I have been a fan of the C&C
line for many years. My dad had one of the 35 MK I''s and it was an excellent all around boat, well built if not too flashy. Not much wood on them, which is a plus from the maintenance point of view. Well constructed and thought out. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, make sure you get a survey done by a reputable, licenced marine surveyor.
As far as the rods are concerned, they have proven to be tremendously reliable over the years. The main areas of failure are at the "heads" which are the mushroom shaped ends that are the connecting point of
turnbuckles and the end fittings. You should have these inspected by a qualified Navtec rep every few years. Hairline cracks have been known to develop at the heads. This can be fixed by "Re-Heading" the rod and use of a longer turnbuckle screw. The other area to look for trouble is wherever the rod takes a bend, particularly at the spreaders. Stress cracks can develop there too, but no easy solution other than replacement. And lastly, the rod does not take well to damage. I had a backstay damaged by being run over by a forklift during storage. The nicks and scrapes, while not seemingly bad, were what would have been the beginnings of catastrophic failure. No one took responsibility and I had to foot the bill on that one. Ouch!
The pros- less weight and windage aloft, extreme life if not damaged. Cons- costly to replace, and subject to failure from what may seem like insignificant damage.
Linear Mode
