Messages

Mike,
When I bought my new Instrument panel from Seaward Products I also purchased a brand new wiring harness (a little extended lenghth) because why not replace all of that 20+ year old wires. I would highly recommend the replacement with new wires. This makes the job easier and gives you the piece of mind that all of that wire is new and should be trouble free.  Also, as I recall, some of the old wire colors may be different so it is easier to install all new panels and wiring. Do it right the first time and you will be much happier going forward.

Regarding the stiff steering issue, I experienced this in the past where my wheel became very hard to turn and after lubricating and adjusting my quadrant cables still had the problem. Then I noticed some black crud falling out of the steering wheel hub. I sprayed with WD 40 and and worked the wheeling back and forth to work in the lubrication and my steering was then fine. No feeling of any binding after that.

When you do replace the plexiglass hatches with teak, be sure to keep the plexiglass ones as spares so that when you have to varnish your teak boards you can take them home and do it in your garage so that you can spend more time sailing on the weekends! I have a 87 C-34 with lots of teak, so plexiglass sounds good to me. One less project to think about. But half the fun of owning a sailboat is looking at it! Welcome to the C-34 community!

If it's not broken, just worn out looking, I painted mine with black high gloss paint and it looks like new.  If you can't find it at the hardware store, try Minnie's surplus in Costa Mesa off of Newport Blvd. 

I recently read the report following the Chicago - Mac race where the Kiwi 35 "Wingnuts" blew over in 60 knot sustained winds and capsized. That brought about a lot of discussion about the Limit of Positive Stability for various yacht designs and apparently most cruising/racing boats have a LPS of between 110 degrees and 120 degress. Wingnuts had a LPS of between 74 degrees to 100.7 degress! Does anyone know what the Limit of Positive Stability is for a C-34? 

I saw one in the sailboat listings of the Catalina Yacht Anchorage which is a Yachtworld site. Google CAtalina Yacht Anchorage and click on the listing for Yachtworld and you will see all their Catalina listing. There will be a 1989 C-34 with a adjustable bowsprit used for racing. YW listing number 57429-2382978. It is still there. Look through the photo gallery and you will see what this owner has done. 

Kevmar,
The Instrument panel and wiring harness was manufactured by Seaward Products in Industry CA (www.seawardproducts.com). Check it out. You might consider the upgraded instrument panel as well as the wiring harness. My 1987 panel was pretty beat up from the elements and my tachometer was acting up so I ordered the the new panel and wiring harness five years ago and it looks great. It cost me about $550 at that time. It is well worth the upgade.

Ron....You can't save everybody so keep up the good work. But I can say you certainly have made a difference in many peoples lives (C-34 owners). My boat had two previous owners and when I bought it 5 years ago, it did not have the wiring harness upgrade. But it was the first major upgrade I did after reading the critical upgrades. Keep up the good work !

It's an oxymoron!

You know the more I read this message board, the more I learn, and the longer my project list gets...it's endless! But of course I love it! I too had some water in my Vee birth so I will have to check out all your suggestions. By the way, other than varnish, is there a more effective sealant for the underside of the teak and holly sole? 

I upgraded from a 1985 C-30 to my 1987 C-34 and I must say that all the previous comments are excellent. When I was shopping I was looking at C-36's and C-34's, but if budget was not an issue, I would have been looking at a later model C-36' (this avoids 2 ft itis). But I was on a tight budget and we all have to make trade-offs. Yes the C-34 Mk 1's have a narrower cockpit however they do have a T-cockpit where the C-30 cockpit seats went to the stearn. The C-30 cockpit with a "T" design did not start until about 1990. There is a big differerence in comfort when standing at the helm. The C-34 has a larger Vee Bearth, larger interior volume, and the aft cabin garage. I also liked the location of the instrument panel on the Mk 1's (left of the wheel, port side). It is easy to see, and I always keep an eye on engine temp, which saved my butt a few times in my life. When I purchased my C-34, I thought I would be sleeping in the aft cabin, but ventilation is not so good back there so I sleep in the bow. One other thing to keep in mind is that there are many different changes with the 34 over the years, so each vintage may have a slightly different feel based on the helm design, wheel size and combing design. If I had my druthers, I would like a walk through transom, which are much easier to board and "deboard" onto your dinghy. But for me, I love my 87 C-34, and it is like a good and loyal wife, it's cheaper to keep her than to go for a younger model! However, a bit more storage space would be nice, a microwave would be nice, and that wider cockpit with a walk through transom would be nice. There are many good deals on the market today, so take your time and look at a lot of different boats, C-36, C350, C34's and you can get a better idea of the many subtle differences. Since you have a C-30, I would suggest that you try to sail with some of the C-34 owners in your marina. Then you may understand a little better what I am explaining. But in the end, buy the boat that the Admiral loves. Then you both will be happy!

Definitely change your oil at haul out to eliminate as much of the contaminated oil as possible because that does wear your engine faster.

OPB (other peoples boats) is the least expensive way to sail. I like to OPP (other peoples parties). Since I have a boat I am usually too tired to have my own parties! If I cleaned my house as much as I work on my boat I would have a pretty nice place. But I would rather go sailing!

Is there a reason (other than price) that Minwax was used on the sole as opposed to a standard marine varnish?

Dosen't Acetone ruin the rubber? I was told by my rigging guy not to use acetone on my white lifelines because it will dry them out and turn them yellow. Wouldn't it be the same for the rubrail?

I had to remove my center bow cleat when I installed my 29 inch Garhaur bow roller because it interfered with the alignment from my windlass. This length allows my Bruce Anchor good bow clearance when deploying and retrieving my anchor. And it also aligns well with the bow pulpit. I would recommend stainless schaefer cleats because they will match will with a stainless bow roller. Once installed, you will forget about the price, because it will look very good.