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.

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.

Don,
Did your buddy decide to buy this antique?


"Don White" wrote in message
...
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.

Starbuck wrote:
Don,
Did your buddy decide to buy this antique?



He was still pretty excited when he called on Friday and was talking
about driving over this week for a look see.

Don,
It might make a good fixer upper for cruising, but I would be very surprised
if it would be completive in PHRF racing. If he gets the boat and use it
for PHRF, you will have to let us know how you do.


"Don White" wrote in message
...
Starbuck wrote:
Don,
Did your buddy decide to buy this antique?



He was still pretty excited when he called on Friday and was talking about
driving over this week for a look see.

Starbuck wrote:
Don,
It might make a good fixer upper for cruising, but I would be very surprised
if it would be completive in PHRF racing. If he gets the boat and use it
for PHRF, you will have to let us know how you do.


Our 'skipper' isn't a serious racer. He liked to do the Wednesday night
club races and the usual regattas, but that was about it.
He really wants the boat for afternoon social cruises. His usual MO
......leave the slip at 1300 or 1330 hrs, sail as far as he can until
about 1530 hrs and then turn around and head for home. If everyone on
board is having a good time with food & drink..good conversation etc,
he's happy. I tired of this after numerous trips and am more interested
in exploring.

Don,
If he is handy (or has friends who are handy) with tools, he will probably
get one hell of nice boat for cruising.

I knew someone who had a nice wide "pig" of a boat, he always came in last,
but he had a hammock swinging from the boom, and a sunpad on the foredeck,
both of them held beautiful girls in bikini's. (He used to go to the strip
clubs to find woman who wanted to spend the day on a boat.)

He always came in dead last, but no one had more fun on the water than he
did.


"Don White" wrote in message
...
Starbuck wrote:
Don,
It might make a good fixer upper for cruising, but I would be very
surprised if it would be completive in PHRF racing. If he gets the boat
and use it for PHRF, you will have to let us know how you do.


Our 'skipper' isn't a serious racer. He liked to do the Wednesday night
club races and the usual regattas, but that was about it.
He really wants the boat for afternoon social cruises. His usual MO
.....leave the slip at 1300 or 1330 hrs, sail as far as he can until about
1530 hrs and then turn around and head for home. If everyone on board is
having a good time with food & drink..good conversation etc, he's happy.
I tired of this after numerous trips and am more interested in exploring.

Starbuck wrote:
Don,
It might make a good fixer upper for cruising, but I would be very
surprised if it would be completive in PHRF racing.

Why? Any boat in good shape with a good sailor at the helm can be
competitive in PHRF. Do you know what the letters stand for?


Don White wrote:
Our 'skipper' isn't a serious racer. He liked to do the Wednesday night
club races and the usual regattas, but that was about it.
He really wants the boat for afternoon social cruises. His usual MO
.....leave the slip at 1300 or 1330 hrs, sail as far as he can until
about 1530 hrs and then turn around and head for home. If everyone on
board is having a good time with food & drink..good conversation etc,
he's happy. I tired of this after numerous trips and am more interested
in exploring.

Ideal boat for that use... unless the cost & work getting it into
satisfactory shape kills his interest in the boat first.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King