Ta Chiao 34

[topgallent]

I am looking for any information on the CT34 other wise the Ta Chiao 34. Are there any folks out there sailing on them? Thanks

[Jeff_H]

CT has never had a good build quality reputation. I believe that most of the 34''s were from the mid to late 1970''s. This was the period when blisters were at their worst as a problem. CT tended to use a lot of knock off hardware that looked robust but which would be close to the end of its useful lifespan. Most of these boats had teak decks over plywood. When you talk about a 25 to 30 year old CT with teak decks, you can plan to have a major deck rebuilding project in your future. Unless it has been done by a prior owner, you can plan to replace some combination of standing and running rigging, sails, engine, steering gear, deck, galley and head hardware, plumbing and electrical systems as well as a whole range of cosmetic issues. I believe that the 34 had a wooden bowspit and spars. Unless really well maintained I would expect that these are at the end of their useful lifespan as well. (IF they are painted, run, don''t walk, the opposite direction.)

As a design, these are really dated. When you think about a good cruising boat, you want a boat with a lot of stability and carrying capacity. Boats like these are very heavy but that weight is in items like the heavy teak interior and teak decks and not in ballast. All boat only tolerate specific amounts of addition weight. When this weight capacity is squandered in heavy appointments it really limits the stability of the boat and the ability to carry lots of weight. (CT sometimes used iron and concrete ballast making the ballast that they had quite low density and resulted in poorer stability than the ballast weight might suggest.)

These are very heavy boats with enormous wetted surface area. That means that you will have very poor light air ability and when coupled with the poor stability to drag of a boat like this, poor heavy weather ability as well. (in other words, because of the high drag of these boats you need to carry more sail area in a blow than a more easily driven hull, but with the low stability of these boats as compared to their weight, you really cannot carry enough sail to safely and comfortably deal with heavy going.)

Jeff

[mcain]

Gee, Jeff. Tell us what you REALLY think!