| Beneteau 34 | |
| Designer: | Finot/Conq |
| Location: | France |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Builder: | Beneteau |
| Draft: | 6.08feet |
| Displacement: | 125660NaN0 |
| Hull Type: | monohull |
| Construction: | glassfibre |
| Loa: | 33.92feet |
| Lwl: | 30.67feet |
| Beam: | 12feet |
| Engine: | Yanmar 290NaN0 diesel engine |
| Keel Type: | Fin keel with weighted bulb |
| Ballast: | 32080NaN0 |
| Rudder Type: | Spade-type rudder |
| Rig Type: | Bermuda rig |
| I: | 42.25feet |
| J: | 13.67feet |
| P: | 39.67feet |
| E: | 12.75feet |
| Sailplan: | 9/10 Fractional rigged sloop |
| Sailarea Main: | 252.9square feet |
| Sailarea Headsail: | 288.78square feet |
| Sailarea Total: | 541.68square feet |
| Phrf: | 147-150 |
The Beneteau 34 is a French-designed sailboat, that was manufactured in the United States. It was designed by Finot/Conq as a cruiser and first built in 2008. The interior was designed by Nauta Design.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
The boat was named "Best Value Cruiser for 2009" by Cruising World magazine.[7]
The design is very similar to the Oceanis 34, which was also built starting in 2008, in France.[1] [2] [3] [8]
The design was built by Beneteau in Marion, South Carolina, United States, starting in 2008, but it is now out of production.[1] [2] [3] [9] [10]
The Beneteau 34 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of glassfibre, with wood trim and a balsa-cored deck. It has a 9/10 fractional sloop rig, with a deck-stepped mast, one set of swept spreaders and aluminium spars with stainless steel wire standing rigging. The hull has a nearly plumb stem, a reverse transom with a swimming platform, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a wheel and a fixed fin keel with a weighted bulb or optional shoal-draft keel. It displaces 125660NaN0 and carries 32080NaN0 of iron ballast in the fin keel version and 35560NaN0 for the shoal draft model.[1] [2] [3] [7]
The boat has a draft of 6.08feet with the standard keel and 4.5feet with the optional shoal draft keel.[1] [2] [3]
The boat is fitted with a Japanese Yanmar diesel engine of 290NaN0 for docking and manoeuvring. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of .[1] [2] [3]
The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double "V"-berth berth in the bow cabin, a U-shaped settee and a straight settee in the main cabin and an aft cabin with a transverse double berth on the port side. The galley is located on the port side at the companionway ladder. The galley is L-shaped and is equipped with a two-burner stove, an ice box and a double sink. A navigation station is opposite the galley, on the starboard side. The head is located aft on the starboard side and includes a shower.[1] [2] [3]
The design has a hull speed of 7.42kn and a PHRF handicap of 147 to 150 for the fin keel model and 156 for the shoal draft model.[1] [2] [3] [11]
In a 2008 Cruising World review, Jeremy McGeary noted, "the wide T-shaped cockpit makes full use of the boat's beam and allows access around the steering wheel to the stern porch/swim platform/dinghy dock that’s become standard issue. The rig, with a 105-percent fractional-hoist jib that sheets inboard courtesy of swept-back spreaders and outboard-mounted chainplates, promises the utmost ease of handling."[6]
In a 2009 review for Cruising World, Andrew Burton wrote, "the featherlight feel of the large, leather-covered wheel in no way reflected the Beneteau 34's relatively moderate displacement as we danced to weather on a blustery day on Narragansett Bay. Overcanvased under full sail, we heeled when the breeze was on, but not too far. The 6-foot-deep cast-iron keel and bulb kept the center of gravity low, and the fairly hard turn to the bilge provided form stability; together, they conspired to keep the Beneteau 34 on its feet. Dropping the cabin-top traveler took care of any inclination for the boat to round up in the 20-knot puffs. The 34 pointed well and easily made 6 knots on the wind. That jumped to around 7 when we eased sheets and bore off."[7]