this size: an outboard, an OMC gas saildrive, a Volvo diesel saildrive, or a Yanmar inboard. All used a common 20-gallon aluminum tank. On outboard-powered boats, the space intended for an inboard becomes storage.
Later boats standardized two-speed Barient headsail winches as well as teak ceilings.
Evolution from the Mark I
The 25+ replaced the centerboard Mark I with a fin keel. It also gained length, beam, five feet of mast, and 23 percent more sail area. Average PHRF dropped from 234 to 213.
Known Issues
The stainless mast step looks fragile, and the mast heel’s pivot cutout reduces its bearing surface. Both deserve close attention when stepping the mast.
Cockpit drainage is limited by the single 1-1/2-inch scupper and its restrictive stainless strainer. The port cockpit locker is poorly separated from the under-cockpit area, while the exposed icebox insulation there can be damaged by gear. The companionway slides also lift out with less than an inch of travel.
The Verdict
The Ericson 25+ is a thoughtfully arranged small cruiser that offers more comfort and speed than its length might suggest. King’s delta keel and fractional rig provide responsive sailing, while the enclosed head, standing headroom, proper bilge, and usable quarterberth make the interior feel closer to that of a 30-footer than a 25-footer. Build quality is sound, and the deck structure is notably rigid.
Pros
- Low-drag delta fin keel and 7/8 rig make the boat quick and handy
- Enclosed stand-up head, 6-foot headroom, and roomy quarterberth are unusual at this size
- Clean glasswork with little printthrough and a rigid cored deck
- Broad choice of engines
- Later boats gained two-speed Barient headsail winches and teak ceilings
Cons
- Fragile-looking mast step with reduced bearing surface
- Cockpit drainage restricted by a single scupper with a strainer that more than halves its effective area
- No dedicated main-halyard winch or boom topping lift
- Port locker poorly separated from the under-cockpit area
- Exposed icebox insulation is vulnerable to stowed gear
- Companionway slides can lift out with less than an inch of travel
