| Falmouth Cutter 34 | |
| Designer: | Lyle Hess |
| Location: | Canada |
| Year: | 1982 |
| Builder: | Channel Cutter Yachts |
| Role: | Cruiser |
| Draft: | 5.08feet |
| Displacement: | 190000NaN0 |
| Hull Type: | monohull |
| Construction: | fibreglass |
| Loa: | 43feet |
| Lwl: | 30.83feet |
| Beam: | 11.58feet |
| Engine: | Yanmar 400NaN0 diesel engine |
| Keel Type: | long keel |
| Ballast: | 66000NaN0 |
| Rudder Type: | keel and transom-mounted rudder |
| Rig Type: | Cutter rig |
| I: | 46.5feet |
| J: | 18.75feet |
| P: | 41.5feet |
| E: | 19feet |
| Sailplan: | Cutter rigged sloop |
| Sailarea Main: | 394.25square feet |
| Sailarea Headsail: | 435.94square feet |
| Sailarea Total: | 830.19square feet |
The Falmouth Cutter 34 is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by American naval architect Lyle Hess as a global blue water cruiser and first built in 1982.[1] [2]
Hess considered it the best boat he designed.[3]
The design was initially built in South Africa by Ed McNeil, but production ended after about six boats had been built. The rights were acquired in 2003 by Bryan Gittins, who had done wood work for McNeil. Gittins established Channel Cutter Yachts to build the boat in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada, where it remains in production. Rather than ship the large and fragile moulds from South Africa to British Columbia, Gittins had McNeil build one last hull and ship that before destroying the moulds. Gittins then built new moulds from that hull.[1] [3] [4] [5]
The Falmouth Cutter 34 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fibreglass, with extensive wooden decks and trim. It has a cutter rig, with an optional gaff rigged mainsail. The hull has a plumb stem, an angled transom, a keel and transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed long keel. It displaces 190000NaN0 and carries 66000NaN0 of lead ballast.[1]
The length overall, including the bowsprit and aft boomkin, is 43feet, while the length on deck is 34feet. The boat has a draft of 5.08feet with the standard keel.[1]
The boat is fitted with a Japanese Yanmar diesel engine of 400NaN0 for docking and manoeuvring. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of .[1]
The cabin arrangements and accommodation are all custom-built and vary from boat to boat. Depending on the interior finish, the cabin has 71to of headroom.[1]
In a 2010 review by Alvah Simon in Cruising World described sailing the boat, "we tacked effortlessly through mere zephyrs and, with the help of an extended waterline due to the near-plumb stem, held impressive speeds of five knots in very light airs. The FC 34 should dash off very respectable noon-to-noon runs under normal passage conditions."[3]
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