C&C 29 or C&C 32

[skypilot73]

I am looking at purchasing either a C&C 29 or C&C 32. The boat will be shared with my father and my family. There will be times my father will be alone so his concern is that the 32' might be too big to dock etc. When the family is onboard I would prefer the extra space of the 32'

Does the traveller on the C&C 29 II cause interference entering and exiting the cabin? An issue for small children, dogs?

If the two boats were the same price is there a reason you would purchase a 29' over the 32'?

We are looking at our first cruising boat - we will not race this boat at present time.

We have found a boat that is in good condition but heavily raced is that an issue or concern? As well, another has had one elderly owner and never raced is that a plus?

Thanks in advance and any more info would be appreciated.

What is the ball park we should be paying for these boats - vintage mid 80's

Dan

[chef2sail]

I have an 83 35 C&C MKIII k/c and have no problem singlehanding her. The stability of the larger 32 would steer me to her. Raciong the boat would be a red flag somewhat and I would look at streess points such as chainplates, winch bedding, keelbolts etc. Having the traveler cabintop would be a safety consideration with small children potentially rather than having it before the companionway.

C&C made sturdy great combo cruiser racers in the 80s.

Dave

[skypilot73]

Which boat would sleep more people comfortably? The quarter berth on the 29' appears less claustrophobic without the chart table - is this the case? The chart table is handy but is it a valued addition?

Thanks

Dan

[DrB]

There are reasons to have the traveler in the cockpit such as single handing and racing. However, the traveler in the cockpit, depending on exactly where it is located, can limit the seating surface and is one more thing to get tangled in while manuevering in the cockpit or going below deck. My traveler is in the cockpit on the bridge deck, and it's advantages versus disadvantges for me are fine. If you don't plan to race and just want to cruise, having the traveler on the coachroof is can be preferable; especially if you have more than a few people on a sail and/or kids. One less thing get tangled in in the cockpit.

As far as size, there is much difference in docking characteristics of 29 versus a 32 foot boot, so that that shouldn't be a concern. The 32 will be roomier though for cruising. You'll appreciate it and you won't keep second guessing yourself if you opted for the 29. Everone has that 3-foot itis disease as in "If I only had a boat 3 feet longer, I'd be content, have more room, sail better", make up your own reason. I once looked at a boat that the owner was selling a 33 ft because he just bought a 36 foot boat, ie 3-foot itis. In all fairness, though he was going from a Pearson 33-2 toa Catalina 36, so not only was he buying 3 feet more, because he was going to a Catalina, he was getting a lot more volume per/foot, than a Pearson 36 would have afforded him.

As far as whether it is okay to buy a boat that was "raced", depends on a lot of factors such as how often, how hard, was the boat designed to be a "racer", and how was it maintained. I boat a bought (Pearson 10M) that was once raced and thought nothing of it. I wouldn't be concerned if you had it surveyed and it passed. But make sure if you do opt for and put an offer in on the "raced" boat, if that is the one you like, make sure you tell the surveyor to really pay extra attention to the areas that Chef2Sail mentions.

C&C's made decent production boats in the 80's. Depending on the condition and stuff that the boat has, for that size range I think that you are looking at asking prices in the high 30's to 50K. (dollars).

DrB

[JimsCAL]

I agree with most of what has been said. I would go with whatever one is in the best condition. I wouldn't be concerned about the difficulty of handling the 32 over the 29. I have the traveler in the cockpit and find it the preferred location for single handing. As noted, it does get in the way when you have a number of people in the cockpit.

I think DrB's estimated prices are a bit high. In this market I would think mid 80s boats of this size would be more in the $15K to $35K range. Do a little searching on Yachtworld.com and look at NADA and BUC to get an idea of typical prices.

[DrB]

I looked on Yachtworld to get my estimates. I only did a real quick search and only looked at 32 ft boats (C&C), so I could be off a little.

DrB

[skypilot73]

Thanks for all the great info:

The one racing boat I am looking at is priced at $43,000 (32') and there is another boat owned by the elderly gentleman (32') priced at $49,000 that has never been raced.

The racing boat has a complete cruising and racing compliments of sails including spinnakers and is outfitted with extra winches, and all the electronics that you would ever need including a wireless autopilot remote, hand held VHF data connection for PC etc. It does not have a dodger or a furling genoa.

The other boat has almost nil in electronics, no gps, no autopilot and comes with the main, and a furling %150 genoa and a storm jib. There is a nice dodger on board and a electric anchor.

By the time I added a dodger and a furling rig on the cheaper boat and electronics and an autopilot on the more expensive boat where would I be on price?

I live in Canada and the racing boat resides in the United States and the other boat is on the west coast of Canada. Are there concerns bringing a boat into Canada? What fees are required? We would plan to sail it back to Canada.

Thanks

Dan

[bushrat]

There is no duty to bring the boat over the border. You pay sales taxes only. It is a very painless process, just be honest with your sale price and don't try and save a few bucks by low balling it. Have all your paper work and a copy of the listing is also good to have.

[bushrat]

No duty is for any boat built in North America.

[artbyjody]

Originally Posted by skypilot73

Thanks for all the great info:

The one racing boat I am looking at is priced at $43,000 (32') and there is another boat owned by the elderly gentleman (32') priced at $49,000 that has never been raced.

The racing boat has a complete cruising and racing compliments of sails including spinnakers and is outfitted with extra winches, and all the electronics that you would ever need including a wireless autopilot remote, hand held VHF data connection for PC etc. It does not have a dodger or a furling genoa.

The other boat has almost nil in electronics, no gps, no autopilot and comes with the main, and a furling %150 genoa and a storm jib. There is a nice dodger on board and a electric anchor.

By the time I added a dodger and a furling rig on the cheaper boat and electronics and an autopilot on the more expensive boat where would I be on price?

Dan

I personally - would go for the equipped boat. You'll have more sails, all the electronics - you can get a used furler or new (but you can sail it without - my C-27 never had one), and a dodger is not a necessity but can be had for under 3K (especially if you diy). The electronics alone and the fact it has a autopilot - you will be thankful for the 10K or so it would take to outfit the less equipped...