HELP Just bought a sadly neglected UFO 34,

Have to agree with the others. Buy a more suitable boat. Even if you bought it for peanuts it is going to cost you far more than it is worth to modify it then it won't be worth much when you come to sell. How do I know?
 
John Powell said:
Hi Boo2
Although it seem that most advice is against putting in a wheel, I think for the type of sailing we'll be doing here it will suit us better, winds are generally not too strong, but the sun is, so we'll want a permanent cockpit table, & the tiller would get in the way.
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I fully agree that converting from a tiller to a wheel would be a major task and, in my opinion, a retrograde one. However, on this specific point, a permanent table in a relatively narrow cockpit would be a PITA. We sail a tiller steered Sadler 34 in Greece and keep a folding table stowed below. Our bimini completely shades the cockpit, why would the strength of the sun influence having a table?
 
jwilson said:
Daydream believer said:
My recollection of 6 years of racing EAORA in a UFO 34 ( apart from fun with a great crowd) was a really wet boat, a dirty great genoa which was hard work to tack esp up the Crouch. The tiller was so heavy that I used to sit to leeward with my foot against the tiller pushing to act as a servo for the helmsman who could not keep control after a long slog upwind due to the heavy weight. No wonder the OP wants a wheel. All the crew suffered " leg chop" at some time whereby the tiller ( which dominates the cockpit) would chop any leg that was not smartly removed in a maneuver, or mid broach.
Great fun in a blow with the spinnaker & blooper though. Nothing like the Holman roll down wind in a F7 for a scary ride in the Thames estuary. Slower than a Sigma 33 in light airs but faster up wind in a blow so we often ended up in a "Sigma sandwich" over some Burnham weeks which used to end up in a " who can shout the loudest" match
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Daydream Believer's description of a very hard-mouthed boat is very different to my remembrance. In light to moderate winds used to sit on the coaming with a tiller extension and the helm was light. Not racing, just cruising, but sailing fast. In extreme weather did not play with tiller extensions, but despite helming for long periods I don't remember the tiller being heavy except when going astern.

A UFO34 rights fast from an inversion. The last couple of editions of "Heavy Weather Sailing" have my account of trouble off Iceland in one, though it's not in the very latest edition. Some time after that episode sailed the same boat to windward through an ordinary gale in the Irish Sea and made very good progress up to Scotland. It is a fairly wet boat if you sail it fast, but no more so than many others. Like almost all contemporary IOR era racers driving hard downwind can be very rolly, but slowed a bit and it is fine, and you're still sailing fairly fast.
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Got to say that my experiences are mych more in line with jwilson's than Daydream believer's, likely because of the fact that I also do not race my boat. I have not found Sunrunner to be at all hard on the tiller except perhaps a little bit under power. Under sail she is very easy to helm and I am rather inexperienced a sailor and am an office worker and built as such - no huge biceps etc :)

If I found the tiller to become hard work I would just reduce sail to ease the load, Sunrunner is set up to permit reefing from the cockpit so this is very easy, she also has a roller furler like most of her sisters these days. As I said above the tiller is a boon when set up like this as all tacking and sail control can be done with one hand whilst helming with the other (or just use the between the knees trick), if I can do it anyone can.

I have also had no problems with rolling downwind but as jwilson says, this is most likely because I don't have her over-pressed at any time not being a racing man. With a boat full of enthusiastic and competent racing sailors I doubt anyone would have any real issues anyway.

Hth,

Boo2
 
John Powell said:
We sailed a UFO out of Fleetwood a good few years ago with a friend David Oddy (do you know him?) I remember the tiller being hard work cos we generally had too much sail up!
Thanks for your pictures, when I've worked out the website, I'll put some on.
Just completed antifouling for the season, boat going back in the water tomorrow morning, so we can get on with other jobs & sail as well.
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Ha ! Exellent news ! Great to hear you are going to sail her before making lots of alterations, I did it the other way round and lost lots of sailing time as a result. This way will let you prioritise your needs according to your specific boat and circumstances - a much better idea.

Let me know any particular things you want to change and I can tell you what I did. This will amount to the condensed advice of the experts from this forum, not my own expertise : as stated above I don't really have much experience of my own but I do now know quite a bit about fiddling around with UFO34s :p

Boo2
 
John Powell said:
...Although it seem that most advice is against putting in a wheel, I think for the type of sailing we'll be doing here it will suit us better, winds are generally not too strong, but the sun is, so we'll want a permanent cockpit table, & the tiller would get in the way....
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If you're set on a wheel then this UFO 34 was only completed in 2007 and has a useful looking drop-down cockpit table attached to the binnacle. As it's a relatively recent completion it might be worth trying to contact the current owner to find out where s/he got it and whether it is available as a commercial item ?

Boo2
 
vyv_cox said:
a permanent table in a relatively narrow cockpit would be a PITA.
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Indeed - part of the benefit of a permanent table is that it splits up a huge dancefloor of a cockpit giving you something to hold onto and brace yourself against. Almost essential in a modern wide-arsed 40-footer with the patio area pushed right out to the gunwales, but not relevant to a classic deep cockpit with the benches spaced a leg-length apart.

Pete
 
prv said:
Indeed - part of the benefit of a permanent table is that it splits up a huge dancefloor of a cockpit giving you something to hold onto and brace yourself against. Almost essential in a modern wide-arsed 40-footer with the patio area pushed right out to the gunwales, but not relevant to a classic deep cockpit with the benches spaced a leg-length apart.
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Your prejudices are showing! :D
 
pvb said:
Your prejudices are showing! :D
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De rigeur in here, I thought? :p

It's almost entirely tongue-in-cheek. There's nothing wrong with a spacious cockpit as long as it's well designed - including having a sturdy table structure in the middle to divide it up :)

Pete
 
prv said:
De rigeur in here, I thought? :p

It's almost entirely tongue-in-cheek. There's nothing wrong with a spacious cockpit as long as it's well designed - including having a sturdy table structure in the middle to divide it up :)
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Ha! Mine's got a sturdy table in the middle which, if anything, is too wide!
 
prv said:
Indeed - part of the benefit of a permanent table is that it splits up a huge dancefloor of a cockpit giving you something to hold onto and brace yourself against. Almost essential in a modern wide-arsed 40-footer with the patio area pushed right out to the gunwales, but not relevant to a classic deep cockpit with the benches spaced a leg-length apart.

Pete
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A UFO 34 dos`nt have a "dance floor" cockpit, she was primarily deigned as an offshore cruiser / racer, to sail well, to the IOR rule, not sit in marinas around drop-down table
 
prv said:
Indeed - part of the benefit of a permanent table is that it splits up a huge dancefloor of a cockpit giving you something to hold onto and brace yourself against.
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Fred drift but- never really have liked bracing feet against a cockpit table when offshore. They always seem to "give" a little, in a not altogether encouraging way.
 
Boo2 said:
If you're set on a wheel then this UFO 34 was only completed in 2007 and has a useful looking drop-down cockpit table attached to the binnacle. As it's a relatively recent completion it might be worth trying to contact the current owner to find out where s/he got it and whether it is available as a commercial item ?

Boo2
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Well, as it says "Edson" on the binnacle I rather suspect it has something to do with Edson Marine, who seem to be a US company selling wheel conversion kits. Certainly looks like what the OP is looking for.

http://www.edsonmarine.com/support/wheel_conversion/index.php
 
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sailorman said:
A UFO 34 dos`nt have a "dance floor" cockpit, she was primarily deigned as an offshore cruiser / racer, to sail well, to the IOR rule, not sit in marinas around drop-down table
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Precisely the point made earlier - not a good basis for a Med cruiser - just like the sensible AWB that most people buy out there would be a poor match for a UFO in its natural environment.
 
bitbaltic said:
Fred drift but- never really have liked bracing feet against a cockpit table when offshore. They always seem to "give" a little, in a not altogether encouraging way.
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Not all are like that. Both of my Bavaria ones have been very rigid structures designed for bracing - but as pvb says end up rather bulky compared with the add on ones.
 
Instead of converting to wheel steering, how about spending less money having a stainless hinge made for the tiller, or a fitting so it's removeable?
 
pvb said:
Why did you buy a boat with a tiller when you want a wheel? It may cost a significant percentage of the purchase price to change it.
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Hi,
It was cheap! I've been researching 2nd hand wheel conversions in America which seems to be the best place to buy. As far as I can see, a conversion can be made to the top of the rudder stock & then concealed with a false raised cockpit floor. Unfortunately, as yet, no-one who has made a conversion has got back to me.
 
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