Design and Construction
The hull is solid fiberglass below the waterline, with the sections above foam-insulated so the topsides are effectively cored, and a grid of fiberglass floors and stringers supports the structure along with a deep bilge sump. The lead keel is bolted on a diagonal to a short stub with ten stainless bolts, and the large spade rudder wraps a beefy stainless stock with heavy roller bearings. Hallberg-Rassy glassed the hull-and-deck joint over a mechanical and chemical bond to keep it watertight, while a small molded bulwark and intricate nonskid let you move safely on deck in a blow. On deck, shallow bulwarks capped by a domed teak toerail shed water and keep crew aboard; vertical copper-lined drains set just inside that toerail carry water overboard through seacocks at their lower ends, a detail tied to the boat's A100 rating by Germanischer Lloyd. Mooring cleats are through-bolted to the teak capping rather than the deck, with copper strips guarding the wood from chafe. Teak decks were standard, and the trademark windscreen with an opening centre panel shields the cockpit, through the base of which halyards lead to coachroof jammers.
Rig and Handling
She is fractionally rigged but only just — a seven-eighths, double-spreader sloop on deck-stepped Seldén spars, with a mainsheet traveller spanning the cockpit bridgedeck and all halyards and reefing lines controlled from the cockpit. A sleek spinnaker pole rides permanently on the mast, and there is no need for running backstays. Test sailors found her maneuvering excellent and her sailing qualities excellent: she heels, speeds up with a comfortable weather helm, and responds well to trimming, with a pleasant pressure on the rudder and very good balance. Frers' own speed diagram shows her reaching at over 8 knots without a spinnaker and near 9 with the chute flying, and upwind she makes 6-plus knots in moderate breeze and seas. The low centre of gravity from nearly 40 percent keel weight makes her extremely stiff, and the balanced rudder well aft holds control even running before big seas; period testers noted her best qualities emerge in very bad conditions.
Accommodations
Below, the interior is finished entirely in matte red-brown mahogany with no visible fiberglass, and the workmanship is excellent — every joint made to last, with finely laminated edges and louvered cupboard fronts. Volume is very well distributed with good headroom and elbow space. Early boats carried a long straight galley opposite the settee, but when the cockpit was shortened in the mid-1990s the interior extended and later boats gained an L-shaped galley aft to port, small but highly functional with two deep sinks, stove and oven, and a 12-volt fridge. The head sits opposite, with the nav station forward; a good-sized fore-and-aft double aft cabin is reached from the galley, and the forward V-berth is spacious with hanging lockers and drawers. The saloon's L-shaped settee and drop-leaf table seat a crowd for a 34-footer, and a hinged port settee back lifts to form a wide berth with a lee cloth strapped overhead.
Refits and Ownership
Through the production run the boat was improved step by step: the first hulls lacked the fixed windscreen, a molded swim platform opened the transom in 1994, and cockpit seat backs were softened for comfort. Most 34s left the factory with tiller steering and a factory-fitted Autohelm Tillerpilot, the pedestal and wheel typically a later retrofit. The standard Volvo Penta MD2030 diesel with saildrive is extremely reliable and very fuel-efficient, accessed adequately from behind the companionway; some early engines showed a bit of vibration, corrected during the run. Owners report around half a gallon per hour at 6 knots in flat seas. Testers praised the engine bay's good air intake and sound insulation, and the boat's well-known quality and very good second-hand value make the high purchase price a low-depreciation proposition.
The Verdict
The Hallberg-Rassy 34 is a sailboat first that also happens to be a refined cruiser — a Germán Frers design that traded the yard's old masthead centre-cockpit formula for a nimble, stiff, and quick fractional sloop with ocean-capable certification and a warm, durable mahogany interior. She rewards both the racer and the distance cruiser, and her documented resale strength speaks to the build.
Pros
- Greatly improved performance over earlier Hallberg-Rassys with stiff, well-balanced handling and documented 8-knot reaching ability
- CE category A ocean rating with cored-above-waterline solid hull and Germanischer Lloyd A100 deck drainage
- Excellent mahogany interior joinery with user-friendly L-shaped galley and practical berth layout
- Reliable, efficient Volvo MD2030 saildrive and strong second-hand value
Cons
- Early production engines reported a vibration issue (later corrected)
- Most boats delivered with tiller only; wheel steering was a retrofit
- Cockpit shortened mid-run means early interiors are less spacious than later hulls
