1967 Cal 34
 

The guy I used to crew with called tonight. Now he's checking out a
1967 Cal 34 from a neighbouring province.
The former Florida sailboat is listed as a 'project boat'.
I tried to talk him out of it, but the boat is listed dirt cheap. He
figures we'll get a work crew together and make this boat seaworthy. I
did my best to turn him away...he knows nothing about re-furbishing an
older boat and he's making noises aboute putting me in charge of the
project. Since I've never re-furbished an old boat myself, I'm going to
have to give him a wakeup call. Luckly, there's another friend of his
who John will listen to.
In the meantime, anyone familiar with the Cal 34?

I looked at a Cal 34 "Project boat" in Carabelle, FL last year.
Although it had long term potential, it would be a real project and
Carabelle is a little remote from anywhere. I vaguely remember a price
of about $2500.

Yes, I am.

--

Starbuck

.... Hey!!!....This is not my dad's TAGLINE!!!

"Don White" wrote in message
...
The guy I used to crew with called tonight. Now he's checking out a 1967
Cal 34 from a neighbouring province.
The former Florida sailboat is listed as a 'project boat'.
I tried to talk him out of it, but the boat is listed dirt cheap. He
figures we'll get a work crew together and make this boat seaworthy. I
did my best to turn him away...he knows nothing about re-furbishing an
older boat and he's making noises aboute putting me in charge of the
project. Since I've never re-furbished an old boat myself, I'm going to
have to give him a wakeup call. Luckly, there's another friend of his who
John will listen to.
In the meantime, anyone familiar with the Cal 34?

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:49:30 GMT, Don White
wrote:

The guy I used to crew with called tonight. Now he's checking out a
1967 Cal 34 from a neighbouring province.
The former Florida sailboat is listed as a 'project boat'.
I tried to talk him out of it, but the boat is listed dirt cheap. He
figures we'll get a work crew together and make this boat seaworthy. I
did my best to turn him away...he knows nothing about re-furbishing an
older boat and he's making noises aboute putting me in charge of the
project. Since I've never re-furbished an old boat myself, I'm going to
have to give him a wakeup call. Luckly, there's another friend of his
who John will listen to.
In the meantime, anyone familiar with the Cal 34?




http://www.practical-sailor.com/pub/...ew/1141-1.html

Don White wrote:
The guy I used to crew with called tonight. Now he's checking out a
1967 Cal 34 from a neighbouring province.
The former Florida sailboat is listed as a 'project boat'.
I tried to talk him out of it, but the boat is listed dirt cheap.

Get him to sit down with a West Marine catalog and a spreadsheet.
Enter everything he's going to need. Just the wiring, fuse panel,
lights, etc etc, are going to run several thousand dollars. By the time
he gets new standing rigging, new running rigging, new sails, etc etc,
he's going to have long since spent more money than he would to get a
boat in better shape.

This is another case of "do the math."

It only makes sense to buy and old boat to fix up *if* you have the
skills and can do some scrounging.


... Since I've never re-furbished an old boat myself, I'm going to
have to give him a wakeup call.

Well, you could have fun doing it, and it's somebody else's nickel!

... Luckly, there's another friend of his
who John will listen to.
In the meantime, anyone familiar with the Cal 34?

Yep. Sailed one around quite a bit back in the mid 1970s. This one had
been somewhat tricked out for racing. They are good sailing boats,
although they have a few built-in problems... IIRC the steering on this
one tended to flake out. The owner used to loudly wish he'd gottten a
tiller.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Starbuck wrote:
Yes, I am.


Can you give me a good feel for the boat in 500 words or less?
....of course you can...will you?

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.

I sailed one in the late 60's. Delivered a couple, also.

Under power, the rudder gets the wash from the prop. Pulls hard. We
used to rig a big piece of shock cord to minimize it.

Good, well made boat, other than that.

DSK wrote:
Don White wrote:

The guy I used to crew with called tonight. Now he's checking out a
1967 Cal 34 from a neighbouring province.
The former Florida sailboat is listed as a 'project boat'.
I tried to talk him out of it, but the boat is listed dirt cheap.


Get him to sit down with a West Marine catalog and a spreadsheet.
Enter everything he's going to need. Just the wiring, fuse panel,
lights, etc etc, are going to run several thousand dollars. By the time
he gets new standing rigging, new running rigging, new sails, etc etc,
he's going to have long since spent more money than he would to get a
boat in better shape.

This is another case of "do the math."

It only makes sense to buy and old boat to fix up *if* you have the
skills and can do some scrounging.


... Since I've never re-furbished an old boat myself, I'm going to
have to give him a wakeup call.


Well, you could have fun doing it, and it's somebody else's nickel!

... Luckly, there's another friend of his who John will listen to.
In the meantime, anyone familiar with the Cal 34?


Yep. Sailed one around quite a bit back in the mid 1970s. This one had
been somewhat tricked out for racing. They are good sailing boats,
although they have a few built-in problems... IIRC the steering on this
one tended to flake out. The owner used to loudly wish he'd gottten a
tiller.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:49:30 GMT, Don White
wrote:

The guy I used to crew with called tonight. Now he's checking out a
1967 Cal 34 from a neighbouring province.
The former Florida sailboat is listed as a 'project boat'.
I tried to talk him out of it, but the boat is listed dirt cheap. He
figures we'll get a work crew together and make this boat seaworthy. I
did my best to turn him away...he knows nothing about re-furbishing an
older boat and he's making noises aboute putting me in charge of the
project. Since I've never re-furbished an old boat myself, I'm going to
have to give him a wakeup call. Luckly, there's another friend of his
who John will listen to.
In the meantime, anyone familiar with the Cal 34?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/46-Ca...c mdZViewItem

1973 46' Cal Sailboat with 1994 engine and sails
US $20,100.42

Time left: 5 days 20 hours
7-day listing, Ends Sep-28-05 17:08:34 PDT
Start time: Sep-21-05 17:08:34 PDT
History: 40 bids (US $200.00 starting bid)

This is a real beauty definately worth a look in particular the engine
room.
This sailboat comes with a fixed keel, compass, 2 heads, galley, wheel
tiller, rigging, mast, Spinnaker, Genoa, CB Radio, Main Sail, depth
sounder, auto pilot, wind instruments, work bench in engine room, and
sleeps 6.
The Original engine was replaces in 1994 with a Perkin. This engine
only has 332 hours. This sailboat has normal wear and tear for its
age.

Description
Model:
2-46
Use:
Salt Water

Year:
1973
Length (Feet):
46.0
Engine Make:
Perkins
Beam (Feet):
12.5

Don,
It is a lightweight racer/cruiser, it was not designed to take alot of
abuse. A 1967 cored hull boat, will have probably added quiet a bit of
water weight, and probably has some delaminating. I would look for spongy
areas around the stanchions and on the deck.

Since you are going to be racing PRHF, a 35 yr old boat will most likely
guarantee you last place in the fleet.

--

Starbuck

.... Diplomacy: the delicate weapon of the civilized warrior.
"Don White" wrote in message
...
Starbuck wrote:
Yes, I am.


Can you give me a good feel for the boat in 500 words or less?
...of course you can...will you?

I've had several Cal's and none of mine were cored hulls. I'm
nearly positive that the '67 c-24 is not either. There are two places
that they were built, Jensen mar Marine in Costa Mesa, CA and somewhere
on the east coast - I think up near Jersey. I've never seen a Cal
older then 1978 get a single blister either. In 1978-9 or there about,
Bill Lapworth sold Cal to O'Day and they in turn sold to Catalina.
Those are completely different boats and should be avoided.

The Cal's all have cored decks. They are a sandwich of glass and
balsa. I would check around the stanchions and around the port lights.
Also, many of the cal's have had their travelers placed across the
seat/step that is astern the companionway. The screws tend to stress on
those and let water in. You can feel a soft spot when you walk on the
seat if there is water damage. The portholes are a strong plastic but
by now they are old and will crack easily. The stern port lights are
pretty good but the windows fog. You can use a cleaner to get them
mostly clear.

The real problem with that boat is that you will need to add a lot of
stuff to get the creature comforts up to modern standards. Also, you
will probably need to change out an A-4 that most of them came with. If
it has been used very much the engine will cost more to keep up then
makes it worth having.

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,
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.



That sounds like 'our skipper'. Most of the good looking blondes
drifted away over the years...but that's a good tip about the strip
clubs. Now, how would I keep my wife from finding out if we try the same?

Don,
Don't tell her you are not going to the strip clubs, you are interviewing
potential crew.

"Don White" wrote in message
...
Starbuck wrote:
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.



That sounds like 'our skipper'. Most of the good looking blondes drifted
away over the years...but that's a good tip about the strip clubs. Now,
how would I keep my wife from finding out if we try the same?

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 10:03:04 -0400, "Starbuck"
wrote:



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

And more power to him, as long as he doesn't make navigational errors
by steering for the pink cardinal buoys.

That would be unseamanlike.

R.

RHYS,
There were times I questioned if he was steering for anything.


"rhys" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 10:03:04 -0400, "Starbuck"
wrote:



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

And more power to him, as long as he doesn't make navigational errors
by steering for the pink cardinal buoys.

That would be unseamanlike.

R.

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

good one!!...dead last w/a "you know
what-eatin grin" on his face ?? sounds like
an expierenced sailor....

Da Kine...could I get an opinion (from you) on
campairing cal's to ericson's?..In the 32-38 foot
range...crusing/racing?...

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

Doug,
I am familiar with PHRF and PHRF racing. The PHRF is not a number based
upon he performance of that particular boat, it is the handicap for the boat
that has been maintained in ideal conditions and is in pristine condition.

Don has told us this is a fixer upper and has lots of work to do. It is not
reasonable to expect a major fixer upper to be competitive in any PHRF race.
That particular boat is very sensitive to added weight, such as added weight
due to water absorption into the gelcoat and fiberglass.


"DSK" 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.

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

Starbuck wrote:
Doug,
I am familiar with PHRF and PHRF racing. The PHRF is not a number based
upon he performance of that particular boat, it is the handicap for the boat
that has been maintained in ideal conditions and is in pristine condition.


It also gets adjusted regularly to the performance of boats of similar
type in the area.

Don has told us this is a fixer upper and has lots of work to do. It is not
reasonable to expect a major fixer upper to be competitive in any PHRF race.

It most certainly is, after it is fixed up!
Before, especially with ragged out sails and marginal rig.... I agree
with you.


That particular boat is very sensitive to added weight, such as added weight
due to water absorption into the gelcoat and fiberglass.

No way of telling if that particular boat has that particular problem
without careful inspection. Loss of rigidity is as big a problem as
added weight.

DSK

Loss of rigidity is as big a problem as added weight.

DSK


Sounds like the majority of us captains!

L8R

Skip, tongue in cheek, finishing emptying the almost-sold house

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Keep in mind that all of the following is a discussion of boats built
before 1978. After that, all bets are off.

Cal's are faster and a bit stronger and Ericson has the cushy appeal.
They are really nice inside where cal's are rally bare bones. They are
both great boats though and to say one is better then the other is just
a matter of where the swing of needs is.

If you get a jensonmar marine boat of any kind that was built before
1978 you will not go wrong. They made most Rangers'; most Cal's some
Ericson's, some Islander's and a few others. You can tell where they
were made by taking a rubbing of the serial number off the stern or
looking on the paperwork made a boat. Most states will list the boat
yard because of the legalities of chartering a boat with an American
laid keel.

A friend with an Ericson 41 (older one) weathered Hurricane Andrew
while in the anchorage just outside of Dinner Key Marina with 3
anchors. (Yes the anchoring was the main reason) but the Ericson did
fine. That's in opposition to a boat that had its mast broken off
when Katrina passed over Miami last month. (Katrina was only 90 mph
when it crossed Miami)

Some of the Cal's are much nicer inside then others. I have a 3-30 that
was so bare inside when I bought her that I gutted her and rebuilt the
entire interior. Some of the 34-foot and bigger are really nice. The
C-40 that wins all the races is plain but the C-39 has a ton more room,
is screaming fast and really plush.

If you look up Bill (william) Lapworth you'll find a plethora of
articles on him and his boats. You should be able to find a bunch of
pictures too. They are really well built. As a testament to that, last
summer my boat was in Port Charlotte Boat Storage, right next to Punta
Gorda FL. Charley came through and tornadoes ripped about 30 boats to
shreds. A 42-foot sloop landed ON my boat, knocking it off the stands.
There was some damage but nothing I wasn't able to fix myself.

I think Cal's are the perfect mach of speed and strength but it is
really a matter of taste and needs. If you want more comforts I would
lean towards Ericson's and not worry at all. If you want speed lean
toward Cal and not yet mentioned, if you don't mind ugly and want a
brick house, get an old Columbia but the wiring is hard to get to. They
have the space of most condominiums and they are built like someone
needed to get rid of as much fiberglass as they could. I think, though,
that they have a reputation for not sinking because they are so ugly
that the water rejects them :-)

One last thought - If you think you might want to rebuild the interior
of any boat, let me try to talk you out of it. I did the work with a
few friends that were great carpenters and it took 3 moths of intense
labor to complete. The cost, even with a lot of freebees from my
friends was about $15,000! That is just too much time and money for me
to ever want to do again.

Good luck finding the right boat.

thanx Da Kine for the info...and yes, rebuilding an interior
is a lot more work that on initially thinks...or, at least i did...

I use to post under palmtreedreamer but changed the account to this
when I set up for my cell phone - in case you wanted to know.

If you decide to go for a newer and more expensive boat there are loads
of choices. I gave you my personal likes because I am into older boats
for less money. I'd rather spend more on my trips.

If you need any help with anything, I really don't mind giving it. I
will be offshore soon (a few weeks) and won't be back until spring. If
you make your way out to the Bahamas or Turks look for Makai. We=E2=80=99ll
leave the anchor light on for you =E2=98=BA

May your anchor be tight, your corks be loose, your rum be spiced and
your compass be true.
--=20
Captain Danny Taddei

Mic wrote:


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/46-Ca...c mdZViewItem

1973 46' Cal Sailboat with 1994 engine and sails
US $20,100.42

It went for 50 grand. At first glance (knowing nothing about the boat) that's a
great price for a Cal 2-46 in good condition. Who knows though, without a
complete survey.

Matt O.

Don White wrote:

The guy I used to crew with called tonight. Now he's checking out a
1967 Cal 34 from a neighbouring province.
The former Florida sailboat is listed as a 'project boat'.
I tried to talk him out of it, but the boat is listed dirt cheap. He
figures we'll get a work crew together and make this boat seaworthy.
I did my best to turn him away...he knows nothing about re-furbishing
an older boat and he's making noises aboute putting me in charge of
the project. Since I've never re-furbished an old boat myself, I'm
going to have to give him a wakeup call. Luckly, there's another
friend of his who John will listen to.
In the meantime, anyone familiar with the Cal 34?

I've sailed lots on a Cal 34 owned by some friends, who eventually sailed it
around the world. Like most Lapworth boats it was a great sailor, particularly
in the light air and lumpy seas of its home waters (southern CA). But its
balanced hull and simple rig make it easy, safe, and robust in a blow too.

Others have given some good insights and comparisons (to Ericson, etc.). I
second these thoughts, but I think the Cal is a better boat than some of these
posts might lead you to believe. It was better built than average in its day,
and any problems now would be due to age -- other boats of that vintage are
likely to be worse. Actually I think the Cal 34 is one of the better sailboat
buys around today. The 2-27 is a popular PHRF racer, and almost as expensive.
One can get a 34, a very similar but much larger boat, for just a little more.

BTW, while I'd prefer a diesel too, there's nothing wrong with an Atomic 4 in
good condition. Plus they're often relatively cheap to fix.

Matt O.

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:49:30 +0000, Don White wrote:

The guy I used to crew with called tonight. Now he's checking out a
1967 Cal 34 from a neighbouring province.
SNIP
In the meantime, anyone familiar with the Cal 34?

I almost bought a C-34 when I bought Far Cove. And I had a Cal-25 for
years before that. I found the Cals were much heavier-built than the
modern Catalina/Hunter/Jeanneau... For instance, the bed in the forepeak
on my Cal was 3/4" ply, glassed over. In the Catalina, it's 1/4" glass.

Although they were built as racers in their day, they're no match for the
modern lightweight racer. OTOH, my little Cal 25 was quite at home in 6ft+
seas and 30-knot winds in Georgia Strait. Loved being heeled 30 degrees,
and still holds my personal record for Nanaimo to Vancouver.

Lots of Cal 34's have made the "big crossing" to Hawaii, Tahiti, etc.

Oh, and for help on that A4, try
http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/Atomic_4...vice/index.htm

He's forgottem more about A4's than most people know, and also sells
diesel replacements (He's where I got my Universal M25 for Far Cove)

Good Luck!
Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36