Hi Thomm,
I've raced on a C& C 29' in the past 5 years in
Lake Ontario only. You'll find it to be very
tender in comparison to your Bristol. I actually wonder if they would be robust enough for
Chesapeake Bay conditions.
This could be specific to this particular
boat, but there has been a significant leak in the port porthole in the v-berth, which has created its own internal mould/mildew problem.
It has a
C&C keel smile and the
hull now has annual osmotic
blisters that have been repaired individually - but the
hull never completely dried out and
osmosis properly repaired.
So I would say they're responsive but
tender boats (in the Chesapeake you'll be reefing far earlier than you ever did on your Bristol) and at this age of the hull, be vigilant about
leaks and
osmosis when surveying. Speaking of which, you should
canvas boatpoker to hear what he thinks. I'm sure he must've surveyed hundreds of them.
The one I
race on has an old Atomic 4 and you know how I loathe gas engines on sailboats, so I won't comment on the
engine - only hope that the one you're looking at has some variety of diesel!
Fair winds,
LittleWing77
P.S. Now that I've gone back and read Gord's Practical Sailor article, I can see that the one I
race on must be a Mark I.