Messages

To all of you who have so generously shared your advice, knowledge and experience, I am most grateful.  You moved me up the learning curve quite quickly although I realize I still have a long way to go!   It's great to know that, when I do finally find that perfect C34, I'll have this valuable network of owners to consult on how to get the best out of what sounds like a terrific boat!

Thanks again and a Happy New Year to all.

Best regards,

Bob

Interesting question. Most interested in learning about the differences in Mk 1.5 vs 1.75 vs 2, etc.

Also, would like to know more about why there are so many 1980's boats on the market and so few from the 1990's.  My guess is that it had something to do with the economy but the dot com phenomenon would make me think that a bunch of boats were produced in the late 1990's and early 2000's. If so, why are they not changing hands?

Bob

A Mk 1.75 would do just fine!

Jon,

Great points and very good info for me.  I sail in the California Channel Islands and the shortest passage is 11 nm (Anacapa Island) from my harbor.   Typically, we sail to Santa Cruz Island which is 26 nm away and work our way North day-by-day.  It's blue water sailing but nothing serious.  In other words, we could radio a tow service long before we were in any real danger.

Didn't know that keel-stepped mast created water/bilge issues but--duh--it makes sense.  I guess for our purposes, deck-stepped makes sense.  Now if we ever get ambitious enough to sail to Hawaii....that's another conversation.   First....I need to find a C34 !!

Thanks!

Bob

Jon,

Thanks for the quick and thoughtful response.  I knew that my time horizon was spanning a couple of different designs but was driven by my interest in the reverse transom and swim step. My son and I are scuba divers and that's an attractive feature.  Also, it makes deploying the dinghy much easier. Your comment about the deck-stepped mast also interests me as I --probably ignorantly--assumed that a keel-stepped mast is structurally a suprerior confirguation. Why do you think a deck-stepped mast is better?

Bob

I sold my 1988 C30 within the last year and am very keen on buying a newer C34. My problem is that there seem to be very few on the market in Southern California.  I appreciate that they're such great boats that no one wants to part with them. However, I'm convinced that someone--somewhere--in Southern California is looking to move up to a larger or newer boat.   The few boats that do come up for sale, always seem to be handled by brokers and are outrageously high priced or are coming off of charter service and are beat all to heck, or both.  Any thoughts as to why there are so few on the market and how I might make direct contact  with a prospective seller? I figure this is the best forum for that but if there are other ways to do it, I'd appreciate any comments or suggestion on how to find that "right" boat.  I'm interested in a standard rig with a fin keel, a well maintained diesel with low hours. 

Also, any tips on what to look for in a C34 of that vintage (1992-2002) would be most appreciated. Things to look for in inspecting a  boat for sale and things that will likely  need to be addressed after purchase.  N.B. I read with interest the comments about what to look for on C34s from the 1980's but don't know how much of that applies to the slightly newer boats of the 1990's and early 2000's.


I sail out of Channel Island Harbor, Oxnard, California

Thanks,

Bob Bushnell (a new member and, hopefully soon, a fellow C34 owner and seafarer)