Looking for comments Olson 34

[MarcusJtown]

Hello all,

I've been lurking around here for some time, and have gathered plenty of awesome information so far. I'm currently looking at an Olson 34 to purchase very soon. My wife and I have pretty much made up our mind, but I just have a few small concerns that maybe someone could answer.

1) The aft cabin seems a bit snug. The boat is currently out of the water, and there were no cusions in the berth. My wife and I were able to both fit, but it seems kinda tight under the cockpit sole. Is it useable space with cusions in there?

2) The main cabin portlights are pretty crazed. Anyone replaced those? How difficult?

Anything else I should be looking for? I know the keel has been dropped for some repairs and rebedded, rigging is new, sails are great. I've read about rudder concerns.

Thanks in advance for any Help

Marcus

 

[Loren Beach]

Having summer-vacation-cruised our Olson 34 since '94, I would say that the forward cabin is the better "couple" space. It's huge compared to many boats in that size range or larger.
Check it out with the pull-out fill-piece board in place and the fill cushion on it.

The aft cabin has loads of flat sleeping room, but whoever is under cockpit sole should wake up... cautiously... or they'll hit their nose on the overhead.
There is a LOT of mattress space back there if you're, um, younger and need... less separation... when, um, reclining... if you know what I mean.

Also, being 6'2", I can confirm that both settees have ample room for me, with a pillow. Both ends of the boat have ample length for me to stretch out, with pillow.

Actual bunk measurements are listed for several Ericsons/Olsons on this site, and more models should be added.
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?7721-Actual-Berth-Size&referrerid=28

Aside: interesting that you have found an Olson for sale -- there have not been any listed on Yachtworld for some time now. I just looked up the ad if that's the one. http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1988/Olson-34-2413588/Mamaroneck/NY/United-States
Price is very low... Oh My. as much as we would like to move up to an E-38 someday, we could not afford to sell our boat that cheap. (!) The engine looks to be an almost-new M25XPB Universal. I'd love to see that installation up close!

Keep in touch,

Loren

 

[Loren Beach]

And, just one more thing....

2) The main cabin portlights are pretty crazed. Anyone replaced those? How difficult?

Anything else I should be looking for? I know the keel has been dropped for some repairs and rebedded, rigging is new, sails are great. I've read about rudder concerns.

Thanks in advance for any Help
Marcus

Our Lewmar opening ports are all original. The ones on the side facing the sun are crazed but still polish out and look good for several months at a time.
The original Lexan fixed ports were all rather scratched up and UV-damaged when we bought the boat. Since all were leaking we replaced them all right after we bought it - I seem to recall that we made it through one winter with catch-pans around the interior and then did the replacement.
We had a local plastics shop use our old ones as templates and make four new ones.
When we put them back on I followed the advice of a local ship wright and correctly bedded them all in adhesive-sealant with the lens standing proud almost a 1/4" over a bed of sealant. Yes, there's a trick to it, but it's not hard. If you want some details I can send it to you directly.

That was about '95, and to this date they have Never leaked again.

There are Lewmar kits available for replacement of the O rings in the port closures and also the main gaskets, BTW. We have not had to do this, but the day will surely come.

Only other thing I can think of is whether the stanchions have been strengthened from the under side. Messy project (been there, done that), but since there is NO core under the stanchions, no harm to the deck is normally gonna happen.
Good survey will find out if there's any water in the core in the anchor locker lid or anywhere on deck -- something to check on in any boat over ten years old.

We've not had any concern about the stock rudder. When the keel was off I asked the yard to also drop the rudder and check the joint where the shaft exits -- they found no problems at all.

Best,
Loren

 

[MarcusJtown]

Awesome, thanks for all that info. I have the inside track on a friends boat, that's why you havn't seen it for sale. It's a 1990 in very good shape. We're just trying to figure out the best financing option, and then we're jumping in. It's a pretty small community here, so not only have I known the owner since I was 15, but I also know almost everyone that has ever worked or sailed on the boat.

None of the ports appear to have been leaking. It's all cosmetic, so if I can give them a good polish, maybe that's good enough for now.

I'll check the stanchions. Are you talking a backing plate or something, that needs to be added?

I'm glad this site is out there. My current, and soon to be former, boat is a San Juan 28. They're is a similar owners group website out there for them.

Marcus

 

[Loren Beach]

Awesome, thanks for all that info. I have the inside track on a friends boat, that's why you havn't seen it for sale. It's a 1990 in very good shape. We're just trying to figure out the best financing option, and then we're jumping in. It's a pretty small community here, so not only have I known the owner since I was 15, but I also know almost everyone that has ever worked or sailed on the boat.

None of the ports appear to have been leaking. It's all cosmetic, so if I can give them a good polish, maybe that's good enough for now.

I'll check the stanchions. Are you talking a backing plate or something, that needs to be added?

I'm glad this site is out there. My current, and soon to be former, boat is a San Juan 28. There is a similar owners group website out there for them.

Marcus

So much for my checking on line. Perhaps you are buying a different one than the one on YW?
Anyhow, the stanchion bases are a good news/bad news thing. The (very) good news is that the deck under each one (and all the pulpit legs) is solid layup. Bad news is that cracks appear around the base from people pulling on the upright and slightly flexing the deck. You can sometimes find stress cracks around the base. On the inside is an equal-sized ss backing plate.

I removed all of our stanchions and had them straightened because all of the mid ship ones were bent a degree or 3. I also had new braces fabbed up for all the midship ones and double braced the gate stanchion on each side. (Project is in the archives here)

I added a G10 backing plate set in thickened epoxy under each base that was quite a bit larger than the base above. So I ended up with the ss backer against a piece of G10 that was about 6" X 9".
Result is that it's solid.
Thread: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?3371-Stanchion-Bracing&referrerid=28

If you have pictures of the boat you are buying, do post them. You can put them into an album within your own bio here, under your Profile. Click on my name and look at the few in the Album, for instance.

Best,
Loren

 

[Sven]

Bad news is that cracks appear around the base from people pulling on the upright and slightly flexing the deck.

I cringe every time I see someone mistake a lifeline stanchion for a boat handle ... it hurts !!

Then there are the boaters who attach their fenders to the lifelines, not the stanchion bases !

Lifelines and their stanchions are for possibly saving your life. The stanchions are not handles and the lines are not fender cleats.



-Sven

 

[MarcusJtown]

Yeah, not the one on Yacht World, but at least I have something to compare it to. I'll check the stanchions next time I go climb on the boat. So far the only real issue I can find is that the floorboards need to be replaced. They are teak and holly plywood and are discolored and a little rotten on the edges. I guess the shallow bilge allows the water to slosh over the edges if it;s not totally pumped out before sailing. I'm thinking of maybe replacing it with some of that new plastic teak-look stuff. Not quite the same look, but I'm thinking the bilge water problem will be a constant thing.

 

[Slick470]

Shallow Bilge

We have an Olson 911 and since they are very similar boats, we also have a very shallow bilge. I tend to try to get as much water out of there as possible prior to sailing as it does sort of get "around".

An option that a few of the other O911 owners have tried is upgrading their bilge pumps to one of the Whale low profile models. They are advertized to be able to get suction in bilges like ours. http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/product_list/8/151/

This is on my off season to-do list.

 

[Loren Beach]

We have an Olson 911 and since they are very similar boats, we also have a very shallow bilge. I tend to try to get as much water out of there as possible prior to sailing as it does sort of get "around".

An option that a few of the other O911 owners have tried is upgrading their bilge pumps to one of the Whale low profile models. They are advertized to be able to get suction in bilges like ours. http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/product_list/8/151/

This is on my off season to-do list.

Thanks for the idea! I had not thought much about a change since the Par chamber-type pump works so well, but am not happy with the minimal life span of those *#$@*%^ Rule float switches.
We have the two factory Par/Jabsco chamber-type pumps, but the pickups cannot get that last 1/2" out. During the winter rainy season I use a big ol' turkey baster to dry out the bilge sections every week (from the rain water coming down the inside of the spar.

No more water from the stuffing box 'cause we replaced the stock one with a PSS shaft seal in '95.

You are sure right about how water moves around and even over the sole edges when tacking -- best to keep the bilge dusty dry. :nerd:

Regards,
Loren

 

[MarcusJtown]

Yeah, this boat looks to have the original bilge pumps as well. That's an easy fix. Got the financing squared away today, survey is next week. It's gonna kill me having a "new" boat that I can't sail for 5 months. I'll make sure to take some pictures and post them after the survey.

 

[sv_naidia]

Congrats!!!

Yeah, this boat looks to have the original bilge pumps as well. That's an easy fix. Got the financing squared away today, survey is next week. It's gonna kill me having a "new" boat that I can't sail for 5 months. I'll make sure to take some pictures and post them after the survey.

Hi Marcus, Congats on the next step of your process. If you haven't already lined up a surveyor, there is a great one I have used that is Ericson/Olson knowledgable. His name is Mark Corke and his number is: 860 304 4654. Are you keeping your new boat at Dutch Harbor for the winter? I should be in town next week and would love to get together. My personal email is ronald.mahan@yahoo.com

Look forward to your pictures... btw, saw your San Juan on Sailboatlistings.com....

 

[CTOlsen]

O-34: Go for it

Got one and love it. I cruise and locally race ours with my wife in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Great boat to sail shorthanded- stable, (10,000#) and fast (PHRF 111). After racing an Olson 30 for 10 years with my daughter and friends, a stiff and fast boat is a welcome change. I highly recommend the O-34 for a shorthanded crew. We've had ours for 3 seasons and plan to stay with it.

 

[MarcusJtown]

The current owner is letting me leave the boat in his driveway for the winter. Saves me storage for the winter, plus he has a nice heated garage that I can work out of to get her ready for launching. The survey got pushed back because of the Holiday, but I should have some pictures to post next week.

CTOlson, glad to hear that it's a good shorthanded boat. I do most of my sailing singlehanded. My wife had never set foot on a boat before we met, and is getting more comfortable every year, but is still more at ease taking orders. It was actually her idea to get a different boat. She wanted more comforts below deck, and a less "tipsy" (her word) boat. I wanted fast, so this seems like just the right boat.

I can't wait for spring. Might be looking for Tuesday night crew next season if anyone is interested.

 

[CTOlsen]

Congrats

Congratulations on your thougtful purchase. You will enjoy the speed and stability. I've sailed your waters before, it's a good match.
CTO