Crossing the Atlantic in a C&C 34?

[SaraN]

Hi all!
Me and my husband are currently looking for a boat to take us from Sweden to the Caribbean and back.

We''ve been looking at various boats in the range 45.000-70.000 USD. We would like to stay closer to the lower end of that scale of course... :-)

Lots of boats available in Sweden are Swedish (Hallberg-Rassy, Najad are the most well-known) or European (Benetau, Bavaria, etc).

Right now the leading candidate is a Canadian made C&C 34 from 1980. This is a fairly unknown boat in Sweden, so we would like to gather more information and opinions about it.

Searching the Internet, other models from C&C than the 34 are mentioned a lot more. Also, a lot more information is around about the newer type of the 34 (after 1986 I believe).

We like the C&C 34 and get the impression it is well-built, but would like to get more opinions.

My questions are:
- What is the general opinion about the quality of the C&C 1980 models, particularly the 34. Any serious problems known?
- I have a fear that these boats are primarily built for coastal (or lake) cruising/racing. Does this mean the C&C 34 lack capabilities for long-distance sailing in your opinion?

Thanks.

Best regards,
Sara

[Wasabi]

While certainly not experienced in offshore sailing, two weekends ago, I sailed my 34 C&C (single handed) from the tip of long Island to Newport, RI in 6-10 ft seas and the boat handled fantastic. The boat seemed to come alive and averaged ~ 8knts for the run (current assisted).

The C&C 34 is fairly light (10,500 lbs) so I don''t know what that would mean for sea-kindlyness. Putting the comfort of the ride aside, I think if the rigging checks out, the through hulls are solid and you are prudent with reefing, you should be fine. But I will defer to those who have more knowledge than I.

[sailingfool]

I think your take on the 34 is accurate. A very nice boat, BUT.

As a third C&C generation design the 34 is more tender and has greater beam than earlier generation C&Cs. If you search you should be able to find info such as stability index for this and similar models, and the results might be surprising. IMHO a C&C 35 II (second generation)is a more sturdy, stiff and offshore- quality vessel than a 34. We passed over many 34s, 36s and 35 IIIs looking for a good 35 II which we never found. Eventually we bought a CS 36T which we feel was a more capable boat and worth the extra money.

The 34 also introduced the use of the balsa-cored hull. Discussion of this construction (which has cost some owners a LOT of money in repairs) is all but a religious war so I won''t go there...

Good luck!

[dandebruin]

That price for a 80''s 34 seems high unless there is a lot of updated equipment, rigging and sails. I would encourage you to go to the C&C discussion list. It is very active and you will hear from a lot of folks who are passionate about their C&C''s.

[Jeff_H]

By the early 1980''s C&C''s were reasonably high quality performance oriented cruisers. They were very good boats for thier purpose which was coastal cruising and club racing. I would not think that they would make a very good offshore cruiser. I would think of them as being the equivilent of a Dehler Optima 101 or the Sigma 34 which were also well made coastal cruisers and club level racers but not my idea of an good choice for an offshore boat.

While I am a proponent of light weight crusing boats for offshore work, I think that three are a number of shortfalls to these particular boats in terms of layout, lack of seaberths, storage (especially low in the boat where it counts), useable ventilation, tankage, ground tackle handling gear, and motion comfort. These boats were heavily influenced by the IOR rule and so are a little light on stability (counting on crew weight on the rail), and can be a real bear down wind in a breeze.

While I basically like these boats for their original design intent, I really think that there are better choices out there for transatlantic work.

Respectfully,
Jeff

[Jeff_H]

I am sorry, make that a Sigma 33.

Jeff