Hallberg-Rassy 342 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

With 329 units built between 2005 and 2018, the 342 was a sales success from its launch. It also carries the yard’s CE Category A rating for unlimited ocean voyages. Frers drew on his latest design experience to improve performance without abandoning Hallberg-Rassy’s traditional long-distance cruising character. The result is something of a wolf in sheep’s clothing: sedate cabin-top lines conceal a lively, confident sea boat.

Design and Construction

Below the waterline, the 342 has a solid fiberglass hull; the topsides use foam-cored sandwich construction. The hull and deck are laminated and cast together with polyester to form a rigid unit, which testers found provided a more comfortable ride in heavy seas. Hallberg-Rassy’s standard hull-to-deck joint is heavily glassed from inside, without bolts.

The lead bulb keel draws 6 feet as standard, while a 5-foot shoal-draft option was available. A separate spade rudder follows contemporary performance-cruiser practice and runs on spherical, self-aligning bearings to minimize friction.

Compared with the HR34, the coamings grew by as much as two inches for better protection. The side decks remain a clear 18 inches wide, with 2-inch bulwarks and 24-inch lifelines.

Writing in Yacht magazine, test sailors found the build quality high throughout, apparent even to a non-expert. They also noted several quieter, more practical details: heating hoses were doubled to reduce heat loss, while the pressure pump was rubber-mounted in the insulated engine room to limit cabin noise.

Rig, Sailing Performance, and Handling

Frers specified a 7/8 fractional rig with a deck-stepped, double-spreader mast carrying slight pre-bend. Compared with the HR34, sail area increased by roughly five square meters and the mast grew almost two feet taller. The sail plan combines a larger mainsail with a smaller, slightly overlapping self-tacking jib, making the boat easier to handle than its predecessor. A Seldén Furlex furler serves the headsail.

All halyards and reefing lines lead aft through rope clutches to twin winches, allowing the crew to work from the cockpit. The standard boat has tiller steering and a traveler, though wheel-steering options were offered.

Yacht magazine rated the 342’s sailing performance as excellent, even in light airs. Speed built effortlessly as the wind increased, and the boat responded instantly to the helm without becoming nervous. Practical Sailor’s test crew described the helm as very light and easy, with the boat remaining stiff and balanced. It tacked through about 100 degrees and, at 2,500 rpm, turned within a boat length while moving at an even 6 knots. Denmark’s Bådnyt found the 342 livelier than its fixed windscreen might suggest, easily driven in a breeze and offering good feel through the tiller.

Cockpit and Accommodations

For its length, the 342 has notably generous interior volume; one Swedish test called it the biggest in its class. Larger side windows brighten the saloon, while the number of opening portlights doubled from five to ten. A larger forward hatch brings in more light and ventilation and also makes sail stowage easier.

Berths are both wider and longer than those aboard the HR34. The saloon settees measure 6 feet 2 inches, and fold-up backrests extend the lounging surface beyond 90 centimeters. The V-berth is 6 feet 6 inches long, while the aft berth extends to 6 feet 10 inches. In the cockpit, the 6-foot-9-inch seats can double as day beds.

Interior furniture is finished in khaya mahogany with satin varnish. The heads compartment gained a Corian counter and a dedicated wet locker. Yacht judged this the best layout on the market for a crew of four, while Segeln noted the high level of comfort below for the same complement.

Tankage also increased over the predecessor, by ten liters for each tank. The 342 carries 71 gallons of water beneath the port settee and 44 gallons of diesel under the starboard settee.

Equipment and Power

A Volvo Penta D1-30 three-cylinder diesel produces 29 horsepower through a sail drive and folding bronze propeller. A 115-amp alternator charges a house bank of flat-plate batteries, upgraded from 124 to 225 Ah. Under way, engine noise measured 72 decibels in the cockpit, a modest figure for a boat of this size.

At the bow, a Lewmar horizontal windlass and deep chain locker sit behind a husky double-roller stemhead. A boat hook measuring nearly eight feet mounts to the coach roof as standard. The deep, 24-inch bilge sump contains a Jabsco hydraulic bilge pump.

Known Issues

The 342 was subject to an extensive recall during its early years after a steering fault emerged: a few upper rudder bearings had come free from their fiberglass seatings. The builder states that all affected boats were fitted with new bearings and that the problem was corrected on later hulls.

Wheel steering creates another, less serious compromise. On wheel-equipped boats, there is only one foot of clearance between the wheel and the seat behind it, making the arrangement tight.

Below, the chainplates terminate in fiberglass knees positioned exactly where someone lounging on a settee would lie. Testing also found that striking the in-mast-furling mainsail required two people to work the furling line and outhaul together.

The Verdict

The Hallberg-Rassy 342 recast the marque’s cruising approach around Frers’ sharper hull and fractional rig without sacrificing the solid, quiet, ocean-capable character buyers expect. It is a genuinely fast and composed small cruiser, with a remarkably roomy, well-lit interior and a build standard that wears well.

The early rudder-bearing recall is the one black mark, although the yard states that it fully addressed the issue. The wheel-steering option also compromises cockpit space.

Pros