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Hi, in my slow moving progress on restoring my boat I have the engine out and am working on new mounts. After getting everything cleaned up I noticed some cracking of the engine beds. From what I have read these are typically oak with gelcoat and maybe a little glass over them? Does that sounds right? Just wondering if this cracking is superficial and nothing to worry about or if I need to grind it all out and reglass it.

https://imgur.com/a/bn7z8cE

Sorry, new to this and figuring out how to post images. see if this works.
1987 Catalina 34
Hull 401

https://imgur.com/a/4Tist6U

Hi,

I pulled my prop shaft to clean things up, replace the cutlass bearing, assess the stuffing box, motor mounts are on the list etc. Unfortunately once the stuffing box came out I found the shaft log completely worn away on the bottom. Honestly I'm a bit surprised it didn't sink. Any insight on repair? Can I just bore it out and epoxy a new one in place or do I need to grind all the glass inside the hull back and re build it up with the new one in place?

Was yours rated that way?  Were you present at the survey?

Yes and Yes. Cutlass bearing and a broken thru-hull were a must replace before launch and mounts were a high priority because they are completely rusted and deteriorating. One of them has a nut that worked its way almost off years ago and rusted in place. I need to clean up the oil pan, replace cutlass bearing, rebuild water pump etc so it's all going to happen as part of the initial engine overhaul that will hopefully carry me through for many trouble free years to come.

I don't see any specs that mention an elongated hole in one of the mount holes.

Do the 75's have an elongated hole? I feel like I read that this was a problem for some people but can be modified.

Hi Everyone,

I just bought a 1987 C-34 yesterday which is a nice upgrade from our '85 C-25 I have had for 6 years. Survey recommended new motor mounts amongst many other things. I have been reading everything I can and  see mixed reviews on the Vetus mounts but K75's seem favorable. A little negativity on the DF-2205-2 which looks like a knockoff of the Westerbeke part at 1/4 of the price. I emailed a rep from Venus about their take on the K50 vs K75 and he recommended the KSTEUN40A which is designed "for the modern 3cyl". It's double the price of the others so just wondering if anyone has tried these, I don't see any previous discussion about them.

others who say 40 deg is the best they can do.

40 deg, maybe a little better, is about it for the best speed for Shamrock, will point higher but loose speed.  You may find this interesting.  See the links for racing certificate, I think I've seen more speed/wind angle graphs.  It maybe worth a search for you. 

https://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,11290.msg90552.html#msg90552

Jim

Thanks Jim, not the supportive answer I was hoping to hear but what I figured the answers would be.

Justin,

I used to race Top Gun in a "fairly" stock class but there are still a number of things you can do to make the boat point higher and go faster. But like all forms of racing it just depends on how serious you want to get. If you want to point better on the cheap simply loosen the rear lower mast shrouds then crank down the fronts followed by loosening the forestay while cranking down the rear which will put a slight bow in the mast. You'll be amazed at how much better the boat will point. But in racing it's usually not just one thing but a combination of things required to achieve the desired performance. Also a lighter boat is a faster boat that will tack and jibe quicker. And you can lock the prop straight up and down. After that things begin to get more expensive like an actual backstay adjuster, a new set of sails with a loose foot full batten main and a 155% deck sweeper jib, etc. I don't recall the actual improvement in degrees but it did point significantly higher making it faster against the field.

Thanks, I appreciate you insight. I did a lot of fiddling with my 25 with mast rake, prebend, forestay tension etc. I had an excellent skipper tell me that calling the wind and side of the course is far more important than minuscule adjustments on the boat especially in a PHRF fleet.

My biggest concern is a hopelessness due to the design of the boat and things that become out of my control unless I want to buy a new keel for example which is ridiculous.

Hi Everyone,

I have been searching around the forum and am sure it's been covered 1000 times but I can't find what I'm looking for.

I am in the process of acquiring a '87 C-34 WK. I used to race my C-25 FK and performed well to my PHRF rating. I read quite a bit that the WK doesn't point as high and may slip sideways more etc. Just wondering if I can get an idea from everyone who has more experience on the boat how close hauled you can make it in relation to the apparent wind. In my C-25 I could ride right at 30 deg apparent. Iv read C-34 people stating that they can do 15 deg which means they didn't understand the question and others who say 40 deg is the best they can do.

Especially interested if anyone has any racing experience but I am also happy to grab info from day sailors. I love the boat but this is my biggest holdup as it was what I used my C-25 for 80% of the time. I just have a wife and 2 young children to keep happy and want to do more short term cruising.