My new 34

[robs523]

Hello, I am officially a proud new owner of a Californian 34. Attached is a listing to the broker sight from when the PO bought it a few years ago. Some things have changed but overall it's pretty close to the same as the listing. Took it out with the family on Tuesday and loved it! Docking is still an embarrassment, especially with two engines, but that will get better in time.


https://www.alaskaboatbrokers.com/listings_detail.php?id=1177

 

[HopCar]

Nice, you'll have a lot of fun with that.
Of course it goes too fast, it got too many engines, the anchor is too small and it's the wrong kind.

 

[78puget-trawler]

Nice looking boat. I lived in Sitka a couple of times back in the mid to late '60's. My dad was a tugboatman so we moved there from Seattle and spent the summer of '66 there and then went back again and stayed a year, '68-'69. I did my sophomore year of HS there. Nice town. Havent been there is some time now, last there on a tug in the early '90,s, and we didn't make it to town, just offloaded freight out on I think Halibut Pt road.

 

[robs523]

haha, thanks! I figured there would be some of that kind of feedback The anchor has been upgraded and the rode is more chain with less rope now. Otherwise I think it's mostly the same, except I paid a lot less. And it has 1600 hours on the CATs now. It's great cruising around 8-9 but I do like the ability to get home a little faster if I need to. Just to have that space and comfort for the family was great. Our open wooden skiff was much less comfortable!

 

[Edelweiss]

Nice looking boat and it already has a new DE-0061 Norcold installed. I love mine and thats $1500 in the lower 48, savings for you. Plus a much improved model than what the boat came with.

Enjoy
Larry B

 

[FlyWright]

That's a great looking 34 LRC! Having the galley down gives you much more seating in the salon. Our galley up model allows us to use the fwd stateroom with bunks as a walk-in closet and general storage for fishing and cruising supplies. Advantages to both. Your boat's refit looks very well done. Are your electronics on an overhead header?

I bet you're gonna love the Cats. I spoke to Builder Jule Marshall and his son, Gil years ago and Gil mentioned that he thought the 34 LRC with the twin Cat 3208s was the best combination for that boat with the slow speed efficiency and the ability to cruise in the mid teens.

There's more room in that ER with those 3208s than I imagined. Maybe a little tight on the outboard sides. Mine has the 'lil Perkins 4.236 twins and no genset which opens up the center aisle of the ER from fwd door to lazarette.

If you get the chance could you post some shots of your transom door? I'm considering that as a future mod and would like to nail down the positioning and hardware requirements. I have a rail gate and transom step plates at the port corner of the aft rail. That's where my transom door would have to go. Here's a shot of the gate and step plate.

 

[robs523]

Thanks! The biggest reason I used that link was because I don't know how to post pics. Mostly because I haven't tried to learn, so I guess now I better start trying.

So far I'm very happy with the Cats, and the slower cruising speed with the ability to pick it up a little if I need to was very appealing. The trim tabs aren't working right now and without them we got up to 17 during the sea trial, probably booting me out of the trawler category according to the purists. I imagine it will get a little higher with the tabs working but I really liked 8-9 we spent the day out on it Tuesday. We really like the galley down layout, it's the only one I've seen since I started looking and I think it will work out well for what we will use it for.

As far as the electronics being an overhead header- I don't k ow what that means! Sorry, still very new to all of this. We are going out for the day tomorrow, I'll try to take some transom pics

 

[FlyWright]

Here's a great thread for learning some new forum skills. Scroll down to post 6 to find how to add a photo to a post.

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s22/set-up-your-account-|-help-tips-etc-5739.html

Here's a shot of my header with engine gages, VHF radio, stereo, fuel gages and audio/video/wifi panel. Some folks mount their chartplotter and radar up there.

Of course you're still a trawler! You're a lucky owner who has the option of going fast unlike some of us slower brethren. You're a fast trawler!

I hope you get good at taking and posting pics. We love boat pics here!!

If you subscribe to the Californian section of this forum, you're receive email notifications when new info is posted. There's lots of good info there on the Californians, especially the popular 34 LRC. Check out the magazine articles for some background and performance data.

Welcome aboard!!

 

[Bustlebomb]

Welcome to the family! We've got the galley up model which my wife preferred. Mine also has dual bunks above the v-berth in addition to the stateroom allowing us to sleep the kids and their friends. Either way, you're going to you'll love the boat.

 

[Montenido]

What a beautiful boat! You are going to love the Cats, as mentioned already. As far as docking, I feel your pain. I am still learning to dock mine, after having only sailboats. I have found that for me, if I just relax, it goes smoothly. If I am uptight before getting to the dock, it seems harder. Just my $.02.

Cheers, bill

 

[robs523]

Here are a couple of transom door pics Flywright. Let me know if you would like any other views

 

[FlyWright]

Thanks, robs!!

That would make boarding so much easier on my boat. As it is, I step over or sit-n-spin on the side caprail between the fwd and aft rails, depending on the availability of steps and dock height.

 

[Sweet marie]

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.

 

[robs523]

we do love it! We really like the extra seating up above, although my wife might argue with me when she's trying to cook something while we're going through some rough waves. I think we've put about 110 hours on it already, camped out a few nights, caught a lot of fish, and seen a lot of really cool things. I been pushed way past my comfort level in the water, but have learned more than I could ever imagine in such a short amount of time. I have a ton of things I want/need to do and fix, but most of them are small enough that they can wait until the winter blues kick in and I can keep myself occupied. I definitely have a long way to go but we couldn't be happier. One of these days I'll try to get some pics up with our family adventures. Now only if work would quit getting in the way.

 

[FlyWright]

I really think it's a great fit for me too. It's a capable cruiser and carries 2 in comfort, it's a seaworthy hull with a relatively dry ride, it fishes well for up to 3-4 guys but I prefer 2. Maybe I just have larger friends than others...

I enjoy having the cockpit and would never have a boat without one. I enjoy being close to the water with easy access in and out. It's not big, but it's an easy boat to get around on...unlike some boats have more flights of stairs than cleat pairs.

Not a big fan of the FB ladder, but on a boat this size, it's to be expected. Sometimes I wish it was a staircase in the stbd sidedeck. With the stbd side door, it's easy to bypass that side deck to get from fore to aft.

Truth be told, I'm too cheap to pay the $4.5K I was quoted for a professional transom gate install. I wish I had the guts (or a friend with experience) to take a Sawzall to my transom to make my own.

 

[markpierce]

Al, wish you had both a gate to a wider swimming platform. I'm not as agile as I once was. Find it much easier to board mine with the ladder and low platform your soft-bottomed dinghy can nose onto.



My boat's mast stays and sunken cockpit don't make it ideal for fishing, however.

 

[gaston]

[/QUOTE]



Looks like its lovely and warm in the sun out the back

 

[markpierce]

Autumn is the warmest season on western San Francisco estuary. Much of the year we "button up" the boat. In summer, the eastern portion, the Delta, is warmest. Thankfully, boating is year-round.

 

[Sweet marie]

Since it sounds like your a fisherman I thought I would attach some pictures of last year's bounty.

 

[Sweet marie]

Can't leave my other son and wife out.

 

[FlyWright]

Oh ya!! That looks like a fun time!! Good looking fish!

It's nice seeing large fish on boats. Most of my buddies catch bass, trout, and kokanee in our Northern CA lakes. Their catch looks a lot like bait to me.

I keep fire hose on my rails when I'm fishing and when the boat's just sitting in her covered slip. It has done wonders for protecting the teak from damage from weights and other tackle.

Love the bloody deck shot! Is that a flush-mounted bait tank cover in place of the lazarette hatch?

My decks get more slime than blood since much of my fishing is C&R. I was solo this day, so this was the only way I could get a selfie with the 65 inch white sturgeon. She was the second big girl of the day that I boated and released solo and I was beat...and sore for 4 days!

 

[Sweet marie]

Catching a Sac River Sturgeon is on my bucket list. Nice fish. Did you catch that on your Californian? What is the best time of year for them? Last year was an unbelievable fishing year in So Cal. We had a 35 yellowfin tuna day. The hatch on the deck is a commercial grade aluminum hatch the PO installed. My bait tank is a fifty five gallon barrel on the swim step with a thin fiberglass liner to keep is completly opaque. Cheap and works great. I attached a video I watch when I need a fix.

 

[Sweet marie]

By the way can you send a picture of your fire hose fix? The rails take a beating.

 

[FlyWright]

Catching a Sac River Sturgeon is on my bucket list. Nice fish. Did you catch that on your Californian? What is the best time of year for them?

Yes, that was on my 34 LRC last Feb. The best sturgeon months are typically October-March. As the weather warms inland, the winds kick up in the sturgeon grounds. That's when I switch from fishing to cruising, but they can be caught year round.

By the way can you send a picture of your fire hose fix? The rails take a beating.

There's a fire hose shot in post 6 of this thread. It's a little redneck, but it's effective. Maybe a good topic for a new thread.

 

[robs523]

The most recent catches. You'll have to excuse the banana, my kids thought it would be a great pic for our superstitious friend

 

[Sweet marie]

Very nice halibut and big rockfish. I love halibut fishing but our much smaller California halibut sem to be all but extinct. Not sure what happened to them but you don't see many at all caught anymore. It seems to be that way with all our non migratory fish anymore. I heard a statistic that in 1930 there were 30,000 sea lions in California and now there are 290,000. I often wonder if they are the cause of the decline.

 

[robs523]

thanks, and wow that's a lot of sea lions! I would imagine that definitely has something to do with it. I just learned they're protected federally. We have had one here going up on the fish cleaning docks and even on a boat one time and chasing people off and taking their fish. The city can't do anything about because they're protected unless a native Alaskan hunts it.

 

[Edelweiss]

thanks, and wow that's a lot of sea lions! I would imagine that definitely has something to do with it. I just learned they're protected federally. We have had one here going up on the fish cleaning docks and even on a boat one time and chasing people off and taking their fish. The city can't do anything about because they're protected unless a native Alaskan hunts it.

Hmmm... .Now there is a thought. Maybe that would be a solution for the excess of sea lions we have in Puget Sound, . . . . make friends with a native hunter.

Here they sink docks, boats, swim steps, buoys and lay in front of the fish ladders decimating our salmon and steelhead runs. We've been thinking more along the lines of teaching our resident Orcas, who only eat salmon (go figure), to feed on the sea lion population.

And put a bounty on the half wits who keep sea lions on the endangered species list!!

What? OK OK. . . you found my over the edge hot point. . .

 

[Old deckhand]

I have see orcas eat young sea lions, seals and sea otters.

 

[Edelweiss]

Yes that is true, most Orcas do eat other marine mammals. Especially the pods living in Alaska waters, who even attack other whale species.

The "Southern Resident" Orca population, Pods J, K and L, inhabit Washington's Puget Sound, San Juans Islands, Gulf Islands, BC waters and eat primarily Chinook salmon. Link below speaks on the subject.

One Endangered Species Eats Another: Killer Whales and Salmon :: NOAA Fisheries

When one of the other pods occasionally wanders into Puget Sound, all the seals, sea lions move onto the rocks and beaches until they leave.