Welcome to the family, Jim. You will find that the folks on Stu's List can pretty much tell you anything you want to know about C&C boats - and a lot of other things as well.
I have a 76 model 38, a mark 1 as it turns out, that I've owned since 2003. In recent years I've been refitting the boat as a live aboard cruiser. My future Admiral and I have talked about getting a larger boat in order to have more living space and storage. But we've basically agreed that we want to keep Imzadi because of the great sailing characteristics of the boat and the high quality - plus the fact that the systems I've installed and the maintenance I've done over the years would probably need to be replicated on any other boat we purchased. Sailing the 38 - or just about any other C&C - is a whole lot more fun than sitting around in your average Benneteau, Catalina, or Hunter condo-on-the-water. Just about any mid-70s C&C is built like a tank, albeit a nimble one. Different boats have their own peculiarities - mast steps on some 35s and 33s (IIRC) and glued in portlights on some models - but I've not had any problems with my 38 in the years I've owned her. The 38 does have a cored hull with some hard points for installation of through hulls. Some consider the core to be a risk but I've had no problems; you may want the surveyor to look closely at any boat you consider. As a matter of experience I've only had one small blister on the hull, even though the boat is in brackish to salt water constantly for 3 to 4 years between haul outs for bottom paint. I don't believe blistering was a big problem on C&Cs, but YMMV. You ask if the boat is too tender or too large. I've been sailing for 48 years now, and in my experience the 38 is a fairly stiff boat. I've had the rail down near the water a few times, but that is neither fast nor comfortable. You can carry a generous amount of sail and still keep the boat on her feet pretty easily. The pinched in IOR stern give a peculiar corkscrew motion when going downwind in a seaway, but I sail mostly in the relatively shallow water in Eastern North Carolina and that means the wave period is pretty short which may contribute to the motion. I've sailed boats from a 12 foot dinghy my Grandfather and I built when I was 14 to a 71 foot schooner on which I crew, and IMHO the bigger the boat the easier it is to sail, all things considered. Bigger boats are more stable, the motion is more comfortable, and they demand less constant attention. You just need to get used to the inertia and personality of the boat, and you can do that fairly quickly. I usually single hand Imzadi. Well, when going point-to-point it's actually sort of single-and-a-half handing if you count George (the autopilot). My future Admiral is intent to learn, but she is still essentially a non-sailor so she mostly watches and tails the occasional genoa sheet it trims a genoa car. I've made a number of changes to facilitate single handing: roller furling genoa, the Strong Track for the main, removed the winch farm on the deck and led all the lines aft to clutches and winches reachable from the cockpit, line adjustable Garhauer genoa cars and a Garhauer traveler with lines reachable from the helm. My next project will be self-tailing primary winches I can reach from the wheel (tailing the big winches while steering and grinding is a PITA). Most of those things are nice-to-haves. The two things I think are need-to-haves are the roller furling and the good autopilot. You'll be amazed how much you will use the autopilot for hoisting sail and freeing you from steering so you can do other things while on passage. So don't be afraid of the bigger boat. You'll get used to it pretty quickly. And I have one other comment, though I can already hear the howls coming from some of the other listers. It's really pleasant to own the prettiest girl in the harbor. And for my money the two prettiest girls in the whole C&C fleet are the 33-1 and the 38 mk1 and mk2. And after all, a boat is like a mistress: You have her because you love her, she WILL take all of your money, and she might as well be pretty. Rick Brass Imzadi -1976 C&C 38 mk1 la Belle Aurore -1975 C&C 25 mk1 Washington, NC From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Jim Lynch Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2013 6:19 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Stus-List Advice for sailing shorthanded on C&C 38 or 35 Hi gang, I'm determined to buy an old C&C 38 or 35 primarily as a cruiser. I'm considering a 1977 C&C 38 Mark II in great shape. My biggest concern is whether the boat is too large and too tender for my wife and I to handle it cruising through inland waters of Washington state. It feels doable, especially with a smallish jib on the furler, the traveler/main sheet in the companionway and the main halyard routed to the cockpit. But would the 35 be considerably easier to handle shorthanded? (Their cabintop tavelers seem awkward when shorthanded.) Or should I consider other old and affordable C&Cs like the 33, 34 or 36? I've cruised in heavy boats and raced in light boats. I'm looking for a fun affordable C&C compromise. I'd appreciate any input, especially from 38 owners or people who've had to make similar decisions. Thanks a lot, Jim
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