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wrote:
In the meantime, anyone familiar with the Cal 34?

I owned, raced and cruised a Cal-34 for many years. It's an
interesting boat, very roomy for its size, and VERY fast in reaching
conditions off the wind. The original mast and chainplates are a weak
spot and need careful inspection and/or replacement. Mine was
dismasted off the New Jersey coast on a dark and stormy night in June
1987 due to an unknown rigging failure. The mast step (on deck) and
the mahogany supporting post are weak links. I went to a keel stepped
mast with new chainplates and a lot of reinforcement when I rerigged.

The boat is very weight sensitive and must be sailed light to be
competetive. Remove all gear and sails not required by your local
rules. A fair amount of mast rake is helpful also, especially in light
wind. Do a good job fairing and wet sanding the bottom. The keel is
none too efficient by today's standard and needs all the help it can
get. The boat likes lots of weight on the rail in a good wind and will
run circles around newer boats in those conditions. It's a great
cruising boat as well.

Check the engine and drive train carefully unless it has been recently
repowered. The original Atomic 4s are raw water cooled and eventually
rust out.

Thanks Wayne. That's the kind of info I need.