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You will love the boat. They are very comfortable at any speed and don't dig in like most. I have the twin 185 Perkins and she is very economical. I just brought her down from Long Beach to San Diego at about 8-9 knots and averages 1.8 nmpg. They make great fishing boats too.

My Perkins are plumbed to be flushed with fresh water after each use. Takes less than ten minutes and it flushes the heat exchanger, the intercooler and exhaust manifold. My components stay cleaner and it extends the life of the cast iron exhaust manifolds. Easy to do, just cut in antee after...

Sunchaser where do you keep your boat?

I add the oil as a precaution against the low or no sulphur fuel that we get in California. I read a study comparing additives designed to improve lubricity and the two stroke oil scored very high. For me it is cheap insurance. Not wanting to open a can of worms but I can tell the difference...

I bought a 1979 34 Californian three years ago with twin T6.354mgt's at 185hp. The motors then had, as far as I could tell, about 3000 hours. I bought the boat because I could afford it and it was in reasonable condition. I worried about the motors in part because if their age and also because...

What do you have for power?

Thank you very much. I will look and see how much more I can extract. Where do you keep your Californian?

You are probably right about not worrying, after 35 years they are still running strong. Because I know I could never afford to re-power the boat it has made me paranoid when it comes to maintenance. I generally change the oil twice a year and put about 150 hours on them. I am hoping I can get...

They are US quarts. The engines do not appear to have an excessive angle on them. Thanks, John

Hi, I am hoping that another Californian owner can shed some light on my concerns. I have a 1979 Californian 34LRC with the twin 185hp Perkins. When I change the engine oil I only get about 6 quarts out of each engine, including filter change. I run them until they are hot, anchor, and then use...

I have a 1979 Californian 34 LRC with the Perkins T6.354 185hp diesels. The pre 1980 version of this engine does not have the mani cooler. They have a simple heat exchanger and the exhaust manifold is separate. Cooling and exhaust parts for these are long lived and are not overly expensive to...

Fishing, shooting, hunting, desert offroading and RC airplanes. Unfortunatly in the crackpot state I live in almost all of these pastimes are under attack. Makes me wonder what my kid's life will be like.

Californian Flywright, Do you know if I would contact Perkins Sabre or is there another contact for the older Perkins engines?

Californian Our boat also had a bent strut from when the previous owner wrapped his own dock line around the prop shaft. The local boat yard was able to straighten the strut and so far so good. What engines do you have in your boat? I hope to someday talk to somebody with the 185s that has flow...

Californian 34 Not sure if you have bought a boat yet or not but I think you will be very happy with a Californian LRC 34. We purchased one in October and our situation sounds similar to yours. We have two sons, 12 and 14 and we enjoy staying on the boat for extended (up to a week) periods. The...

Thanks. I have to admit it has been called cute in the past. It is a lot of fun.

My motor is a very early version. It is a 1.5 liter with mechanical lifters. Runs great. Other than the timing belt which is easy to replace I have had no issues. 39 horsepower, 2700 sustained cruise, 3600 max. Parts are cheap and easy to get on line (VW Parts Place). The only real marine...

I took this picture of my two boats, one the Californian 34 "Sweet Marie" which I have owned for a few months along with my 21' trawler "Tortuga" which I have owned for almost 20 years. The 21' is powered by a Volkswagen 1.5 liter Diesel. She burns about 1/3 of a gallon per hour at 7 knots...

I went to your blog. You guys are lucky you have so many places for cruising. What cabin layout do you have?

What engines do you have in your boat? We do love the boat and find little that we want to change. In a perfect world I would have made the port staterooman upper and lower and the front v berth a double. I was just in your neck of the woods a couple of weeks ago. I will take you up on your...

Moved up from a 27' Sea Sport Pilot to a 1979 34' Californian a few months ago. We have been slowly cleaning her up and getting rid of the cigarette smell the previous owner left behind. So far we really like the boat. I needed something bigger but that still had good sea keeping ability. If you...