How do you use your "classic" Mainship 34? - Page 2

KenM · 08-14-2018, 12:26 AM

1984 MkIII..... up to now just 2/3 day overnights..... hope to make longer journeys this winter. Like the boat, like the MkIII version. And yes the vberth doesn't cut it.

jimisbell · 08-17-2018, 02:44 PM

Well, bought my '78 Mk1 #95 in April. So far I use it as a time sponge. With daytime temps in the high 90s, I am waiting till Oct to start using it for 3 to 10 day long trips. Not planning an ocean crossing. For two people it could be a live aboard if traveling, but not as a slip queen.

twiisted71 · 08-17-2018, 03:33 PM

I think access to the boat and access to your own little slice of paradise affects how nearly all boats are used (other than live aboards). Living on a canal/river/lake with your boat tied up at your backdoor will generally be used more than if you have to pack a lunch for the hour+ ride in traffic to get to the marina.
Likewise if you can be to one of a dozen great anchorages within a 2-3 hour cruise vs having to slog through 50 miles of industrial parks or high-rise apartment buildings that have so much boat traffic that you need a couple days between passages to settle your nerves or to make it worthwhile.

We could be anywhere from Cabbage Key to Lover's Key and back home before the afternoon thunderstorms including spending a few hours on the hook letting the dogs have free run of their own island. This kind of access allowed us to use the boat with no more forethought or planning than locking the door and walking across the backyard when we were both off on the same day. We went out more than anyone in our neighborhood except the TowBoat capt and during the summer weekdays we probably even beat him!

But if we would've had to drive down from Orlando....that would entail a couple hours in the car before even getting to the boat. Having to have gone shopping for "boat" food/snacks the night before. And then spending a half hour checking the boat over, setting up and stowing covers, etc before ever casting off the first line......providing there was nothing wrong (but we all know nothing ever goes haywire on a boat that sits for weeks/months without use, right?). So I'd have to be planning on at the very least an overnight stay on the boat before even leaving the house.

IMHO the sub 40'er is best suited to the owners who live close and will visit frequently. While I know that some of these can get way up in the 6 figure prices (Nordhavns), but a large portion are well below $100K and for a lot of folks buying in that range the cost of having someone else keep your boat in ready-to-go condition just isn't in the budget especially if they are having to pay for dockage. For this reason I'm a HUGE fan of the trailerable trawlers. But then you'd have to factor in the cost of a tow vehicle if you didn't have any other use for it. Eh, boating.....nobody ever said it was a test for sanity!

btw our boat's name......TIME well wasted

BuoyOBuoy · 08-17-2018, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff F

Not sure I have much to offer as my previous experience voyaging and living aboard has all been in sailboats. I'm learning as I go :-)

There is a tremendous knowledge base on these boats here, on the Yahoo owners group, and on owners blogs. Some of the contributors are here. I benefitted a lot from that material. I was looking for an efficient displacement speed boat that I could handle and maintain myself and that would be suitable for economic voyaging in sheltered waters. Not disappointed in any way with this boat. Interior is pretty dated, but I don't care. It's a palace compared to other boats I've had.

Jeff, I know what you mean as far as not being disappointed. I bought a 79 fixer upper and have not been one bit disappointed. Taking time and dollars but hope to bring her back to her glory days then follow in your wake with an eye on doing the Loop

twiisted71 · 08-17-2018, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff F

Interior is pretty dated, but I don't care. It's a palace compared to other boats I've had.

If you want to lose a hundred pounds and make your cabin comfier look up Mali Flex Futon. I bought one of these and tossed that original cast iron useless sofabed contraption. This fit very nicely and the adjustable end "wings" were great to tip your head up so you could keep an eye on things through the rear glass wall. Its comfortable and comes in a myriad of colors.
One of these, an area rug from a discount store and a weekend re-staining your interior trim and cabinets makes huge difference for around $300!

The rug also adds another layer of sound dampening and insulation from the engine/genset.

Jeff F · 08-17-2018, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twiisted71

If you want to lose a hundred pounds and make your cabin comfier look up Mali Flex Futon. I bought one of these and tossed that original cast iron useless sofabed contraption.

Threw mine overboard in the boatyard this spring. It was very satisfying :-) That thing was a beast. I'm much happier with a favourite two seater leather couch that came out of my home.

twiisted71 · 08-17-2018, 06:05 PM

LOL yeah it was absurd how much they made that thing weigh.

jimisbell · 08-17-2018, 07:23 PM

I have a leather back seat from a Suburban that I am thinking about adding, but I hate to take out the old couch since my '78 is original except for the deck and lower walls. But I don't know what it means to have an "original MS-34 Mk1" In car circles that would be really cool if you had the original fabric on the couch, but it may mean nothing in boat circles. And the engine has already been replaced with a Volvo anyway so its not really original is it?

twiisted71 · 08-17-2018, 07:31 PM

Mine was bone stock 1984 even the fly bridge helm seat and back to back benches. The arms on the helm seat tore out of the seat base on the bring home journey in 3-4' stern quartering seas! Thankfully I had my hammer drill along so I re-lagged them in a differnt position. The back-to-backs were beginning to rot the bases. I replaced all that.
Perhaps if you have a classic mahogany runabout originality means something. On larger f'glass vessels tasteful updating is much more sought after in. my experience.

jimisbell · 08-17-2018, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twiisted71

Perhaps if you have a classic mahogany runabout originality means something. On larger f'glass vessels tasteful updating is much more sought after in. my experience.

I am coming to that way of thinking. I also collect cars so its hard for me to change my attitude toward boats. But a boat requires more comfort and convience than a car that you only spend an hour in.

twiisted71 · 08-17-2018, 08:31 PM

'tis hard for average Joe to "collect" trawlers! He/she might have a collection of 4-5 Vw bugs or '60s Mustangs in the barn. Could you imagine dockage n maintenance on 4-5 early '80s Mainships just so you could take 1 or 2 to a Rendevous!?
Add to that 99% of the public have no idea what a trawler is let alone a Mainship 34 MkI, II, or III! So the kewl appreciation factor just isn't there.
Buy it cheap, make it nice as you can, drive the prop off of it! Its made to enjoy!

jimisbell · 08-17-2018, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twiisted71

'tis hard for average Joe to "collect" trawlers! He/she might have a collection of 4-5 Vw bugs or '60s Mustangs in the barn. Could you imagine dockage n maintenance on 4-5 early '80s Mainships just so you could take 1 or 2 to a Rendevous!?
Add to that 99% of the public have no idea what a trawler is let alone a Mainship 34 MkI, II, or III! So the kewl appreciation factor just isn't there.
Buy it cheap, make it nice as you can, drive the prop off of it! Its made to enjoy!

amen

boomerang · 08-18-2018, 06:38 AM

This thread has me realizing that there are a lot more Mainship 34 classic owners on this forum than I realized. Most owners are undertaking some fairly substantial upgrades from 30-40 years of use by the previous owners & some have bought the boats already rehabbed but everyone seems to be content with the general attributes that the boat has.
When we started the process, we looked at several different sizes and manufacturers before we decided the 34 complimented our needs the best.
For us, the biggest unintended "benefit" of MS34 classic ownership is that my wife and myself are far more experienced in recoring and fiberglassing than we ever intended to be.

twiisted71 · 08-18-2018, 08:55 AM

Yep know what you mean. Big cockpit, large bright salon, dual helms, real shower, real keel, perfectly suited for trawler and planing speed, nearly flat floorplan.
After the first time we went aboard one the only question was do we want a MkI,II, or III? For us it was a III with its lower cockpit freeboard, stern door, swim platform, short rear roof overhang and slanted rear wall "wings".
We had pretty much resolved ourselves to getting a 35-40' sportfisher, even though we didn't want twins, they checked all our boxes. Along came the middle bowl of porridge, and it was juuuust right!

lady sue · 08-18-2018, 09:08 AM

Joined the Forum recently, but having owned Lady Sue (1982 MSI, Perkins 165T) for 28 years--Jay Leonard will so attest--I thank other owners for the great ideas they share, and am encouraged by the number who still ply these wonderful boats where-ever. I've been on the Raritan Bay for 37 years so have infinite choices via Sandy Hook, or the Verazzano Bridge to NYC, or the Kill Van Kull to some of the most beautifully restored environmental disaster spots in the country, EXXON Bayway, National Lead, Hess Refinery, Madison Chemicals, Great Kills landfill, etc. Thank you, EPA! Even the fish love the waters now.....Just returned from a 185 mile r/trip to Atlantic City. The magenta line runs right over a sandbar in the "Ditch" behind Brigantine, so we called Towboat US to improve our navigation. Best advice: Keep a log so you know what the heck you did five-ten years ago! Jim Ferry

jimisbell · 08-18-2018, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lady sue

Best advice: Keep a log so you know what the heck you did five-ten years ago! Jim Ferry

Must be nice to know what you did 5 years ago will still work. Around here things change.

lady sue · 08-18-2018, 02:10 PM

Doesn't mean what you did will still work. Just means you know when you changed your sanitation hoses, or when you replaced your impeller, or when you adjusted stuff. Even how much you spent. You get a little older and you keep notes. Also, I log the vital statistics every three-four hours afloat. Darned boat is so slow, you need something to keep occupied!
JJF

jimisbell · 08-18-2018, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lady sue

Doesn't mean what you did will still work. Just means you know when you changed your sanitation hoses, or when you replaced your impeller, or when you adjusted stuff. Even how much you spent. You get a little older and you keep notes. Also, I log the vital statistics every three-four hours afloat. Darned boat is so slow, you need something to keep occupied!
JJF

I thought you were talking about keeping a log of how you crossed the sandbar......LOL Our sandbars MOVE about.