The Doors

Ron20324 · Dec 8, 2014

#1). Not necessarily a problem. Wait until the boat is in the water, in it's "static" position.

#3) It depends. Are the mountings to the deck loose, or is it the stanchions fit into the mountings, which is probably not a concern. My boat new was like that.

#4) Are those old originals "gate" valves? If so, yes, change them to ball valves.

Jumpstart · Dec 8, 2014

Nice boat. The doors will fit differently after boat has been in the water for 2 weeks with the rig tensioned and tuned.

The forward area of the bilge sump is very susceptible to damage on the 34 due to design. Have surveyor check carefully.

Window leaks are common on this boat. Tough to fix right.

Make sure primary winches are up to the task. Headsails for the 34 are pretty big and the original winches weren't that powerful. 2 speed 44s are the minimum.

I've raced on a 34 and looked long and hard at a couple of 34's. Boat is a great light air boat but a lot of boat to handle for a small number of crew when the wind pipes up.

Anonymous 121765 · Dec 9, 2014

I like what Ron advised, especially the ball valves.

Look into Marlon ball valves. Synthetic heavy duty body that are not supposed to allow barnacle growth. Ball valves are positive shutoff valves, gates are NOT. If you have any metal gates anywhere on your boat for raw salt water use, just show them the "DOOR" pal.

CR

shemandr · Dec 9, 2014

Casagf66 said:
The mounting is loose and the glass is crazed.. I will post a pic

If the mounting to the deck is loose then you have to assume there has been water intrusion. If the deck is cored there, then the core could be wet. The crazing is an indication that the fiberglass under the gel coat has flexed more than the gel coat (Which isn't much). This isn't an unusual condition but merits some scrutiny.
I think a good surveyor will alert you to problems with the bottom or deck, and the stay support for the mast. What you need to do is get mentally prepared for there to be a problem. What if.....the deck core is wet? What if..... it's only wet in certain places? How much of a price reduction are you wiling to negotiate? How much money will you put into repairs? If the boat is going to be repaired what are you going to do about "Might as wells?" You can expect a call from the sales broker, or owner pretty soon after the survey. You need to be ready. BTW I'd advise you to refuse to discuss until you've throughly reviewed the WRITTEN report. Make them conform to your time table. Don't get emotionally tied to this boat yet. Treat her like a thief that's trying to steal your money.
At least as big an issue is the engine. The surveyor will not be a lot of help there.

Scott T-Bird · Dec 9, 2014

Deck could be flexing ...

So about a month ago you were purchasing an Irwin 35.5 Citation? What happened to that deal?

I'd check into that issue with the doors a little more. The bulkheads may be flexing to cause that. I don't believe that resting on the hard should have any affect.

I noticed the same thing happened to our boat when I tightened the shrouds. I wasn't over-tightening to be sure. Then I noticed a gap between the bulkhead and the vanity counter that I had not seen before. I pulled trim off and found that wood screws were pulling out and the fringes of plywood were pulling apart. I made solid pieces of trim with 3/4" ash and through-bolted to the fiberglass tab on the other side (under the counter).

I also had water leaks from the chainplate on port side that stained after I varnished the interior. I had to seal the chainplates to stop the leaks, and the trim now holds the bulkhead like a vice so there is no movement on either port or stbd side. I'll replace the bulkheads sometime when I have the mast down, but it is strong and dry now.

The doors are in the normal position after I secured the bulkheads (it was basically the port side that was the culprit), and there is no settling or movement when in the water, on the hard, or adjusting shroud tension.

Anonymous 121765 · Dec 9, 2014

Scott,

Resting on the hard for an extended period of time can & will distort/flex a boat on the sticks. I am living proof of this. Ron touched on this earlier.

Fiberglass WILL distort given the circumstances. It does however have the ability to re-retain original shape when not being bottom supported mechanically. Are the stands spaced & adjusted properly, are there enough to withstand deforming over time?

If a door is jamming out of square, something is causing this. They are usually not a tight fit to begin with by design.

I am happy he got out from under that Citation though.

CR

Gunni · Dec 9, 2014

Your questions should be submitted to the surveyor immediately, pending his/her survey. A good surveyor will access the builder's equipment list and evaluate against what you have. You should also consider rounding up a composites tradesman to evaluate your hull and deck integrity. I don't believe that is a cored hull, but a knowledgeable tradesman is your ally in this case. Hopefully you have a buyers broker in the deal to guide you, find the right experts, and advocate on your behalf. You will find problems and will need to make some decisions and calculations.

Jackdaw · Dec 9, 2014

Casagf66 said:
If there is one thing a 34ft live aboard must have, what is it?

Not a lot of possessions.

Benny17441 · Dec 11, 2014

Had a pesky water leak in an older boat and finally found the source under a loose stanchion.

Capt jgw · Dec 12, 2014

I wouldn't worry about the doors. Mine were stuck so bad once I couldn't get into the head to winterize it. Had to have the yard crew come back to adjust the stands. Now I make sure all the doors are open before we haul. You want them propped open for ventilation anyway.
By all means pitch the gate valves and install proper seacocks. The surveyor will tell you that too, so maybe you can get the seller to take care of it.

The Doors

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