Design and Construction
The Aloha 34 displaces 13,600 pounds and carries 4,700 pounds of lead ballast, yielding a ballast ratio of 35 percent and a displacement/length ratio of 258. Her beam matches the Sabre 34-2 and Pearson 34 at 11.17 feet, yet her greater weight on near-identical length and beam gives her a more favorable Comfort Ratio than either. The keel shows a noticeable C&C sweep and is a fixed swept fin, while the rudder carries a full-length leading-edge skeg for support. A standard keel draws 5.50 feet, with an optional shoal-draft version at 4.50 feet. The deck is balsa-cored and the hull solid fiberglass, with a raked stem and slightly angled transom rounding out the profile.
Rig and Handling
She is rigged as a masthead sloop with a Bermuda rig, a configuration shared across her generation. The sailplan totals 531 square feet, split between a 226.50-square-foot mainsail and a 304.50-square-foot jib/genoa on a foretriangle measuring 43.50 feet high by 14.00 feet at the base; a tall rig was also available. With a conservative sail area/displacement ratio of 14.9, she is no lightweight sprinter. In stronger winds her longer waterline delivers greater hull speed running and reaching than the Sabre or Pearson, but sailing upwind her heavier displacement does not compensate for the low ballast ratio and higher center of gravity, which can blunt windward ability in a breeze.
Accommodations
Below, the Aloha 34 sleeps five: a double V-berth forward, two settee berths in the main cabin, and a quarter berth to port under the cockpit. Cabin headroom is 6.58 feet. The U-shaped galley sits to port at the companionway ladder with a two-burner stove, ice box, and sink, while the head is just aft of the bow cabin on the port side. Period reviewers counted her among three good 1980s boats providing respectable performance with comfortable accommodations.
The Verdict
The Aloha 34 is a thoughtfully weighted cruiser whose length and beam match popular contemporaries but whose displacement buys a softer motion and more interior volume than her numbers-first rivals. She rewards offwind passages with a long-waterline hull speed and shelters her rudder with a full skeg, yet the modest ballast ratio and tall center of gravity ask the helm to work harder to windward in strong air. For a couple or small family cruising the coasts, she remains a sensible, well-found Canadian design.
Pros
- More favorable Comfort Ratio than Sabre 34-2 and Pearson 34 at equal beam
- Longer waterline gives higher hull speed running and reaching in strong wind
- Full-length leading-edge skeg supports the rudder
- Sleeps five with practical U-shaped galley and quarter berth
Cons
- Low 35 percent ballast ratio and higher center of gravity hinder upwind performance in strong wind
- Conservative 14.9 sail area/displacement ratio limits light-air acceleration
