C&C 1980

[Denis Chartier]

I am looking to buy a C&C 36' centerboard 1980 any thoughts on that boat or anything I should look for particularly, it is my first sailboat, want to go on the St-lawrence river and then follow the east coast up to the Bahamas

[robert sailor]

I owned one for a few years,many years ago. Sailed it from the PNW to Mexico then Hawaii and Back home. It sails nicely as most C&C's do, I would compare it to some modern production boats in that it is not all that heavy duty on the build side of it but it will get you there and back if you do your part. Carefully check all the bulkheads for moisture, check the decks as well. I could have a few negative things to say but it was my first trip offshore with my wife and Son and my memories Arte so great from that trip that it sorta clouds reality. Check the rudder and the bushings, a bit on the underbuilt side.

[Denis Chartier]

Thanks for the info, I am waiting for the spring for a thorough survey I have looked at the boat last fall and it seemed in pretty good shape lots of extra that comes with it, last survey was 4 years ago

[robert sailor]

The bulkheads are glasses to the hull but not the deck. They used a flat T fitting that fits flush on the deck and is tied into the bulkhead. They work but they do allow more flexing than if glasses in. The centre board can be a bit noisy in a rolly anchorage if it is not in tip top condition. Being a centre board has one advantage as it is unlikely that the boat was raced as some of these boats were sailed with too much backstay tension which created some overly flexible foredecks. The layout below is a very workable layout for long distant cruising.

[UNCIVILIZED]

There's the obvious; core integrity/bond, & core moisture levels.

That said, read as much as you can on how boats are built, as well as on the various systems onboard.
I suppose Nigel Calder's "Boat Owner's Mechanical & Electrical Manual" is considered something of a semi-religious text on those things. Amazon.com: nigel calder: Books and is definitely worth owning.
As is/are the Dashew's "Cruising Encyclopedia II". http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...6+linda+dashew
Ditto on our "Celeb" member(s) Evans Starzinger of www.BethandEvans.com also published of course http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...3Abeth+leonard

If naught else, have a look at Calder's article A Refit Reality Check | Cruising World it's easily one of the best things I've read (and my sailing library outweighs me by 5:1, easily).
That article will give you a not overwhelmingly technical understanding of ship's systems, & what kind of $ which a boat can eat. Which is KEY. John & Amanda Neale go into a lot of such as well, here Mahina Expedition - Selecting A Boat for Offshore Cruising They teach voyaging, sailing, & all the skills which go with.

Plus, pretty much all of the sailing magazines out there have loads of free articles which you can peruse online, even including volumes of boat reviews. A good, recurring header in Cruising World are their reviews of "Classic Plastics". Boats which have both withstood the age of time, the sea, & the nit picking of sailors & writers.

The famed Naval Architect (NA), Robert Perry, has a couple of online blogs. In addition to having written for/writing for most of the big name magazines. And NA's get into the little details which make boats great or not, ergo good reference & learning material. Like this Perry on Design
Here's one of his blogs Yacht Design According to Perry and the other Robert H. Perry Yacht Designers, Inc.
Ah, & a review by Perry of the boat in question... the C&C 36' (but check the year to ensure it's the right one as compared to the one you're looking at, via www.sailboatdata.com ) Robert Perry Review - C&C 36

He's on Sailing Anarchy quite a bit (under Bob Perry), which is another good place to have a look around. Though the game's a bit tougher there, with reference to boat knowledge & such, somewhat due to a majority of members being racers... always looking for an edge (thus the depth of knowledge thing). But don't let it stop you from checking the place out.

Sorry for the ramble. I hope that some of it's of use. And of course, both welcome aboard, & good luck with finding a boat, plus the cruise.

PS: You're aware of the C&C owner's association right? C&C Yachts - C&C Photo Album & Resource Center

[Denis Chartier]

Thanks alot for all that information, lots of interresting books, funny thing I just bought this morning the book by Nigel Calder's "Boat Owner's Mechanical & Electrical Manual''

[UNCIVILIZED]

I appreciate the thanks, it's one of those big, little things (on a day when I could use it).

On the boat, while I'm thinking on it. Since she's likely out of the water, & while C&C's are solid boats, the core thing's always on any buyer & or owner's mind.
So you might ask the owner if he'd mind (on your dime) having a through hull or two pulled, the core checked for moisture, & then the through hull reinstalled. Once things warm up a bit I mean.

I'm not trying to make you paranoid about the core or anything. It's just that not many people get a chance to check things in such depth, until after they've already purchased their boat.
I can't imagine that it'd run you more than an hour or three of yard/service time, billing wise (in addition to the survey cost) to have such a test done. And I'm making the suggestion based on the premise that up to that point, the survey has gone well.

Speaking of which, it'd be smart to do a little Googling, & pull up a few examples of various surveyor's checklists & post survey/survey reports. And it'd likely be especially good if you could get same from a few of the surveyors whom you're considering using.
For obvious reasons, the more open & explanatory with you they are the better... so long as they don't feel that they're being hovered over.

Again, good luck, & of course ask questions, read, inspect... make yourself as informed a buyer as you can.

[Denis Chartier]

Thanks again, as for the survey I have already save two examples of survey, one is from Nautical Services Group and the other is from Atlantic Marine Group, I was thinking to make a resume of the two and show it to my surveyor plus I have found on the net this site for survey; Marine Survey 101, Do your own marine survey