Cabo Rico 34 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Crealock's brief was to balance comfort with offshore manners, and the hull answers that with a cut-away full keel that sits below the forward quarter and a closed transom meant for open-water work. The structure is deliberately heavy: Cabo Rico built her from the keel up to a standard above typical production boats anchor, with a totally encased keel and a raised bulwark hull-to-deck joint that forms a large U-channel around the whole vessel, sealed and through-bolted throughout. Bulkheads are glassed and clad in solid teak for strength, then fully bonded to hull and deck with multiple layers of mat and roving, and all floor stringers, transfers, and sub-flooring are solid fiberglass. There is no wood in the bilges or substructure that could rot under any conditions. The mast steps on an elaborate bridge of heavy crisscross fiberglass laminate with a half-inch aluminum plate, elevating the butt to the dry cabin sole; the teak-and-holly sole is epoxied above, and the void beneath serves the holding tank. A complete grounding system using heavy industrial wire runs through the boat, and the hull and deck are completely insulated.

Rig and Handling

The cutter rig carries a relatively large fore triangle for the type, allowing big lightweight headsails for extra speed, and the bowsprit adds more than three feet forward. Under power the cut-away keel makes her more responsive than a traditional full keel yet steadier than many fin-keel contemporaries of similar length, and under sail she tracks true like her full-keel kin anchor. Test sailors found she routinely made half the true wind speed and pointed surprising close—about 33 to 34 degrees apparent—while a rigger-owner reported a three-degree helm and perfect balance from 3 to 10 knots, the boat holding within three degrees of course when the helm was let go in light air. What she will not do is win a tacking duel; with her weight she powers up slowly.

Accommodations

Below, the wide beam yields two full double cabins, one forward and one aft to starboard, plus a third double that pulls from a shelf under the settee. The U-shaped galley has a stainless double sink, two-burner gas stove with oven, and pressure hot and cold water. Light and air come from five Lewmar hatches, two large dorade vents built into guarded boxes that also serve as handholds, and eight opening ports; the dorades have an adjustable sliding offset opening below, and even the hanging lockers are vented. The nav table faces aft across from the galley, with folding panels for the electrical boards, and settee storage is by pull-out drawer rather than lifted cushions. Companionway steps are cantilevered both sides for use when heeled, and the golden teak of Costa Rica is used throughout.

Ownership Notes

The boat's overbuilt nature extends to practical cruising details: the mast-step bridge keeps the spar dry, the insulated hull and deck soften liveaboard noise and temperature swing, and the all-fiberglass substructure removes a common vintage-boat decay path. The closed transom and guarded dorade boxes are small but deliberate offshore concessions.

The Verdict

The Cabo Rico 34 is a thoughtfully detailed bluewater cutter whose construction exceeds production norms and whose accommodations use the beam intelligently. She rewards the cruising sailor with tracking steadiness and balance but asks patience in light-air acceleration.

Pros