Design and Construction
The hull is solid fiberglass laid up with vinylester resin for maximum blister protection. The deck is balsa cored, with plywood reinforcement in high-load areas.
Ericson’s Tri-Axial Force Grid, a system of transverse floors and longitudinal stringers, stiffens the hull and carries the extreme loads imposed by the mast and keel. It also anchors the chainplate attachments, creating a unitized structure. The keel is externally fastened through both the hull and grid with stainless steel bolts.
At the hull-to-deck joint, a small molded bulwark is backed by alternating layers of mat and cloth glassed in place. The rudder has a foam core and a fiberglass skin draped around a 3½-inch stainless steel stock.
Inside, separate fiberglass moldings form the berth supports, settees, head compartment, and galley counters. This approach keeps the interior construction honest and repairable.
Rig, Handling, and Sailing Performance
The 380 is a masthead sloop with a double-spreader mast and boom finished in white polyurethane. The chainplates are set well inboard for tight sheeting angles, and the mast and boom are finished in white polyurethane. A removable inner forestay is optional for crews wanting storm-jib capability.
The midboom mainsheet and all halyards lead aft through Harken stoppers to the cockpit, allowing a short-handed crew to handle them from the helm. Harken self-tailing sheet winches can also be trimmed easily from that position. In testing, the Whitlock steering system felt tight and positive.
Under sail, hull No. 22 carried a full-batten main and 130-percent roller-furling genoa. On a close reach, it made just under 6 knots in 10 knots of wind and sliced through chop without pounding. Hard on the wind, it accelerated past 6 knots and tacked cleanly through less than 80 degrees. Off the wind, it maintained steerage and around 5 knots. The helm was balanced enough for the boat to track true for minutes unattended.
Cockpit, Deck, and Interior
The cockpit is comfortable and functional, though not spacious. A starboard-side locker is enormous, with room for a rolled-up inflatable. A sleek molded swim platform blends into the sheer rather than protruding astern, and its deep ladder folds into the aft rail.
Below, teak trim and veneered bulkheads over fiberglass and Formica give the interior a bright finish. Zippers in the vinyl headliner provide access.
Forward is a double berth, with two hanging lockers and drawers below. In the saloon, settees face a large drop-leaf table that wraps around the mast. An aft-facing navigation station to starboard uses the settee as its seat.
The galley to port is compact but functional. It includes two stainless steel sinks, a Force 10 two-burner stove with oven, and a well-insulated icebox. Opposite is a modular fiberglass head with a separate shower stall.
The owner’s stateroom is aft to port, with its double berth beneath the cockpit. Three opening portlights into the cockpit provide light and ventilation.
Engine, Tankage, and Systems
A Yanmar 3JH2E three-cylinder, 38-horsepower, freshwater-cooled diesel sits on laminated stringers above a molded drip pan. Access beneath the companionway is excellent, and the stuffing box can be reached through a hatch in the aft cabin.
The aluminum fuel tank holds 40 gallons, giving a realistic motoring range of 350–400 miles. Three water tanks provide substantial capacity: 287 gallons beneath the port settee, 33 in the starboard cockpit locker, and an optional 47 under the forward berth.
A hinged electrical panel opens for inspection, revealing neatly bundled wiring. Beneath the galley sinks is a bronze freshwater manifold, and bronze seacocks are fitted throughout.
Verdict
The Ericson 380 is a thoughtfully engineered cruiser that combines King’s clean hull form with Ericson’s grid-structured construction. It sails easily, can steer itself when properly balanced, and offers a practical three-cabin interior. Serious tankage and bronze seacocks reflect an emphasis on long-term ownership. The cockpit is the only concession to size, trading sprawl for function.
Pros
- Unitized Tri-Axial Force Grid with anchored chainplates and a keel bolted through the grid and hull
- Solid vinylester hull for blister resistance, plus a balsa-cored deck with plywood reinforcement
- Balanced helm, clean tacking through less than 80 degrees, and no forefoot pounding
- All halyards and the mainsheet led aft, with sheet winches that can be trimmed from the helm
- Large water capacity and bronze seacocks throughout
Cons
- Comfortable but not spacious cockpit
- Compact galley
- Inner forestay for heavy-weather rigging available only as an option
