Marcon 34 - Have you sailed one?

[All The Gear No Idea]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me about their experiences/impressions when the sailing performance a Marcon 34?

Do you have any other observations of this somewhat rare model?

Do you know why it didn't sell in volume? I see from an old post on here that it was built as a good value, safe family cruiser, but I cannot find any further information on this boat anywhere.

I do know that the Marcon 34 came from the same yard as the 25ft Tomahawk which sold in much greater numbers, so i'm a bit puzzled as to why there aren't a few more 34's around.

Any snippets of information would be much appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[Bajansailor]

Here is some basic info about the boat :

I knew a chap who completed one from a fairly basic kit, and I think they later took her to the Med. They seem to be nice comfortable boats.

 

[All The Gear No Idea]

Thanks for that, but i've already seen this info on this site.

What I am hoping for is some input from someone who's actually had sailing experience aboard one of these.

 

[Robin]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me about their experiences/impressions when the sailing performance a Marcon 34?

Do you have any other observations of this somewhat rare model?

Do you know why it didn't sell in volume? I see from an old post on here that it was built as a good value, safe family cruiser, but I cannot find any further information on this boat anywhere.

I do know that the Marcon 34 came from the same yard as the 25ft Tomahawk which sold in much greater numbers, so i'm a bit puzzled as to why there aren't a few more 34's around.

Any snippets of information would be much appreciated.

Cheers!

These were a David Thomas (Elizabethan 30 and Sigma 33 and bigger fame) design so good performers. Marcon went out of business before too many were built.

Friends have a very nice one, currently for sale in Poole and some 20 years ago I did sail it when they first bought her albeit in very light winds and icy fog in January on the delivery trip from Brighton. They sailed her many many miles over the years from the south coast to southern Brittany and have made lots of upgrades and improvements. Sadly she is for sale only because of the skipper's recent death. If this is the one you have seen for sale then she is very well worth going to view.

 

[Tranona]

As already noted, they came in at the tail end of life of Marcon and were an attempt to move into the new market of centre cockpit boats such as those of Moody and Westerly. Marcon's big business was home completion and this size boat was arguably too big for DIY and achieving a comparable finish with production line builders was difficult. Have not sailed one, but a friend built one and did the full Med circuit in it, but found it a bit cramped and replaced it with a catamaran.

Lack of sales success was probably more a consequence of the times rather than any basic deficiency in the boat.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Lack of sales success was probably more a consequence of the times rather than any basic deficiency in the boat.

Also, way back then, 34' was - relatively - a big boat, and sales at the size level were not as buoyant as they are now, when 34' is pretty much starter boat size.

 

[KREW2]

Also, way back then, 34' was - relatively - a big boat, and sales at the size level were not as buoyant as they are now, when 34' is pretty much starter boat size.

F"*k it a foot short.

 

[squashmikeyp25]

We have a Marcon 34 that we bought at the end of last season.

The previous owner had obviously loved her as he had spent a fortune on new sails, upholstery, rigging, plumbing, electrics and more.

Thus far, we have only sailed the South Coast, but she performs very well picking up speed well at low wind speeds. Previous owner had her down as far as the Morbihan, and sailed back comfortably in one hit.

Becomes a little over canvassed above 20 knots, but a single reef in the main puts her right until 27 knots, and so on.

Not had her out above 35 knots yet, so can't comment on that.

Intention is to cross the channel in August and go from there.

If you would like any further information or pictures, please just ask.

Mike

 

[Pete In The East]

We have a Marcon 34 that we bought at the end of last season.

The previous owner had obviously loved her as he had spent a fortune on new sails, upholstery, rigging, plumbing, electrics and more.

Thus far, we have only sailed the South Coast, but she performs very well picking up speed well at low wind speeds. Previous owner had her down as far as the Morbihan, and sailed back comfortably in one hit.

Becomes a little over canvassed above 20 knots, but a single reef in the main puts her right until 27 knots, and so on.

Not had her out above 35 knots yet, so can't comment on that.

Intention is to cross the channel in August and go from there.

If you would like any further information or pictures, please just ask.

Mike

Thanks for that, but i didn't buy the Marcon I was looking at. I haven't seen it on the market since i pulled out, so I have no idea what happened to it.

I now have a 7 year old AWB because I got a new a job with very long hours, so no time for grand refurbishment projects. I'm sad about this because the Marcon I hoped to buy would have turned out to be a very nice well kitted out boat.

I'd love to see pics though.

 

[squashmikeyp25]

I hope these pictures are attached!

Mike

 

[Robin]

Thanks for that, but i didn't buy the Marcon I was looking at. I haven't seen it on the market since i pulled out, so I have no idea what happened to it.I now have a 7 year old AWB because I got a new a job with very long hours, so no time for grand refurnishment projects. I'm sad about this because the Marcon I hoped to buy would have turned out to be a very nice well kitted out boat.

I'd love to see pics though.

She was sold to a club member, I think the reason he didn't buy earlier (when you were looking) was waiting for the sale of his previous boat.

 

[GrahamD]

Actually, being the said club member, the reason I didn't look earlier was because I was looking for a completely different type of boat. Being a keen racer, I was looking for a boat to both race and cruise, but reconsidered because of the costs of keeping a race boat up to date and in repair, and the difficulties in maintaining a pool of crew. Also I needed a boa that could be sailed shorthanded by myself and my wife.

Having changed my criteria, I looked in the "deadboat" section at the back of the club yard, and saw the Marcon. It's funny that I must have walked past her countless times without her calling out to me. However when I did look it really was the right boat at the right time in the right place. I'm delighted with her- she is an excellent sailer with extensive family accommodation and is well equipped. I'm meeting my racing needs through keeping a dinghy and racing on a friend's yacht.

Apparently only 12 Marcon 34s were built by Marcon before they went under. At least one more hull was moulded by the company who bought the moulds and this was home finished. It was unusual that last summer/ autumn there were three of them on the market at the same time.

 

[Pete In The East]

I hope these pictures are attached!

Mike

Beautiful!

 

[antaris]

Sorry to revive this old thread - I was wondering if any of the owners would care to add to it. As a rare boat, I have not managed to find any reviews or opinions re sail-ability and construction... Many thanks!

 

[GrahamD]

Sorry to revive this old thread - I was wondering if any of the owners would care to add to it. As a rare boat, I have not managed to find any reviews or opinions re sail-ability and construction... Many thanks!

I’m sitting on our Marcon 34 as I write this. We are 8 years into our ownership and we are really happy with our boat. We bought her as our first cruiser, with the intention of getting used to big boat ownership, and then deciding what we wanted to get as our “forever” boat. However we now see no real reason to change her as she does what we want (and we have incrementally updated the equipment to our needs. ) We have cruised her for several weeks each year, and have sailed her as far west as the Isles of Scilly and as far south as Lorient.

In terms of build quality, the hull of the Marcon 34 was constructed with a thick layup and with fibreglass stringers. When I replaced the speed and depth transducers I measured the core of the hull thickness as between 19-22mm. That’s how they built them in 1979. The gel coat is still good and polishes up well. We did have a slight leak around the rudder tube but reinforced it and we haven’t had a problem since. We’ve had to replace various bits of ancillary equipment as they have worn out but we think the hull and deck will go on for years.

Regarding sailing performance, she has a relatively shallow keel (1.55m) so she’s not like a racing boat to windward, but goes well off the wind. We find that she is a comfortable, seaworthy cruising boat that has never worried us in bad weather. Last year with two on board we went from Poole to Roscoff in 26hours. We have a 35hp Nanni diesel which means she is a good motorboat too.

The accommodation and storage is very good for a late seventies 34 footer. The cockpit tent is an integral part of the accommodation, as the rear cabin is accessed through the cockpit. We find we tend to live and eat in the cockpit.

12 boats were produced by Marcon and we’ve come across a few of them. We’ve seen one in Falmouth, I’ve met the owners of two others (one moored in London, one on the Isle of Man), and have heard of one more on the East coast. I’ve also seen an advert for one that made it all the way to New Zealand.

I hope this gives you the information you need. I’d also be interested to hear the experience of any of the other owners.

 

[antaris]

I’m sitting on our Marcon 34 as I write this. We are 8 years into our ownership and we are really happy with our boat. We bought her as our first cruiser, with the intention of getting used to big boat ownership, and then deciding what we wanted to get as our “forever” boat. However we now see no real reason to change her as she does what we want (and we have incrementally updated the equipment to our needs. ) We have cruised her for several weeks each year, and have sailed her as far west as the Isles of Scilly and as far south as Lorient.

.....

Many thanks for the prompt reply Graham, always good to hear of boats being looked after (and being well-designed and long-lasting ).

I am at work right now - but will seize the opportunity to get back to you with a couple more questions. Let's see if any other owners read this!

 

[Rondon]

Happy to revive this and add to it
I’m currently onboard my marcon34 in Ibiza, I and my son sailed her here from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England. I bought this boat in Liverpool a couple of years ago, she was very well looked after and maintained meticulously also the gentleman I bought from was extremely helpful/knowledgable and kept in folders onboard any and all works , items onboard and anything that has ever been installed ( super handy and still onboard now) the boat itself has performed absolutely awesome throughout all of this trip in some pretty heavy weather conditions. We do the same as a previous poster and spend a lot of time in the cockpit for socialising and eating and occasionally a movie night
Very very happy with my boat and never yet felt unsafe regardless of the conditions. Speed wise she’s no racer but on rare occasions we’ve had 8+kts but a steady 6kts mostly, she does tend to get a little over powered in high winds but a reef in the main and furl the head in a little and good as . She has a 34hp beta diesel motor super economic on fuel slightly obsessively maintained and is more than capable for this boat , initially wanted a cat but so glad I went to see this boat first as things are now she is my home for the rest of my life

 

[[3889]]

Happy to revive this and add to it
I’m currently onboard my marcon34 in Ibiza, I and my son sailed her here from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England. I bought this boat in Liverpool a couple of years ago, she was very well looked after and maintained meticulously also the gentleman I bought from was extremely helpful/knowledgable and kept in folders onboard any and all works , items onboard and anything that has ever been installed ( super handy and still onboard now) the boat itself has performed absolutely awesome throughout all of this trip in some pretty heavy weather conditions. We do the same as a previous poster and spend a lot of time in the cockpit for socialising and eating and occasionally a movie night
Very very happy with my boat and never yet felt unsafe regardless of the conditions. Speed wise she’s no racer but on rare occasions we’ve had 8+kts but a steady 6kts mostly, she does tend to get a little over powered in high winds but a reef in the main and furl the head in a little and good as . She has a 34hp beta diesel motor super economic on fuel slightly obsessively maintained and is more than capable for this boat , initially wanted a cat but so glad I went to see this boat first as things are now she is my home for the rest of my life

Bit of thread drift but were you in Gijon early August after a grueling crossing from Ile de Yeu? We were next door. If it was you, glad you made it to the Balearics.

 

[Rondon]

Yes that was us we spent a little over two months cruising the Balearics currently trying to make our way to Sardinia, unfortunately the weather conditions are not in our favour