34 Mainship 2004 to 2006

[Bob P]

New to forum would like to buy a 34,have a few questions 1. Soft tops
2.eng.3116,3126,
cats or 370 yanmars. 3. how is this in a following sea.thanks,I know you will have some great information.
Thanks again Bob

 

[DavidM]

I presume you are talking about the Pilot 34 (see avatar at left) and not the 34T fly bridge trawler. AFAIK the only engines offered are twin Yanmar 240s or a single Yanmar 370. The twins would be very tight for maintenance, so focus on the single.

Hard tops are generally preferable as they give a more secure pilot house feeling and have space for stuff up top- radar, gps antenna, solar panels, etc.

Better in a following sea than the 34T with its wide transom, but typical of the breed.

David

 

[Shrew]

Moved Thread from the Welcome Mat to the Mainship sub-forum.

 

[Bob P]

34mainship

Thanks David for quick response.
I ment the 34T flybridge. wondering about
about soft spots on bridge and anywhere rules. I would like a single eng. and how it handles in a following sea.I am
coming from a motor yacht to a trawler. Any advise is greatly appreciated

 

[DavidM]

OK, since I also owned a 34T some years ago, I guess I am qualified to answer that question as well. Your question about soft tops focussed me on the Pilot 34, but I now understand what you were trying to say.


AFAIK, the 34T was built in 2005 to about 2007 and was never delivered with Cat engines, only twin Yanmar 240s and single Yanmar 370 and Cummins 370. All are great engines and the 14' beam of the 34T makes the twins a worthwhile possibility unlike the Pilot.


Soft decks can happen to any boat- poor lamination during construction or poor installation of stanchions which lets water leak in. The latter is more serious as it will rot the core but the former is usually benign. But neither are particularly prevalent on this model.


The 34T is squirelly in a following sea due to its wide transom being push back and forth by the waves. On a standard autopilot it can S turn 30 degrees back and forth. Adding the gyro feature (available as an add on to older Raymarine units or integrated with others) dampens it down to less than 10 degrees. Or you can tack down wind to minimize the S turns.


The 34T is a great couples boat and has loads of room in the main salon and a huge fly bridge. We only sold ours because we were moving cross country.


David

 

[Molly]

I own a 2006 Majnship 34T, twin 240 Yanmars, bow thruster, genny and (2) A/C units. Only had it a few months. We love the boat. If I cruise @ 12 knts she burns 10 GPH. Slow down to 8 knts. she burns 6 GPH. Great engine access. I can run the genny underway and have the A/C running. (important in Fl). I just hauled it out for a bottom job and maintenance. No complaints so far. It's a BIG 34. Perfect 6,4,2 boat. ^ for cocktails, 4 for dinner, 2 for overnight. We have had guests overnight, they have to be very good friends. Gets tight. There are plenty out there. If you see a real good deal, be cautious. The price is pretty much set because they are very popular and the brokers know what they are worth. I bought mine 220 miles away and took it home on her hull. I would have no problem buying a Mainship anywhere and trucking it. Just get a survey, plus I had the engine oil analyzed.
Good luck. Nice boat!

 

[Bacchus]

Bob
David is right on w descriptions. Heres a link to my Bacchus webpage w some pics & info on our 34HT... the hardtop version.

http://dkloeber.wixsite.com/bacchus

Absolutely agree a great 2 person boat. It is squirrely in folliwing seas but hasn't been a major issue for us as we cruise inland and Great Lakes.
Engine room w single is a real pleasure.
I've made some mods / improvements but it has been a great boat for DW & I.

 

[Bob P]

34 mainship bridge

When did this boat come out was it early
2000 or was it 2005. I have a budget of
$120,000 Is this doable or look at another model or year. Thanks again newbie here
Bub

 

[Bacchus]

Bob
I'm not positive but believe MS produced the 34T with the same layout from 2004 - about 2009 or when they closed. There were several predecesser 34s with different layouts but I'm not familiar w the details.
I get a listing of MS sales by the brokerage that had mine. I'm out cruising for a couple weeks and can look for it when I return if you contact me and jog my memory.

EZ to do a few searches to see what's out there and ask price range.

 

[Shrew]

Mainship 350 Trawler (1997 -1999)
Mainship 390 Trawler (2000 - 2004)
Mainship 34T (2005 - 2008/2009?)

Years are rough (give or take a year). You're going to have a difficult time finding a 34T in the $120K price range. You are well within the 350/390 range.

The 350/390 has a second stateroom and a galley-up design. The 34T has a single stateroom (Master) and a galley-down where the 2nd stateroom used to be. This gives the 34T a very large salon.

We prefer the 34T layout, but we do love using the second stateroom as a 'walk-in closet' for storage.

 

[Shrew]

All of these models get pushed around in following or quartering seas. Twins or a larger HP single can get you into the 12+ kt cruise speed which helps a lot. Ours has a 315 HP Yanmar and just can't get much more than 10-11 kts. We consider sea state, wind/wave direction and work around the weather on the days we run.

For us, we'll leave a day early or late to take advantage of favorable conditions.

 

[jann]

Bob

I own a 2006 34T and love it. I would not buy a Mainship after 2006. as the quality had gone down. I have a friend who has a 2007 34T and had all kinds of problems. electrical and physical.

I cruise at hull speed of 7.3 mph down to the keys in summer but when a storm approaches I can really appreciate the speed I can get from Twin Yanmars ( I clocked it max at 21.2mph ). I would never buy one with single engine. Peace of mind alone.

As for performance in following seas its terrible, Its wide beam rocks and rolls in any high seas. I avoid going out even in 2-3 ft seas.

Soft top is great..take down easy if hurricane approaches