“Fighting Trousers”
Dash 34 (1981)
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Price: $20,000 (was $28,000) CAD
(moored at North Saanich Marina, BC)

A fast boat that you can cruise in.
Highlights:
Recent Achievements:

• 4th Place in 2023 R2AK
• 3rd Place in 2022 R2AK (1st up the Inside Route)
• 1st Place in multiple 2019 races (Cow Bay Regatta, Lasqueti Island, VIRS Series)​

Recent Upgrades:

• Over $13,000 in 2023 alone
• New mainsail, running rigging, and more
• Haul Out Survey available (April 2023) 

Versatility:

• Racer, yes -- but we've also cruised her extensively

About the Boat
Originally known as "Optical Illusion," this 1981 model has been a staple in the Gulf Island racing scene for over 36 years and a recent darling of the course in the Race to Alaska: with Team Fashionably Late (2022) and Team Dacron & Denim (2023) . 

She's not just a racehorse; she's also been equipped for cruising.

Up front: this boat is for sailors. If you are ok with motoring from anchorage to anchorage, there are better options out there for you.  
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However, if you love the surge and lift of a properly trimmed sail, here are some reasons to consider her for cruising:

Sail more, motor less

• Large sail area, easily driven hull. Those light wind summer days in the gulf islands are still sailing days.  
• 3rd reefs in both mainsails. Sailing is safer and more comfortable than motoring when it's howling out.
• She'll sail 21 degrees off the apparent wind. When you're traveling up long, narrow channels with the wind on the bow you'll appreciate her upwind efficiency. 
• Inline shrouds and a symmetrical spinnaker make straight-line downwind travel efficient. No need to gybe back and forth to keep a cruising chute full when running back down those channels.

Meet "Fighting Trousers," a Dash 34 sailboat with a storied history and a thirst for new adventures.

Fast: 

• Substantially bigger choice of possible anchorages for the next night than with other cruising boats of the same length.
• Much larger possible cruising territory for any given timeframe.  A fast boat means being able to explore areas that are out of reach of other, slower cruisers.
• Easily outpace other cruisers up to 40+ feet in length.  This is objectively fun -- there's nothing like the feeling of both pointing higher and moving faster than a boat you're reeling in upwind.  This will be your most common experience when sailing in popular areas.

Responsive and well-behaved:

• The Dash 34 was intended to form a 1 design class, meaning that they were built to sail fast and well generally rather than against the constraints of a particular handicapping rule.  Thus, they're devoid of some of the weird handling that other racers of the era suffer because of how they, say, needed to minimize waterline length for a certain displacement to be competitive.

Note:
In the 2023 race, the rudder was damaged and a mid-race replacement was built at the docks in Bella Bella. It has proven to be a stable and effective solution. The team was able to still finish 4th and the boat sailed well back down to coast from Ketchikan to its berth at North Saanich Marina. Our significant price drop reflects the fact that a new owner might want to replace this rudder.

We have waited to address the rudder because how it's done will depend on how the a new owner intends to use the boat.  If you want to race PHRF, you may want to replace the rudder with a stock one to keep her rating (she has raced competitively in the PNW at 114).  If you are more interested in high performance cruising (or the R2AK), you may want to opt for a deeper, higher-aspect, parabolic rudder, as many Dash owners have done.  In the meantime, she sails fine.

Recent Upgrades

2023 (Over $13,000 invested):

• New Mainsail
• New Racing #1
• New Running Rigging
• New Blocks and Clutches
• New Compass
• Dyneema Lifelines
• 1.5oz & 0.75oz Spinnakers (Tartan 10)
• Winches Serviced
• Micron CSC Bottom Paint (May)

*Note that these additions were made after the April 2023 Boat survey
2022:

• Trapeze and Harness
• Replaced Runners
• Stove & Gimballed Cabinet
• Water Tanks
• Dual Slim Radar Reflectors
• Blackwater Holding Tank

2017-2020

• Masthead antenna coax (2020)
• Interprotect epoxy bottom (2017)
• Repainted Interior (2017)

Specifications

Make: Dash 34 (Designed by Laurie Davidson)
Year: 1981
Hull Number: 10
Engine: 2000 Yamaha 9.9 Extra Long Shaft Model EXRY on Garelick bracket
Keel: Fin
Rudder: Spade 
Mast: Yachtspar (1981)
More Standard Dash 34 Specs

Additional Equipment

Sails:

• 2023, Quantum, New Mainsail, Excellent
• 2023, Quantum, New Racing #1, Excellent
• 2004, Quantum, 3/4 oz. Spinnaker, Excellent
• 2004, UK, Full Batten Main (Dacron), Fair
• 2005 Quantum, Mylar/Kevlar #2, Good
• 1988 Neil Pryde, 1/2 oz. Spinnaker, Very Good
• 2010ish North, Carbon #3, Excellent
• 3/4oz (Tartan 10) Spinnaker, Very Good
• 1.5oz (Tartan 10) Spinnaker, Excellent
• 3x deck bags, made by the sail manufacturers

Instruments & Equipment:

• Lowrance Depth Sounder
• Standard Horizon GX2200 VHF (AIS Receiver) 
• 200W Solar panels, 30A pwm charge controller & battery monitor
  
• All required offshore SER Coastal category equipment
• 200' rode + 30' anchor chain
• 30 litre internal fuel tank, with electric fuel pump
• Electric & manual bilge pump
• 3 x floating winch handles 
• 2 x Schaefer Genoa Cars

• 2 x Schaefer blocks for #3
• 2 x Snatch Blocks

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Interior:

• Teak drop-leaf table
• Expanded v-berth and wider cabin
• 1 aft quarter berth, 1 salon berth (midship)
• Berth cushions
• Stove cabinet gimballed and customized for Jetboil​
• Sail storage aft of head on port side
• Holding tank & Jabsco head
• Zippered Privacy curtain for head

Room in the cockpit for a big happy crew!

Your Next Chapter Awaits

We're excited to find the next owner who will love "Fighting Trousers" as much as we have.
​Whether you're looking to dominate the racing circuit or explore in comfort, this boat is ready for you.
Talk to us about your plans and ideas.