34 Mainship MK1

[cruise]

Hey Cruise very sharp looking 1978 mk1

Keep us posted on the sea trials

Thank you Boatbrain. Will do - trial sometime around April 25 -26th- Hopefully trip back May 5th.

 

[cruise]

WOW that boat is CLEAN!

Congrats it was a pleasure to throw some advice out there. I'm currently on my boat, drinking coffee and watching tv at the dock. You're going to love it.


Some ideas on autopilot. I ended up installing a past generation Garmin TR1 which can be had for very cheap. I highly recommend it and have about $500 in my system which works flawlessly. It has all the features you'd want in a modern system too. It's basically Garmin's current production autopilot without the digital controller(has a push button remote). I searched far and wide trying to save money and can't say how happy I am to have this one.

My windlass is currently broken and I do miss it. It's next on my list.


If you do decide you'd like a Genset i've been looking because mine has been neglected but still working. You can easily buy a used 5kw for under $2,500. I'm in FL so cannot do without AC but if I could i'd love to see mine go for the extra space in the engine room to work.

Golf cart batteries are great and what i've chosen to install but make sure you check the fluid levels regularly.

That 165 will push the boat @ around 8 knots @ 1500rpms and mine tops out @ 11 knots. I run the boat @ 7-8 knots to keep noise down, it's extremely efficient @ 1500, and keeps the wake down. With a fresh bottom job and a lighter boat i'd be interested in your top speed. I'd guess 13 knots.

For purposes of haulout or just general knowledge the boat is advertised @ around 16,000lbs BUT i'm not sure how they got to this number because in my research of quite a few MK1's that have been weighed they come in between 20,000-23,000lbs.

Take care of the front hatch over the bedroom. Not only are they prone to leak but more importantly they are impossible to find and if you do they cost big money. Mine is shot and i'm honestly thinking about adding fiberglass to make the opening smaller/standard size. Similar story for the windows and sliding door.

While the boat is hauled out consider fairing the keel ahead of the prop. The info is in the thread posted below and the results are amazing for not much work. http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s6/perkins-t6-354-best-practice-22543.html

Thank you Mr. Wesson - You were an influence lol. Defender industries is located in Ct. They have a warehouse sale every year, all the reps are there. I have an appointment to meet about the windlass and auto pilot, everything is at least 10% off. I am thinking of going with the stainless Lewmar surface mount.

Because this boat does not have a pulpit I am going with a bracket. But the gunnels step up a couple inches at the bow. This is why I am thinking surface mount. Probably going with 100' 3/8" chain and 200 foot rode.. They will make the splice on site.


I would attach a pic of the windlass but I am unable to post pics for some reason. Do you happen to know how much of a step up the gunnel has at the bow where the pulpit or brake would go in comparison to the walking area where the windlass would mount?

 

[Jeff F]

Hey, congrats. Glad you found a good boat. Hope to hear more.

 

[KenM]

Cruise, she lookslike a nice boat for a decent price....


IHMO, you might want to do the auto pilot before the windless... auto pilot gives you hours of relaxed travel, while the windless you use only sporadically. additionally, if you anchor in oh, less than 8 to 10 feet, which I usually do it isn't very hard to manually raise the anchor even on a chain. now if I was anchoring in 50 feet that would be a different story. I do it all the time and really don't find the lack of a windless to be much of a hindrance. Enjoy your boat!!

 

[cruise]

Cruise, she lookslike a nice boat for a decent price....


IHMO, you might want to do the auto pilot before the windless... auto pilot gives you hours of relaxed travel, while the windless you use only sporadically. additionally, if you anchor in oh, less than 8 to 10 feet, which I usually do it isn't very hard to manually raise the anchor even on a chain. now if I was anchoring in 50 feet that would be a different story. I do it all the time and really don't find the lack of a windless to be much of a hindrance. Enjoy your boat!!

Ken you have a good point and thank you. The home port is a couple miles from a number of super places to anchor. I am the type to head out a couple times during the work week just for a couple hours, and throw anchor for a bit. Weekends i tend to wander farther out in the sound / ocean. I think both are priority! But agree with you on the auto pilot. I’ll actually tinker with installing both simultaneously. When i get my photo attachment problem squared away i will share pics

 

[cruise]

Thank you Jeff, I hope your trip is going well!

 

[Mrwesson]

Cruise, she lookslike a nice boat for a decent price....


IHMO, you might want to do the auto pilot before the windless... auto pilot gives you hours of relaxed travel, while the windless you use only sporadically. additionally, if you anchor in oh, less than 8 to 10 feet, which I usually do it isn't very hard to manually raise the anchor even on a chain. now if I was anchoring in 50 feet that would be a different story. I do it all the time and really don't find the lack of a windless to be much of a hindrance. Enjoy your boat!!

I went without autopilot for awhile and still going without a windlass on my 34' MK1 and completely agree.

I carry undersized ground tackle but don't spend much time overnight on the hook. The nights I have it's been a non issue. The boat came with a very heavy anchor(lost it) and an old school windlass that eventually failed(probably just a solenoid but I always hated it).

It held in a crazy severe thunderstorm though(easily 50mph winds). I keep another anchor the same size with some chain and enough rode if I need a 2nd.

I can't imagine going back to when I didn't have autopilot.

 

[Jeff F]

I use my AP all the time. Wouldn't do without it.

I don't have a windlass and don't really miss it. Thought about installing one in order to use more chain, but most of my anchoring has been in shallow mud/sand and I haven't had any big challenges doing without. It's my daily onboard exercise!

 

[cruise]

Hmmm Autopilot wins! I’ll still take on both.

Do you think i could do a temporary install then finish it after i pick her up? Just plum it in under the helm and give it power?

 

[Mrwesson]

Hmmm Autopilot wins! I’ll still take on both.

Do you think i could do a temporary install then finish it after i pick her up? Just plum it in under the helm and give it power?

Typically you'll have a pump, ECU/compass and a display. Not hard to install yourself.

IMO you should plumb it @ the rear of the boat off the steering ram. you'll need wiring @ the rear, under the helm for display and another for ECU. You can also look into a Garmin TR1 if you're looking to save money. All the modern features and I only have $400 in mine. Check ebay and boat forums. Uses a compass ball, ECU, pump, and a non lcd display/remote(basically same as the new garmin GHP minus the lcd) I bought another remote for around $100 and spliced it into the original remote for a 2nd station setup. Works fine.

If you go this route source each part separately on ebay @ the best price or buy one someone removed for sale on forums. There's resellers on Ebay who want crazy prices vs private sellers.

Another option is a simple wheelpilot. They work well but tend to get in the way depending on the model. As a bonus you don't need to run a pump(heavy battery usage) and it's simple.

 

[bigbill]

I have not spoken to his brother but once since Randy’s death. My boat is long gone and I did not document, should have though. I will see what I can find out about his boat. Just saw your post...

Mule, is your friends boat still available? did it survive the hurricane? i have a friend that is looking very hard to buy a 34 soon. thanks, bigbill

 

[Seanair]

Cruise,

Your boat looks terrific, especially the fly bridge area. I cant get over over how similar it is to mine (not now, yours is much nicer!, but the day they both left the factory) Same bridge lay out, same head, exact same lower steering station.

Would you mind sharing your hull number? Mine is;

MP0000110M78H-34T

Which I always thought made mine the 110th one made, but i'm not positive. (its either the 10th or the 110th)

Good luck with her, she's in fantastic shape.

 

[Jeff F]

Cruise,

Your boat looks terrific, especially the fly bridge area. I cant get over over how similar it is to mine (not now, yours is much nicer!, but the day they both left the factory) Same bridge lay out, same head, exact same lower steering station.

Would you mind sharing your hull number? Mine is;

MP0000110M78H-34T

Which I always thought made mine the 110th one made, but i'm not positive. (its either the 10th or the 110th)

Mine is MP0000175M78H-34T and has the same features. Did they build that many in the first year? Seems like high numbers, but they were popular boats.

 

[Seanair]

Jeff F - thanks for sharing that, much appreciated.

It does seem hard to believe they could build that many, especially given that your number suggests that our 2 boats were built in the same month of 1978. "H" I believe stands for March.

But, the HIN is a hard coded ancestry of every boat.

I'm not exactly positive of what each character stands for - but this is my best guess at this point; heres my number and a sort of "decoder" I came across.

Perhaps others may have a clearer understanding and can chime in.

 

[Jeff F]

Interesting, thanks. I made a mistake. Mine is MPC00175M78K-34T, which infers they built 65 in ~3 months. I'd guess you were 110 rather than 10 based on that.

 

[jleonard]

Nice boat.
FYI that is a 160 Perkins, not a 165.
Pay attention to the raw water exhaust manifold.
Good luck with her.
BTW I owned hull number 26 for 14 years and wish I still had her.

 

[jimisbell]

The hull numbers did not start at 100. Because I have #95.....LOL

 

[Jeff F]

I noticed the boat has a LH prop. That probably means you have a counter rotating motor. Something to check and note. The original in my boat was CR.