How do you use your "classic" Mainship 34?

'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!

twiisted71 said:

'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!

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amen

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.

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!

How do I count the ways?

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

lady sue said:

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

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

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

lady sue said:

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

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