The 30 is a great boat. We've had our '74 for 5 years and it's still solid. It's a well-built, powerful and flexible boat. Check out the review at the Canadian Yachting web sight.

We've endured 10-foot waves on Lake Ontario, sailed it in 35 knots with our three-week-old son aboard, and passed other boats who were racing while we were just cruising (OK, maybe I tried a little harder to sail faster ).

Things to watch out for:
#1) Rotting mast step stringers - Take off the mast and the wooden mast step and inspect the stringers that it rests on in the bilge. These were made of wood and have a habit of rotting from water running down the mast. Replacement is about $1,000 or several day's of your own time. I did mine and it wasn't fun.

#2) Deck leaks - C&C didn't properly seal deck penetrations when attaching hardware. The cabin-top handrail was particularly bothersome. Look for spider cracks around the handrail and stanchions. These will have to be drilled out with an oversized bit, filled with epoxy, and then re-drilled and the equipment re-mounted with sealant.

#3) Bulkhead delamination - the normal flexing of the boat over the years can cause the tabbing to loosen where the fore and aft bulheads meet the hull and particularly the deck. Most are accessible and can be ground off and replaced with fresh fiberglass and epoxy. After 25 years two of our bulkhead tabs have been re-glassed to the deck and two more need to be done.

#4) Wiring - after many years, particularly if this is a salt-water boat, the wiring needs replacing. I have an on-going work effort to replace the wiring as I replace electrical equipment. I replaced the fuse panel with a proper circuit breaker panel and use marine-grade wire and connectors. Check out the Anchor Marine web site because electical standards have changed remarkably in the last few years.

Don't forget to have a qualified marine surveyor do a thorough survey prior to purchase. It's worth the money and peace of mind.
Good luck.
Wally Kowal

To: Michael Facius
We have a C&C 30 - 1980 #593, so it was built about 40 boats after the one you are looking at. It is a great boat, except in the very lightest air. My wife and I have raced in 25-30 knots with the working jib and full main and the boat is stout. We've also had seven aboard in 20 knots with the 150 - still stout. I agree with the comments made by the owners of the earlier boats. The bulkheads under the mast step are just getting bad on our boat. Make sure the drain hole from the mast step metal casting is clear to the bilge. I am putting an automatic bilge pump in the lowest part of the bilge under the mast to keep the whole area as dry as possible.

Our boat sails with nearly neutral helm in all but the heaviest conditions. We get great performance in heavy conditions by playing the main - as soon as weather helm gets too bothersome, we loosen the main - works great.

I think you will enjoy your new toy as much as we have ours for the last five years.

I was told when I joined the list that MkII's started in 1986 or 7. If you look at the picture gallery you will see the boats that have the single side window and single head window are all pre-'86.
If you have specific questions - gnylander@bluecrab.org

I have a 1980 C&C 30, hull number 593. I assume it is a Mark I. Am I right?

We race the boat in some club races and I am interested in what kind of shroud tension is correct for the boat. We are on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and generally race in light air and sheltered (smooth) water. However, it does blow at times. We have a mylar Genoa, dacron main and run a spinnaker. We have added an adjustable backstay. Does anyone have experience in racing a similar boat?

I reset the windows by removing them - careful with the gelcoat, as they are molded in. Then set them in with silicon seal and added screws every 8 or so inches on the outside. It looks good and I don't have to worry about the silicon seal breaking loose.

RE: the comments on removing decals - I used a heat gun and a product called Bestine to get rid of the residue. It is a rubber cement remover and is available from art supply stores.

Mine are held in by #8-32 screws every 6in with self locking nuts on the inside. Went to Hawaii with no leaks!!!
Gerry/Mintaka/C&C36PS: Mines a 1980.

I own a 1979 C&C 30 that I bought last year and have been refurbishing ever since. I am looking for suggestions. whatever sealant was used and a few small screws. I attempted to reseal one window with Marine GOOP and it still leaks. Any suggestions on a cure? I also have determined that the traveler that is located just in front of the wheel pedestal and across the cockpit is a pain, not only since it is in the way, but in the event you are at the wheel and you'd like to adjust the traveler it is a bit of a feat to pull on the sheet when the steering is in the way. the cabin top ahead of the companionway, where most boats have it. I'm not sure if the cabin roof is beefy enough to take the forces imposed by a traveler added there, since the boat was not designed with the traveler in that location. Any suggestions, comments pro or con?
Thanks Eric

C&C30 Window Problem -
I have an 82 which had the glued in tinted windows. They developed leaks after a few years. What I did was pry them out with a putty knife (a smaller one was actually just sitting in its socket) first. I found there was very little caulking in them. I then used epoxy putty to fill up alot of the voids and provide more bearing surface for caulking(toward outer edges of window so it was not seen). Then I took the windows home and drilled holes for use with barrel nuts, machine screws and finishing washers. The holes were equally spaced. The holes were near enough to the edge so that the hole in the interior shoulder would be okay. I used silicone sealant to allow myself the option of removing them later if needed. I have never found silicone that good. For the most part the method worked. The machine screws periodically need tightening. If I remove them, I think a non-hardening sealant would be better. The urethane and thiokols sealants are good, but it would be a bear to get the windows out if you needed to.
Robert White

Several of us on this list with early 80's-vintage boats have replaced the fixed (without frames) windows this summer. It's not too tough, and it's really the ONLY way to stop those pesky leaks. The hardest part for me was finding an acrylic fabricator who could get a supply of 3/8-inch acrylic to make the new windows; apparently it's difficult to come by in some areas. To get the old windows out was pretty easy on my '81 C&C30 -- the corners were already popped out from age (although they had received MANY applications of all sorts of caulk over the years to try to seal them ;-} ). Working from inside the boat, I just started applying pressure from the corners towards the center, and helped things along with a narrow putty knife jammed into the seam, parallel to the surface of the window. They came out in about five minutes each.
I was fortunate to not have any gel-coat repair to do; others who have replaced their windows have had some chipping around the opening. Next I prepped the area where the windows actually set into the cabin side. This was mostly a matter of cleaning off the old dirt and adhesive that had collected there over the years; I sanded with 150-grit until I got a smooth surface. BTW, before starting the clean-up, I took some poly sheeting and "bagged" the window openings inside the saloon to keep the dirt, sanding dust and such off the new upholstery.
After all this, actually putting in the new windows was a piece of cake. Carefully mask around the openings, both inside and out. The adhesive that you'll need to install these correctly will NOT come off anything easily after it's set up!!! It's a two-part methacrylate that actually bonds the acrylic to the fiberglass, making an extremely strong composite structure. I used Plexus MA300, which is a cream color, and sets up in about five to seven minutes at normal temp's. Some others have used the Plexus MA320, which dries a dark gray color and takes a little longer to set up. First, remove enough of the protective paper from around the edges of the new acrylic windows to allow them to be glued in properly. Using a special gun (I'll explain in a little bit...), you apply an even bead of the adhesive to the window opening, then press the new acrylic window into place and hold it firmly for about five to seven minutes. Quickly clean up any adhesive that's oozed out around the edges, remove the masking tape around the opening and take off the rest of the protective paper from the acrylic. That's it -- if you've been careful to get an even bead of the Plexus, you'll have virtually leak-free windows for many years.
As I mentioned, the Plexus needs to be applied with a special gun. I happen to work less than a mile from the Upper Midwest distributor for the ITW/Plexus adhesives, and I purchased the gun from them, along with a couple of cartridges of MA300 to do my own boat. I have since shipped additional cartridges, along with my gun, to members of this list who wish to do their windows. I will again extend the invitation to all on the list; I can purchase adhesive and send it along with my "loaner" gun, for the cost of materials (about $10 per 50ml cartridge; I used three for my two 38-inch by nine-inch windows) and shipping.
If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me, either on or off the list. Sorry for being so wordy...
Fred Street -- Minneapolis - S/V Oceanis ('81 C&C30) -- Bayfield, WI
Bayfield Yacht Club

Windshield double-sided tape does a good job on windows. A Harken windward-sheeting traveller system could solve that problem.

I also have a C&C 30 and replaced the windows using barrel bolts with finishing washers on the inside. I caulked using one of the recommended lifeseal products and have had no problems since. (6 years)The method of using superglue is what C&C used but it seems to eventually separate from the gelcoat as the cabin top flexes. I would not change the location of the traveler but would change it so that it can be adjusted by lines at each side facing the stern. In this way you can easily single hand having the wheel, traveller and genoa winches all within reach.

Owning a two year older C&C 30, 1980 #593, I can offer a couple of pieces of advice. One, look at the mast step. It should be an aluminum plate set on a 6" x 12" piece of ash or some other strong wood. The plate support should be about 1/4" above the cabin sole. If it has sagged, the supports may have been waterlogged and have settled. It needs to be fixed. The second problem is the windows - they may leak. Most do. They need to be reset, in most cases. Any modifications which have been made, such as genoa tracks, or a traveller or whatever which may be mounted on the deck (which has a balsa core) may leak and may need to be reset and sealed against leakage.
Any crazing or cracking of the gelcoat should be looked at to make sure it is only surface cracking. A good surveyor can find those problems. The hull is solid fiberglass, so should not be a problem, the thru-hulls may need to be replaced, if they have not been maintained.
The boat is great in medium to heavy weather, quite stiff and easy to sail. If you sail in a lot of light air, it is not as good. It can take whatever you want to throw at it and come up smiling.
We have been very pleased with our six years of ownership, both cruising and local racing.
If you have any particular questions, please contact me at gnylander@bluecrab.org .