Messages

I have a 1988 C-34 with the same horizontal rudder play problem.  It is not a lot of play but when I sailed her from Florida to the Virgin Islands last winter the problem slowly got worse.  I feel like I need to fix this before I sail her back to Florida this winter.

I have a lot of respect for Ron Hill (in fact Ron, you and I met at the Annapolis Boat show 2 years ago) but the mylar sheets just doesn't sound like a permanent fix and it doesn't seem like the wear in the rudder tube would be uniform from top to bottom for the sheet to slide all the way in.

I am seriously considering the graphite epoxy repair method I have read about here.  I would appreciate any tips, hints, or preferably detailed instructions on how to do this including what products to use.  She is currently on the hard in Puerto Rico so hopefully they are products that I can purchase at the West Marine or somewhere else down there. 

I plan on going down in January and I will post an update about how it went.

I'm sailing south never to return to the north so I am selling the steel cradle for my 88 C-34 mk-1 with a wing keel.  The cradle is about 5 years old and in excellent shape.  It has 4 pads and is adjustable so it may be able to be used with other boats with no or little modification.  It is located in Bayfield, WI and I am asking $850.  Feel free to call or text me at 612-760-1990 or message me and I can send pictures and more information.

We live aboard our '88 C-34 and we want to visit the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis on Oct 11 - 14, 2013.  Does any of our C-34 brothers or sisters know where we can dock or anchor our boat and see the show.   We will probably just attend one day and needless to say, since we live on our boat we do not own a car.  Due to our limited budget, the cheaper the better.

5 years old
adjustable
was built for my 88 C-34 with a wing keel
located in Bayfield WI
asking $1000

Pictures available

Brian
612-760-1990
benasutti@yahoo.com

I am considering buying a C34 mkI for an indefinite cruise/live aboard in the Caribbean.  I really like the C34 with a wing keel and I think I can find one in my price range ($30k - $40k) but I am a little concerned whether or not it is a suitable boat for such a cruise.  I know that it was designed as a coastal/weekend cruising boat and some people have told me I an nuts to consider it for anything more than that (these "people" are Island Packett & Pacific Seacraft owners, neither of which are in my price range) so I thought I would get the opinions of some C34 owners. 

Our plan is for my girlfriend and I to set sail in the summer of 2013 from Lake Superior (where we sail a Bayfield 25 now) thought the great lakes and Erie canal, down the East coast to the Caribbean and do the "loop" down there over the course of several years and never come back.  We do not plan to be on any schedule and therefore can wait for weather windows for any crossings but as we all know, we WILL get caught in heavy weather and seas at sometime and I am a little concerned about how the C34 will handle it.

I have been sailing for 15 years and I am used to my Bayfield which is a small yet full keel heavy boat that does a good job of taking care of us when the wind and seas pipe up and I like that security thus my hesitation to move to a lighter displacement boat (for its size) although the speed and pointing ability of the C34 would be nice.  Plus, I love the accommodations of the C34!!!

Any thoughts, comments or further questions would be greatly appreciated, especially from anyone who has sailed a C34 in the Caribbean or off shore.

Thanks,
Brian
Future C34 owner????