I currently own a 1980 Irwin Citation 34. Bought the boat in New Jersey 4 years ago and have moved it with me from Atlantic City to Las Vegas and now it''s w/me in San Francisco. Although not a 30'' I''ll share what I have experienced. In Atlantic City, I out ran a hurricane (not that I had a choice)while in Cape May. It handled 12 foot seas very well and also does well in modest winds. In Lake Mead Las Vegas, it also handled the unforseen desert gusts of 50mph. In short, I have found it to be a very safe boat with good performance and an excellent and very compfortable cabin layout. Arguably, one of the best coastal cruisers for the money. After 3 years I stripped the bottom to apply a bottom barrier coat and didn''t have one blister. That amazed everyone in Lake Mead as the 20 year old boat didn''t have a barrier coat on it, the antifoul was blistered and shot and the temp of the water reachs upper 80s to 90 in summer. My family and I love the boat but it has its faults - 1)the 15hp yanmar (same as yours)is an excellent engine and has never failed me, and like a British Seagull outboard can be torn apart and worked on easily-getting parts have never been a problem, but struggles in a good head wind. The boat should have had at least 24hp (for 12,000 lb boat). Major problem #2 - that beautiful teak interior your in love with is great until the the caulk around the plastic ports leak and rots the paneling from behind and then the H2o settles on the lovely leather-like headliner above your sleeping areas. You wont find out your ports leak until its too late. I hated the refrigerator interior look of boats twice its price and size and the warmth was one of the selling points to me but simplicity around opening ports does has its advantages. Anyway, I replaced all the paneling around the ports with new marine grade teak ply (like Irwin)and a home mixture of 4 stains to match, and replaced all six ports for under $1,000 in materials (including beer). This is the same case w/the 2 fixed windows. I replaced ours w/the new unbreakable stuff (but still scratchable)from 3M for under $100. keep fresh caulk on the windows and you shouldnt have a problem. Problem #3 keep fresh caulk on the chain plates at deck contact as water likes to travel to the lovely teak bulkhead and then that starts to rot behinfd the veneer. Now that I caught mine before it was too late, I am still asking for opinions on how to strengthen it for peace-of-mind w/out replaceing the entire bulkhead. Problem #4 excessive spider/stress cracks seem to be the one thing all Irwins share although I never had a structual problem yet. Problem #5 the 34'' heels very easily (keel model) but digs in at 15 to 20 degrees then moves fast (a little over 6 knots) Considering we have purchased and sold 5 homes from NJ to MN to MS to NV, and have kept the same boat (and employer) in that period reflects our feelings best. Both need attention and are a "pain in the a--" at times but we''re very satisfied.
