| Depends on what you mean by offshore. The C&C 26 we once owned was
certainly a well-built boat. I would have no qualms about sailing a
C&C 29 on a coastal offshore passage, say from Marblehead to Camden,
Maine, where shelter was no more than maybe 12 hours away. I would not
take a C&C 29 way offshore (eg Bermuda). I think that it would need a
lot of modifications to be both comfortable and safe in heavy weather.
With its hull shape I would expect it to pound in bad weather and be a
tiring boat to sail. Its directional stability might also be marginal.
(We unfortunately had the opportunity to spend 20 hours sailing in a
Gulf of Maine gale in our C&C 26. Definitely not one of the better days
of our lives.) To make the point I made in an earlier note, safety is
more than just strong construction. It is also being able to sleep, cook,
and keep warm in any weather, it is having a boat that has a gentle motion,
and it is having a rig and deck layout that is easily managed by one or
two crew.
The asking prices for used 29s are quite high which, I would think,
indicates that they are good boats.
Alan
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| We bought our '76 C&C 29 in '83. We daysail it and use it for weekend
trips and vacations. We have taken her on three 10-day vacations to Maine
and the Vineyard and Nantucket. Most of my sailing experience prior to
'83 was in racing (U.S. One-design class in Marblehead, now *there's*
a boat - but that's another story) so I really appreciate a boat that
sails well, and the C&C is fast, really sails close to the wind and is
generally exciting. It has enough amenities for our vacations - I
cruise with my wife and 5-year old. We can weekend with another
(close) couple, and the boat is ideal for daysailing with 2-3 guests.
The boat has a 5'3" keel which is about as deep as I would want
to go for a cruiser. The hull is a racing design, flat bottom,
fin keel, spade rudder, so the emphasis is on performance, not
cruising comfort - ok by me, since we lay over in bad weather.
I do like the ability to tip the boat and lift the keel when
I run aground. I just set the engine at idle in reverse and
lean on the boom, and presto! back right off the sand bar. I like
the Universal Atomic 4 gas engine. Very reliable, not finiky.
Love the T-cockpit.
Gripes: could use more front V-berth room (I'm 6'0"), would like
more ventilation (dorades?). It's a handful to sail in a following
sea (the price of performance, I guess). C&C went chapter 11 in
the states a year or so ago, but has reorganized and runs out of
Canada. I recently ordered a new gooseneck , and the duty and
Federal Express charges were half the total price ($90).
----->Vince
Note: C&C came out with a new model 29 some time after 1980. It
looked to be built as sturdily, but was considerably smaller. Our
boat is 29'7" and I think the new one was shorter than 29'.
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