Boat Age Reality Check

[Ron Hill]

Guys : The MK I C34s are 30 &+ years old !!  The MKII C34s are not that far behind at 20 &+ years old!  The OEM on board is starting to wear out!! So don't be surprised when items fail!!

Recent posts on the fresh and raw water strainer bowls are good examples : 
If you get a crack in the fresh water bowl or bad gasket you'll have to shut down that system.  You can always drink bottled water when the fresh water system is shut down, but no more showers /washing dishes!!  If the impeller can't draw in raw water you won't be able to run the engine and you can sail back to the dock!!

I mention this so you-all start to think about what kind of OEM spares you need to keep on board as well as a possible backup system.  As an example, I replumbed my fresh water system so I could flip a valve and use the foot pump to have fresh water in the galley sink if the electric pump failed. 

The bottom line is that the OEM will wear out!!  Just be prepared!! 

A few thoughts

[Noah]

Good advice Ron. But also be aware, not only do the 30 yr. old OEM parts fail. The saying "they don't make things the way they used to"—has proven to be true many times on my boat—that I have refitted with "new stuff"—which has subsequently failed before I expected it to. The latest example is my 6-year-old, B&G Zeus Touch 12 in. MFD. It refuses to turn-on anymore. B&G factory service won't touch it, they told me to buy a new one for $4,000. Two local B&G licensed repair shops wouldn't open it up" saying they don't do inside the box repairs...". So now it is on my brother's workbench in Berkeley. He is an electrical engineer and all m-around fix-it guy. He has had it apart for a month now... "checking it out".  He is "planning to start replacing suspect capacitors inside next..." I am giving a couple more weeks for his Hail Mary revival, Then I am biting the bullet and buying a new VERY EXPENSIVE replacement. I am stuck with B&G due to integration with the rest of my gear.

[Ron Hill]

Noah : "They don't make them like they used to" is an understatement!!!   Beside the addons we have installed - I'm especially addressing the OEM parts that C34 owners think will just keep on working forever - I'm talking about the simple essential systems parts!! 

This all need to be a heads up and think -- "What If" and have a backup plan!! 

I've done it, but is not fun - "Sailing back to the Dock"!  As I told my 1st Mate when she asked "Are we going to practice this?" My answer was, "No this is like a wheels up landing - No Practice"!!!   

A few thoughts

[Stu Jackson]

Why is this such a surprise?  It shouldn't be. 

We have been doing preventative maintenance and spares assembly on our boat since we bought her.  I've installed three exhaust risers, replaced ALL the hoses (engine water and exhaust, and plumbing), replaced the head, rebuilt raw water pump(s), replaced a stud for the raw water pump in the gear case cover, installed a new muffler, and probably a couple of other things.

We also added lighting to the cabin on our Mark I above the galley sink and saloon table. I've added and then replaced three stereos (our boat didn't have one when we bought it from the PO who had it for 12 years - they watched TV).

I completely refurbished the electrical system.

It's all part of the journey.   

And many and repeated thanks to Ron Hill who wrote up so much of it so I didn't have to reinvent the wheel.