Talk to me about the C&C Landfall 38

[frozenhawaiian]

what should I know about these boats? I know that C&C's from that era have a reputation for good quality construction and the landfall 38 is supposed to be a nice sailor. there are 3 of them within a few hours of me so I'm seriously thinking about upgrading from my bristol 22 to a larger, more capable and comfortable cruiser. mostly sailing the maine coast, with the occasional trip to the canadian maritime or maybe as for south as the south coast of Massachusetts. so all coastal cruising really.

wutcha got?

[neilpride]

Balsa core??

[frozenhawaiian]

yep balsa core, the C&C boats have a reputation for good quality and I am of course planning on having a survey conducted.

[neilpride]

Yeah you should do it, moisture meter in hand, if is sound and solid , go for it, they sail really nice, i own in the past a 40 ft C&c.

[Steadman Uhlich]

As I recall, the hulls are fully balsa cored.
________

I like the look of them, and to me, that is an important element to consider for any boat, as some satisfaction comes from owning a boat that appeals to one by sight as well as sailing ability.

From the photos I have seen of a few, the galley looks like a nice design for this size boat and the layout or plan looks nice to me (it appears they have good storage).

_________

[frozenhawaiian]

yeah I really like the look of them as well, the one I'm looking at buying I've seen out sailing quite a but the past few summers. nice looking boats and it looks like it sails well, I'm planning on living on it, at least during the summer and fall

[Mike OReilly]

I was really hot for one when we were in search mode a few years ago. I liked the design and the look. I've never read anything negative about build quality so was quite excited when we found one in our area, and in our price range. However, when I finally got on board I was underwhelmed. I really was expecting to love it, but didn't.

I forget the full reasons now, but it was mostly the below-deck layout that turned me off. I recall not liking the way the space was used, and left thinking this would work a lot better in a somewhat larger LOA (like the Landfall 42).

I'm sure they are great cruising boats for the right people ... just not for me I guess.

[nwdiver]

Mine has no core issues and is very good for any type of sailing, inshore offshore............ here is a blog were the owner made many up grades and repairs to his boat........ mine is the design with the shower stall which I love I hate showering in the head compartment.


s/v Stella Blue To Do List

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

Mine has no core issues and is very good for any type of sailing, inshore offshore............ here is a blog were the owner made many up grades and repairs to his boat........ mine is the design with the shower stall which I love I hate showering in the head compartment.


s/v Stella Blue To Do List

here is a blog were the owner made many up grades and repairs to his boat.

Thanks for posting that link. I looked at that blog and found the detailed photos and captions and descriptions of the several boat projects to be excellent and helpful.

I only wish I had that owner's wood working skills and patience!

[frozenhawaiian]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

Mine has no core issues and is very good for any type of sailing, inshore offshore............ here is a blog were the owner made many up grades and repairs to his boat........ mine is the design with the shower stall which I love I hate showering in the head compartment.


s/v Stella Blue To Do List

yeah the one I'm looking at has the separate shower. it's one of the features I really like.

[GordMay]

Some reviews:
➥ http://www.cncphotoalbum.com/reviews...38landfall.pdf
➥ BoatUS - Boat Reviews - C&C Landfall 38
➥ C&C 38 Landfall Review: Racer is Real Cruiser - Waves « Jordan Yacht Brokerage
➥ C&C Landfall 38 Review | Which Sailboat?
➥ C&C Landfall 38

[ALAIN97133]

Originally Posted by frozenhawaiian

what should I know about these boats? I know that C&C's from that era have a reputation for good quality construction and the landfall 38 is supposed to be a nice sailor. there are 3 of them within a few hours of me so I'm seriously thinking about upgrading from my bristol 22 to a larger, more capable and comfortable cruiser. mostly sailing the maine coast, with the occasional trip to the canadian maritime or maybe as for south as the south coast of Massachusetts. so all coastal cruising really.

wutcha got?

Hi: I almost bought one 1980 C&C Landfall sailboat for sale in North Carolina but gave it up after surveying it: The engine had a major leak at the heat exchanger, & in case of bigger engine problems, looking at its size, I couldn't see how to get it out without dismantling the kitchen partition Also the deck was not in such a good shape... In the end, I downsized my appetite & bought a 1987 Ericson 34' ($35,000) which I just sailed single-handed from Beaufort NC to Sint Maarten Dutch West Indies 11 days & nights

https://plus.google.com/photos/10591...64541288899041

[19 and counting]

Hi but do you like cleaning the shower stall? Having had both types of set ups on our boats I am back to having the shower in the head compartment as that leaves me with a clean toilet area which seems to be one of the worst offensive odor producers on liveaboard boats. We
have teak grate flooring in the heads which really helps them dry fast. We use hand towels not bath towels, less fabric to dry out afterwards.

[hellosailor]

I'd suggest finding Wally Bryant's web site on his boat, Stella Blue.


Wally brought it back from "ready for the breaker's yard" literally and he rebuilt things to a very high standard. Any issue you might hit, including mast step, cockpit floor, he's probably got tear-down and repair pages on what he found.


IIRC they are cored down to the waterline, as most of the older C&C production boats were. They'll have rod rigging, which is a feature you may love or hate. But they're fairly conventional and respected boats for "fast cruisers" of their age.

[Tessellate]

Take a look at the reviews GordMay posted, they cover just about everything you need to know. I'm in the process of buying a Landfall 38 now.

Everything I've heard on them from people who own them has been great. The people who warn you away due to the cored hull are never people who have owned one. I haven't been able to find anyone who has actual experience with one and had problems with the coring.

The more relevant thing to worry about, as mentioned in the reviews, is the engine access. It's a compromise I'm willing to make for the other good attributes of the boat. Also the anchor platform / locker is a bit undersized if you're planning to do world cruising. (but can be remedied to some extent)