Hi Garry. Welcome to the forum and good luck on your search. You have made an EXCELLENT choice in considering a C36!

I have an MKI model, so some of what you asked about (3 tanks) does not apply to my boat.

It is pretty common to have "crazing" (the cracks you see) in portlights and hatches. I have some of this on our 1989, but it does not keep us in port!

My opinion on this is simply that it may have some aesthetic lack of appeal but I would tell you that if you buy and sail a C36, this concern will seem less important. That is because they are SO MUCH FUN to sail!

Don't get me wrong, I would love to change out one of my crazed hatches but it is not cheap. Couple of hundred depending upon which hatch and whether you send it out or do it yourself.

You would also likely find other things you would want to work on depending upon the survey and how the boat is equipped.

There is a low oil pressure warning alarm but I do get your point. I would also say that having the battery condition in view when you start up the iron genny may be more important than you think. For me I like seeing that the volts are there when I start up.

I am confident you will have others weigh in here shortly. This group is tremendously helpful and KNOWS the C36. Stay tuned!

Also, please check us out for full membership if you buy one. Best of luck in your search.

My 97 Mk II has 3 water fills, two aft under the stern pulpit, one starb'd, the other port, right by the fuel fill. The 3rd is forward, portside, just aft of the anchor well hatch. They may have changed that later, but that's where mine are.

I'm developing crazed hatches; mainly the 2 smaller ones on either side of the companionway. Strange since they're under the dodger but that's life. I'm keeping an eye on them but don't feel the need to replace; might if I ever get offshore.

I don't have a below decks pilot so can't comment on that. You might check the wheel brake?

+1 on it being a great boat..!

Garry-
As noted above the wheel brake is a likely culprit on the wheel feeling a bit hard to turn.

It is normal practice, I think, to "brake" the wheel in place while in port, to avoid wear and tear on the rudder.

The brake on my MKI is a knob on the pedestal-clockwise tightens, counter clockwise loosens.

Gary:

I have a Nexus hydraulic under deck auto pilot and it does not affect how hard the wheel turns. I can take and spin it with one finger with the auto pilot off. But when it is on. No way. So I can only speak for my set up. I installed the same unit on a Catalina 42 and it is the same way. I know of one on a Allied Seawind and it is easy also to turn when off.

Randy

Our 95 has the 3 water fills as described above.

The wheel is spinnable, we have a wheel autopilot, the steering force needed at the wheel is very light probably due to the rudder being balanced, maybe a touch over-balanced. There is a downside to this lightness, on our boat the rubber stop block on the rudder quadrant does not hit the stop block built into the hull when turned hard to port. This allows the rudder to go over far enough to hit the skeg and take little pieces out of the gelcoat. Easily fixed by extending the stop structure but something to watch for.

Some of our hatches have some crazing and some don't, none have enough to need replacing.

Also there is another prospective buyer thread at the moment in which chainplate leaks are mentioned. I would second that caution to check the bulkheads very carefully. The starboard bulkhead on our boat had some rot in it and it was missed by the surveyor because the rot was not at the top, it was at the bottom of the bulkhead.

Water was running down between the chainplate and the bulkhead and saturated the bulkhead at the bottom causing it to rot. It was not bad enough to change the bulkhead though that is not a hugely difficult thing to do on the starboard side. The bulkheads are backed up in their lower halves by fibreglass structures that are part of the hull so the bulkhead itself is not carrying all the loads put into it, only the top 3 bolts as I recall are through bulkhead alone. I would not call the bulkhead a critical structural member for that reason, but it probably carries some loading.

I fixed it by removing the chainplates, drilling a series of small holes around all bolt openings and in any soft areas of the bulkhead and injecting all these holes with numerous injections of GitRot epoxy. It solidifies the wood into a solid epoxy soaked mass that can't rot any further. The main area of damage on the bottom was overcoated with epoxy thickened with teak dust. That area is all below the cushions on the starboard settee forward seat so it is not visible. It was a tedious and messy job and in retrospect I think I could have changed the entire bulkhead in the time it took me to do it, but it's done now and it is probably stronger now than a sheet of wood is.

Make sure your surveyor does a very thorough inspection and sounding of the bulkheads were the chainplates are mounted.

Garry,

Due to crazing I recently replaced the lenses and gaskets on four opening portlights on my '95 MkII (3 in main cabin and the one in the head). I purchased the lenses and gasket material from Select Plastics for around $180
(S&H, Taxes and Adhesive). Tony, the owner, took my order and is very, very helpful. The gasket was a "bear" to fit, the arrowhead of the gasket is difficult to fit into the groove, especially on the radaii of the frame, even when using a soapy water solution. It was well worth it though and the leak tight integrity of the new installation was well tested during the recent rains in SoCal.

I have a wheel mounted autopilot and while disengaged my wheel spins with ease.

Great choice on the C-36, it's an excellent boat.

Re 3), the boat you're looking at probably has three water fill points. Two on portside fore and aft, and the third stbd aft.

Re 4), I have the Raymarine below-deck AP which I love. It has tons of muscle. But if the AP is not engaged, the steering is only slightly heavier than normal. I still can spin the wheel, but it takes a touch more 'ummphh' to start the spin. (Or is that because my tummy is providing resistance??? Hmmmm.) If the boat has the Raymarine AP, it is easy to pull a small clip at the attach point where the linear actuator meets the tiller arm, and that would completely remove the AP from the steering system; then you could check it to see what difference you feel.

Good luck. It is a wonderful boat. I once told my wife, "They're gonna have to pry that boat from my cold, dead hands."

Gary, I own a 2003 mk 2. Within about 2 years my hatches were checked/crazed. I contacted lewmar(maker of the hatches). they requested that I send a digital picture of my hatches. I did so and they sent me replacement hatches. I had to disassemble and install new plexiglas pieces. I then kept them covered from that time on. Lewmar told me that they have since changed the compound of the plastic and they should not check/craze anymore. As to your water tank fills, I have three. I have a wheel pilot so can't help you there.
I suggest you read Larry Brandt's article on changing the raw water pump and warning signs to do so. Monitor the "weep holes" for leakage. This is very important as they can easily plug and then you could have a major problem with salt water entering the crankcase.
Mike -Serena

As another member of the board is fond of saying. Your boat... your choice.

If you feel oil pressure is more important then swap the functions. Oil guage in place of the volt meter, idiot light for non charging instead of the horn. I think it is still important to monitor both from the cockpit.

Opinions, everyone has one, here is mine.

You state the voltmeter is superfuous, the engine will start or not.
I on the other hand see little use for an oil presure gauge, you either have oil pressure or you do not, if you reley on the gauge alone you would need to monitor it almost costantly as if the pressure goes away you have about thirty seconds to shut down the engine before damage ocures. I would rather rely on the oil pressure lite and buzzer for that and be able to monitor voltage for a few reasons.
If your voltage drops, you have the option to shed electrical load so as to not put yourself in a situation where you know the engine will not start.
You do have a voltmeter on the electrical panel inside as well, and monitoring the voltage can also give an early warning of charging issues.
If your alternator has very low output you may have damaged diodes in the unit or a slipping belt that you could adjust to correct the problem, you would not know about these issues without a voltmeter.
Another would be an early indication that you may have lost your alternator belt, this belt also runs your raw water pump, if the belt fails you will have an overheating engine soon.

Steve, on the M35B the v-belt runs the coolant pump. The raw water pump runs off the camshaft directly.

Is it different for the earlier designs?

Duane,

You are correct and the earlier M25 series engines are no different.
My fingers were moving faster than my brain, IT WOULD BE THE FRESH WATER PUMP THAT WOULD STOP. The result is the same a toasted engine.

Thanks for keeping me honest.