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316

Main Message Board / Re: Introduction: Looking at C34MkII this afternoon

« on: May 30, 2016, 06:43:36 PM »

Thanks, Dave. That rate is a good reference point. I'll call the marina tomorrow and get their rates. For our revised offer we've taken out the request that they paint the near-bare bottom. It simplifies the ownership logistics, and allows us to control paint selection and other quality issues. Unless I get other advice, we'll do sea trial without paint, then haul her back out to await the surveyor's report and to get insurance finalized prior to closing.

Since I've always been a DIY type, I'll consider maybe painting myself, but if I can get a rate of $21/ft or less (since boat will already be on the hard) I might just have the yard do it this time to expedite things. We'll see.

I plan to move her to Rock Hall when we take possession, so we'll be across the bay from you. I've spent a lot of time in your area, though. As a kid I spent summers with my grandparents in Deale, and also last summer my friend gave me and my wife full use of her Mason 44 in Galesville. She quickly became my BFF  ;-)  But frankly, we like Catalinas better for bay sailing, because Masons really are meant to go a thousand miles in one direction. The Bay is a little too narrow for them.   

317

Main Message Board / Re: Introduction: Looking at C34MkII this afternoon

« on: May 30, 2016, 12:54:31 PM »

The harness is always an issue on any boat because of the connectors.  Trailer connectors or Gummy Bears, take your pick.  While I don't have a Mark II, I am pretty sure they exist, unless the factory started building them with hard wired connectors, which I doubt.

Any Mark II skippers out there? 

Good luck on the purchasing process.  We had a Catalina 25 SRFK for 13 years before we bought our 34.

Thanks for the clarification, Stu. I have seen you on the C25 message board many times.

This sounds to me like the connectors can wear out, so no matter how good the original design was, they need to be checked periodically. Is the correct, or did I misunderstand (again)? Also, not to be dense, but what are Gummy Bears? I've done enough trailering that I have a mental picture of trailer connectors.

318

Main Message Board / Re: Introduction: Looking at C34MkII this afternoon

« on: May 30, 2016, 09:31:10 AM »

Offer is placed verbally. Waiting for YBAA documents to sign to place it formally.

319

Main Message Board / Re: Introduction: Looking at C34MkII this afternoon

« on: May 30, 2016, 06:26:03 AM »

I am used to doing it myself, including bottom paint on my current boat. But in this case I think I need to hire it out. The boat is 3+ hours away from my home, and there would be housing costs for a multi-day trip. Also, I'd be on the hook for yard storage costs while I'm doing this work. So I think I'm going to have it done for me.

The boat has been almost stripped of bottom paint. I don't think it's clean as soda blasting would have it, but there's more white than blue showing. Not sure why the owner did this, but it was done recently, because there's less paint on it than in the listing pictures.

I need to discuss the paint with the broker, since the boat should not go into the water for sea trial without bottom paint. That means painting it before I own it, which means it needs to be worked out with the owner. It just does not make sense to get a nice, clean, dry hull wet with salt water before painting it. If the owner fails to sell it by his deadline and takes the boat ~700 miles to his new location, he's going to need bottom paint anyway.

FYI, I did not see any sign of barrier coat under the paint, but I don't think it's needed for vinylester resin. I've never heard any reports of blisters on boats made after Catalina switched chemistry. My 1998 vintage C250 has no blisters, and no barrier coat. I did not see any signs of blisters on this boat.

I've done a little sewing for my current boat, but have neither the skills or equipment to do this job myself. So that will be hired out also.

DIY jobs have a way of taking longer than expected, and these are two things the I'd like to have done ASAP before/after taking posession.

FYI, last night I sent messages to the broker that I want to make an offer, but have not heard back from her yet.

320

Main Message Board / Re: Introduction: Looking at C34MkII this afternoon

« on: May 29, 2016, 10:05:22 PM »

It's a Mark II, so alternator bracket and traveler are NOT issues.  Harness?  Always. But Mark IIs all had voltmeters.

OK, now I'm confused. The harness upgrade looks like it is not needed for 1993 model year and later:

With the introduction of the 1993 models, there were numerous changes in the harness and panel system, so many in fact that a new style panel carries a label identifying it as a "Type "A" High Efficiency Panel"...
...No boats manufactured prior to the 1993 model year came from the factory with the high efficiency panel. Therefore, all 1992 and earlier models would benefit from the installation of the retrofit kit...
...The upgrade consists of 3 different items depending on your needs. Kit "A" is for 1970's through 1987 model boats, and contains a voltmeter, 2 termstrips, a charging terminal, step-by-step instructions and wiring diagrams (cost: $50). Kit "B" is for 1988 through 1992 boats that already have a voltmeter, and contains all the items mentioned above except the meter (cost: $20).

So why is the harness "always" a problem for 2001 vintage boats?

321

Main Message Board / Re: Introduction: Looking at C34MkII this afternoon

« on: May 29, 2016, 06:22:21 PM »

I had all my dodger glass replaced with strato glass about 2 years ago for $700.  The work was very high quality.

Thank you for that helpful and timely information. It really helps me with adjusting my offer for potential "as is/where is" acceptance proposal.

That's the same reason I'm looking for a ballpark estimate for a bottom job.

322

Main Message Board / Re: Introduction: Looking at C34MkII this afternoon

« on: May 29, 2016, 05:56:15 PM »

Quick question for any of you in the Chesapeake Bay area:

What's a rough cost (materials and labor) for a boatyard to paint a C34MkII? The boat I'm considering has had most of the bottom paint removed, and definitely needs it. Owner says he will take the boat to Maine if it does not sell by his deadline, so he will need bottom paint anyway. I plan to ask him to have the yard do it before survey/sea trial since then we would not have to re-haul it to do it afterwards. Just in case it become a negotiation, I'd like a rough idea of the cost.

On my C250 I've always painted my own bottom, so only incurred cost was a gallon of paint. I have no idea how this would translate to a pro job with a C34. I assume it's about two gallons of paint, but don't really know labor rates.

323

Main Message Board / Re: Introduction: Looking at C34MkII this afternoon

« on: May 29, 2016, 07:17:28 AM »

Thanks for all the advice. Please keep it coming. I should have mentioned already, the boat is hull #1535.

I will check the critical upgrades again once I have some time to sit down (there are other things I need to do today). The first time I tried to go through it last week, it seemed like rough going because there were a lot of things that were not specific to later model boats. IIRC, there were also some things that were more maintenance than upgrades. Is there a quick way to filter down to the items for later hull numbers? Or, if you want to spoon feed me, post links of the appropriate posts.

One of my biggest concerns is just that the boat has sat unused for two winters and a full sailing season. Things dry out and leave residue, rubber part get hard and crack, etc. Are there some generic things that I can expect to happen? A good surveyor should be able to pick these things up, but this group's knowledge is more specific.

I assume that a new raw water impeller is a given. Is there a list here showing part number for routine things like this.

Broker has given me a list of recommended surveyors, but I've been warned about using the broker's recommendation. So a surveyor recommendation for the Annapolis, MD area would be very helpful.

I may delay an offer until going to see the boat a second time (with critical upgrade list in hand). Due to work schedule, that would be next Friday or Saturday. Not sure yet.

324

Main Message Board / Re: Introduction: Looking at C34MkII this afternoon

« on: May 28, 2016, 09:09:02 PM »

Just a quick reply back:

This 2001 vintage boat appeared to be in generally good shape, but not as pristine as I would have kept her. Apparently she has been on the market for over a year, but according to the broker there were no lookers because she was overpriced. She says that a recent price reduction has brought some lookers but no offers yet.

The owners (who have not registered their HIN here) apparently moved away a year ago and have had the boat on the hard ever since. Owners cannot use her in their new location due to very shallow water, but she says that they will move the boat closer to home to market her if not sold by July 1. It sounds like they may be motivated to sell. It looks like they did some upgrades and replacements a couple years ago, but I believe the boat does not show as well as it should because that's what happens when you're out of town and ignore the boat for a year. It does have a custom canvas cover which may have helped things in storage a little. But I'm told the cover is only a couple years old, so she may not have been fully covered earlier in its life.

There were two significant cosmetic issues: 1) The dodger and bimini were not serviceable - severely yellowed Eisenglass that was cracked in places with many zippers that had become unstitched, and 2) a lot of crazing on all the acrylic hatches - both the horizontal ones and the opening side ports. The broker said that there is a guy up the road who replaces Eisenglass and restitches at very low cost with only a couple hours wait. My response will be, "OK, since it's so easy, please have that done before the surveyor comes." Dodger/bimini/connector are very important to my wife and me, because baking in the sun spoils the fun of sailing, and the dodger buys an extra month or so at each end of the season. Regarding the crazing on the hatches, while I wish it had not happened, I assume it's normal for a boat this age, and I've seen some websites showing how to polish it out. I'm not going to ask seller to do anything about that, instead it will go on my own list (unless you guys suggest otherwise).

As you can tell, I'm leaning toward making an offer on this boat, just trying to pull together Soldboats data to help decide how much to offer as a starting point. I believe that the boat does not show as well as it could, so I think I can get a pretty good price on her. If not, I'll use my current boat this summer and wait until end of season to get serious (which was my original plan anyway). Owners did just have the boat "detailed," which appeared to be a pretty superficial cleanup which missed a lot of things. But the hull is nice and shiny, and the bottom well prepped for a coat of bottom paint.

By the way, we have talked ourselves out of naming the boat "Second Wind" (too many other boats by the same name). I'll be looking to change my user ID at some point in the future.

325

Main Message Board / Introduction: Looking at C34MkII this afternoon

« on: May 28, 2016, 09:34:57 AM »

Hi all, I am current owner of Take Five, 1998 Catalina 250WK. We are driving down to see a nicely equipped C34MkII this afternoon. We've discussed when and how to upsize for 6 years, and it sounds like my wife is ready to let me pull the trigger on this if it's in nice condition.

I'm open to suggestions on what to look for this afternoon.