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

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.

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.