# C&c 34?



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

OK, since so many people really loved my earlier thread on the Irwin question (just kidding) I thought I would try again.

Anyone out there have something to say about a 1979 C&C 34? I think it may be a better boat for us in terms of sailing fast(er) and still having enough room to live aboard and coastal cruising for the summer months. I am not familar with the below decks, are they fairly spacious? I remember C&C's being sort of narrow, though this 34 has an 11' beam.

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated. In fact just having ANY response would probably make me feel good.

Thanks.

Joshua


----------



## Gene T (May 23, 2006)

A good friend of mine had an early 80s C&C34. He lived aboard in Connecticut for at least 15 years. It was roomy enough and sailed pretty well. The biggest problem was blisters, lots of big blisters. He did a complete and proper blister job but it failed with blister coming back after one year. It had a cored hull and some of the blisters were all the way to the core. 

One boat, one situation should not paint them all with a bad brush. But It soured me enough to keep me from looking at earlier C&Cs.


----------



## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

The 34 was hte first of the third generation C&C's, bringing in cored hulls - and not a very good boat. The core runs close to the keel, one good smack to the bottom of the keel and you can endup with a totally wet core - I sawone back when that dripped for weeks and weeks after being hauled. Boat is also very tender. Looks good and that about it, same for the 29 and the 36.

My advice is see if you can find a 35-II, they are built very strong, provide great performance and have a much better down below. The 35-II is a classic for all times, the 34 is a mongrel.


----------



## nolatom (Jun 29, 2005)

I just helped deliver one (1981 I think) with owner on a 150-mile trip in 10-25 knots form all directions along the Gulf Coast.

I didn't think the boat was overly tender, and did quite well on all points of sail, and was reasonably fast, with no bad habits that I could see.

I can't comment on the structural stuff mentioned above, but if that weren't a problem, she seemed like a very nice, fairly fast, cruiser and maybe club/ beercan racer.


----------



## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

We took a long hard look at a 1981 C&C 34 during our last boat hunt, liked the layout, the look, and the cockpit. However we had heard of the problems they'd had (such as those SF alludes to) and found some other questionable items in the one we were interested in and in the end let it go.

On the one we looked at, I could easily swing any stanchion through about 5 degrees with little force, with corresponding flexing of the hull deck joint. I didn't much like the look of that.

From all accounts the biggest issue with this generation of boats for C&C is in fact the coring and therefore each model needs to be thoroughly and completely surveyed with such problems in mind.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Hmm, OK. Doesn't look like the C&C 34 is such a great boat. I didn't know too much about them, but had thought that C&C had a pretty sturdy reputation, but perhaps that was with another generation.

This boat search is difficult. 

I have gone from an interest in the early (Cherubini designed) Hunter 33, to an Irwin 39 Citation, to the C&C 34, and now none really impress me. There was a Pearson 323 in there for a little while, but I didn't like the forward wheel location in the cockpit.

Back to the search?

JC


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Check out CS boats. They are a bit better built than C&C's and sail very nicely. They have solid hulls, and although the deck is cored, there is less balsa in it than a lot of other boats. If you don't want to spend as much, then Cal's are well built boats that also sail nicely. Tartans and Bristols are good quality. O'day is another option. Catalina perhaps, if you find one that has been taken care of.

Also:
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale
YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Thanks for the links SM. That is funny that you mention Cal, because that is the only boat I have owned. I had a 1969 Cal 27 for a while, great boat, sailed fast, nice layout down below, and with a kevlar 120 up front she could roll over many other, much more expensive boats.

Also funny that you mention Oday, because there is one for sale down in Boston (I am in NH) but I had never thought of Oday as a coastal cruiser. It is an '88 322. I just looked at it (since you mentioned them) and it looks decent. sort of modern, which isn't bad. I read that they have small winches and potential keel boat problems, but not sure.

I will look more closely at the links you sent too. Thanks.

Josh


----------



## seabreeze_97 (Apr 30, 2006)

Along with the issues mentioned, like the balsa coring, C&C was always pushing the envelope on composites. The 34 made use of kevlar/fiberglass hybrid composites, nomex, etc., and they don't have the long-term track record in such combinations that more traditional materials/applications have established. It did come in two versions, the 34 and 34R. These boats were noted as being high-pointers and were able to stand up pretty well in a blow. The rudder is very effective. One quirk that is important in slip fees. The 34 is actually 35'6".


----------



## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Seabreeze, while your data on the C&C 34(R) is correct, the model the OP refers to is a much different boat, not nearly so high tech but put to market in the late 70s with the advent of extensive coring in the hulls of production boats.

It's essentially a blown-up C&C29 from the same era, I believe they first came out in 78 or 79. In 1980 they were updated with smoked lexan windows rather than the previously typical aluminum framed types.

This model did indeed suffer from early attempts at new building techniques, but it's not the late 80s version that you refer to.


----------



## CBinRI (May 17, 2004)

I would disagree with the negative assessments of the 34. The 34 and the 36 both sail well and I would suggest represent a very good value in their price range. I would not disagree that you have to pay very careful attention to the coring issues, however.


----------



## fesivo (Dec 19, 2000)

*C&C 34 Solid and Fun*

I have had the pleasure of owning a C&C 34 for the past 5 years. When I bought the boat, I heard all these tales of blisters and wet core decks. The truth is if you get a well-cared for C&C34 of this vintage, you'll own a lovely boat. Of course, the first step is a good survey. The second step is a barrier coat to prevent blisters (if previous owners have not done so). It is a tedious, but very valuble DIY project.

As for the boat being tender. I am happy to own a boat that actually is responsive to the wind. A routinely sail my boat single-handed, and with some decent reefing gear and a roller furler, I have never encountered any problems sailing a broad wind range.

As for accomodations, I find 2-4 people are pretty comfortable for weekend trips. If you want a liveaboard, don't buy a racer/cruiser, get yourself a nice tub.

Very Pleased C&C 34 Owner (1980).


----------



## seabreeze_97 (Apr 30, 2006)

Faster said:


> Seabreeze, while your data on the C&C 34(R) is correct, the model the OP refers to is a much different boat, not nearly so high tech but put to market in the late 70s with the advent of extensive coring in the hulls of production boats.
> 
> It's essentially a blown-up C&C29 from the same era, I believe they first came out in 78 or 79. In 1980 they were updated with smoked lexan windows rather than the previously typical aluminum framed types.
> 
> This model did indeed suffer from early attempts at new building techniques, but it's not the late 80s version that you refer to.


Yeah, I was thinking about the 89+ model.


----------



## resdog (Mar 29, 2006)

My brother has owned a 1979 C&C 34 with a keel/centerboard for the past 14-15 years and I have had the pleasure of using it many times. I think it is a very good boat. It does not have a balsa cored hull. It has a foam cored hull. Yes it had blisters which were taken care of properly and they did not return. There are very few boats of that era that have no blisters. It's not excessively tender and is quite fast. The cabin is adequate for a small family and nicely finished. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a well cared for C&C 34. The 34R is a completely different boat.


----------



## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

*Nice but not great...*



resdog said:


> My brother has owned a 1979 C&C 34 with a keel/centerboard for the past 14-15 years and I have had the pleasure of using it many times. I think it is a very good boat. It does not have a balsa cored hull. It has a foam cored hull. ...It's not excessively tender and is quite fast. The cabin is adequate for a small family and nicely finished. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a well cared for C&C 34. The 34R is a completely different boat.


I'm glad you enjoy the boat, I first sailed on a 34 in 1980 when several were active in our PHRF fleet. The 34 is a nice boat, better than many others.

The problem for the 29/34/36 models is that C&C at the time had been making GREAT boats, the Redwing, 30 I, Viking, 33, 35 and 35 II and similar models were outstanding combinations of design, construction, and performance that make them all still special boats even today, classics for all time. Compared to these earlier boats, the 29/34/36 generation was a big letdown initiating the decline of the company, or at least of its reputation. For example, the 35 Mark II introduced around 1973 rates 120 while the 34 produced six years later rates 144. The 35 II is capable of offshore use (I almost bought one just returned from a world cruise) where I wouldn't take a 34 out of the sight of land. Many racers added lead shoes to the 29/34/36 keels to reduce their tenderness problems.

FWIW the 34 does in fact have a balsa core hull. You can read the ioriginal spec sheet at C&C Yachts - C&C Photo Album & Resource Center.

C&C made some great boats, but the 34 is not one of them.


----------



## Dragonflyers (Dec 8, 2009)

*C&c 34*

Being an owner of a 34 I have to tell you that its a great boat- They cant afford to make boats like the old C&Cs anymore- solid with over sized hardware- blisters smisters...what boat doesnt have them. Ours has none-
Like people every boat has its own flaws. We have back filled holes and waterproofed because production boats have inevitable leaks. So do other boats...

We are a family of 5 - we sailed for 7 weeks this summer on our 34- we sailed fast, we sailed slow, we ate, we raced a few friends (and always won). We anchored, we docked, we traveled daily with no issues. (well done to our maintenance of the last few years!)

They are great boats- with lots to offer-

We are repowering ours now so that we can sail her into the sunset for years to come!

Have fun sailing!
Alex 
Dragonflys Co Captain


----------



## SeaStrutter (Oct 10, 2006)

Having been aboard half a dozen in the last few months, I can tell you that this is one yacht where condition, and therefore value, vary widely. Some have been raced hard, one I saw had grooves worn 1.5" through the coaming where the jib-sheets passed over to the primaries! Some have been dock-queens, babied and used for family cruising on the odd weekend. 

Interior is reasonably spacious. The v-berth has enough space to get out of bed and change with the door closed. Salon is good, an interesting feature is the L-shaped settee to starboard that converts to a real double - one of the best I've seen on a vessel of this size, and stays out of the main passage. Quarterberth is good size for one.

Engine access is OK. If you like the idea of a diesel, there are plenty out there that have been fitted with Yanmars, etc. 

The cored hull can be a problem. Of the three that I had seen surveys for, two were in excellent shape, one had a couple of square feet of wet near the prop-shaft exit.

Owners report good sailing characteristics. Close-winded. Good control downwind for a fin keel, spade rudder setup. Atomic four provides good power.

Good luck with your search!


----------

