Hello Brent, h ere is my $0.02:
I have a 1980 C&C 34 full keel that I have raced offshore a few times. So
far, the longest race is has been the Oregon Offshore Race (OOR), which goes
from the mouth of the Columbia Ri ver to Victoria BC; done it twice . Not any
significant offshore experience, really. But the boat has been very
satisfactory. As others have mentioned, do a thorough check of the rigging,
hull and deck. Th e deck is balsa cored and there are hundreds of bolts
holding deck hardware down ; n one of the bolt holes were properly fabricated
so each one is a potential leak path for water to get into the balsa core. Th
e rod rigging on this boat is relatively lightly loaded compared to other
boats, so it might be OK after all these years, but don' t trust it without a
professional-grade check. Th e main bulkheads (one partial blkhd on stbd and
one partial blkhd on port) just forward of the mast are the greatest structural
weakness in these 34s. They are only bonded to the hull with tabbing; the top
is loosely captured in grooves in the headliner and is not bonded to the deck.
Th e tabbing at the bilge level on the stbd side tore loose on my boat and I
had to re-tab it. Worse than that, the tops of the two bulkhead panels start
shifting inward at the top, sliding in the groove. The hull is showing dimples
just under the gunwale where the tabbing is pulling the balsa- cored hull
inward, following the bulkhead. Mine have moved approximately 1/2-inch
toward the center of the boat at the top. They are captive in the groove and
do not seem to be under high enough load to cause the plywood to deform
diaphragmatically, although the top inward corner of the plywood that is
pressing into the end of the groove in the headliner is showing some signs of
slight crushing. (My winter project is to analyze the stress paths and see
about correcting the hull deformation by doing something to make the two
partial bulkheads stay in their original pos it ion .)
That said, I do feel that my 34 would be OK for a passage to Hawaii, because of
the work I' ve done to it. Drilling out the bolt holes in the deck, f illing
with epoxy/cabosil and re-drilling, adding backing plates under the k eel bolt
nuts, adding two layers of 10-oz cloth and West System resin on the hull from
the waterline down, rebuilding the rudder, adding an epoxy/ glass reinforcement
to the keel joint, changing thru-hulls, checking the hull coring for moisture,
doing a thorough NDT inspection of the rod rigging and threaded parts, keeping
up with replacement of running rigging , upgrading the electrical with marine
grade, replacing hoses, upgrading the propane system, etc. The amount of
maintenence on these old boats is not insignificant ; roughly $15 k per year
(including sail replacement) . M ake sure the previous owner has kept it up.
Keep in mind, when you are out in the ocean, the time you spend sailing is
more likely to be in light winds than a gale. Th e 34 is easily driven at 4 to
5 kn ots, a great light air boat, and yet, when I've been caught in 40 knot
winds, the boat still makes headway well enough although the toe rail is at
the water . We often encounter 25 to 28 knots on the nose in the OOR, and w
ith the 98% carbon fiber blade and the kevlar main with one reef, I've
maintained 6 knots close-hauled to weather going up the Washington coast . My
race crews (personnel changes every year) always say the 34 is a great boat to
sail on. Maybe that's because I buy them lots of beer...
I'd venture to say the 34 is not a blue water cruiser that you can take thru a
hurricane , but it is in the middle of the FRP boat class, maybe upper half.
And, as with all old boats, check it out thoroughly.
Hope this helps,
Jim Calnon
C&C 34 Katzenjammer
>--------------------------------------------
>Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 21:26:26 -0500
>From: Brent Driedger < bren...@highspeedcrow.ca >
>To: C&C List Canada < cnc-list@cnc-list.com >
>Subject: Stus-List C&C 34
>Message-ID: < 52703548-187d-487e-af56-6119d98b0...@highspeedcrow.ca >
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii\
>
>Good evening.
>One of my crew has made an offer to purchase a C&C 34 with a centreboard. I'm
>guessing a very early 80s variety. I'm really unfamiliar >with these boats.
>This guy is very enthusiastic about cruising, in his 2nd year of sailing and
>spent his first winter doing 7/10 of the great >loop solo in a Paceship 26.
>His latest project is to take this C&C 34 across the Atlantic to Europe. This
>wouldn't be my first choice of boat for deep ocean conquests >but I'm
>interested to know the opinions from owners etc. on how worthy a 34 cb is as a
>blue water solo boat. Am I under estimating its >capabilities or should I
>provide him with caution.
>
>Cheers
>Brent
>27-5
>Lake Winnipeg
>--------------------------------------------
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