Irwin 34's

[c_witch]

Hi all,

Looking for the pro's and con's of the Irwin citation 34's. Namely the mid 80's boats. Mostly I am concerned with the hull / deck attachment. From what I've read its not the best. The other issues are mostly minor in my opinion and easily remedied if not already done so. Out side of some of the Endeavors I've looked at this model has the cabin layout I've been looking for ie galley / engine accessability. This will be used for coastal cruising down the eastern seaboard to the carribean and then sailing there in the gulf coastal area's with some open water passage making when required.

Thanx,
c_witch

 

[31seahorse]

Hello c_witch,

We have sailed on an Irwin 34 and enjoyed its interior space. For near-shore cruising I think it would be an exciting boat to own and sail.

We restored/repaired a 1983 Irwin 31 Citation about 12 years ago. It was our first sailboat that offered wheel steering and an inboard diesel. The restoration/repair gave us a first hand look at all her systems. I believe the 34 would be similar in construction. What I remember is as follows: (1) Hull thickness was under 3/8 inches below the waterline and thinner by a good bit at the hull/deck joint. (2) The hull/deck joint was screwed together (maybe thru bolted) through the rub rail with a material like 5200 added. (3) the non-opening ports leaked and damaged the interior wood so that the wood needed replacement. This was certainly a result of deferred maintenance, but the installation of the plastic (lexan, plexiglas?) ports included some rock hard, pink 5200-like material that made leaking a very likely occurrance once the hull to port joint flexed. We removed and rebedded the ports and trimmed the exterior with a wooden frame about 2 inches wide to outline the port and add caulking between that wood and the cabin side and the ports. (4) The engine was raw water cooled. Not a long term good idea in my opinion. (5) The keel on our boat developed a "smile" or "mouth" at the forward edge where it met the hull. There seemed to be a bowing up of the hull away from the keel. We added an extra keel bolt in the forward area of the keel and that stablized the area and was a good repair. NOTE: Other 31s did have a factory installed bolt in that same area. (6) The boat was light at about 5300 pounds. That made her better for close to shore cruising in somewhat protected water. (7) It was tender, but had a "sweet spot" at which it stopped its initial heel and took off like a "bat out of Swell"! (8) At the time my wife did not like the boat's sailing characteristics. Now, we would enjoy that boat.

RE: engine access - The 31 Citation had an access hatch in the sole of the cockpit plus the usual ability to remove the companionway steps. You could also remove some panels in the galley and quarterberth to get even better access to the engine. If the 34 is built in a similar way changing filters, oil, and other maintenance should be pretty easy.

Best Wishes on your choice for a cruising boat.
Phil

 

[c_witch]

Thanx Phil that is exactly the kind of response information I was hoping to get . While we are still a ways out from making a purchase, I had not considered the Irwin's until recently when I just happened to view some online. From my reading most post 73 boats had thinner hulls due to the first oil crunch and a better understanding of how tough the FRP really was.

c_witch

 

[Harlan]

A friend has one. Know problem is that they leak. Leaky port lights (mentioned above) and leaky chain plates. Results in rotting bulkheads and serious chainplate issues. Usually is obvious from discolored wood.