Design and Construction
The RS34 is a 34-foot monohull on a 29.5-foot waterline, 11.2 feet in beam, drawing 6.5 feet with a fin keel and carrying 2,470 pounds of lead ballast against 7,850 pounds displacement for a 31 percent ballast ratio. Built in solid fiberglass for both hull and deck, the boat is a straightforward composite shell rather than a cored structure. Its displacement-length ratio of 136 places it among light racers, and the length-to-beam ratio of 3.04 gives a relatively narrow, purpose-built hull form. The capsize screening value of 2.25 meant the design would not qualify for ocean-racing acceptance, but the motion comfort ratio of 15.6 and an immersion rate of about 1,151 pounds per inch describe a stiff, responsive hull that sits sensibly in a seaway for its size.
Rig and Handling
The RS34 is built with a fractional rig and a 580-square-foot sail plan, and the authority data show it carrying more rig than similar sailboats, which marks the boat as significantly overrigged for its length. With the ISO reference sail the sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 21.8, rising to 24.8 with a 135 percent genoa, and the theoretical hull speed for a displacement hull of this length is 7.3 knots. The standing and running rigging dimensions are precise and generous: mainsail, jib-genoa, and spinnaker halyards are all 33.3 meters of 10 millimeter line, while sheets run 10.4 meters at 12 millimeters for jib and genoa and 25.9 meters at 12 millimeters for the mainsheet, with a 22.8-meter spinnaker sheet. The wetted surface of the bottom is about 387 square feet, a modest footprint that helps the light hull accelerate.
Race Record and Performance
The prototype Seren Wib was competitive for a number of years in the Irish Sea, taking first in class in the Dun Laoghaire–Holyhead–Dun Laoghaire race in 1984 and second in the IOR division at Celtic Week 1986, before other hulls extended the record. Michael Peacock's Juno became the most successful RS34, campaigned with grand-prix dedication and returning two firsts, one second, and one third at Cowes Week in 1984. The Biggs family's Checkmate scored second in Class 3 of the 1984 Round the Island Race, then first in Celtic Week 1985 and first in class with second overall in the 1988 RORC Irish Sea Race, also topping Division A2 in the Irish Sea Offshore Association season points that year. Chris Bonnar's Bateleur won the Tomatin Scottish Series in 1985, Peter Cyriax's Smokey Bear won Class 2 in the 1984 Round the Island Race, and Yellow Bird III took the 1986 Plymouth Offshore championships. The record shows a small class that raced hard and won.
The Verdict
The MG RS34 is a rare Humphreys-designed light racer with a genuine regatta pedigree and a solid-fiberglass hull built in very small numbers. Its overrigged fractional plan and low displacement give it pace and responsiveness, while the modest wetted surface and 31 percent ballast ratio keep it manageable. The limited production means a buyer must inspect each hull on its own merits, but the design's race history argues for a capable, well-bred 1980s performer.
Pros
- Humphreys design with a strong early race record across Irish Sea and Solent events
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck with lead fin-keel ballast
- Light-racer displacement and overrigged fractional rig for lively performance
Cons
- Capsize screening value excludes it from ocean-race acceptance
- Only about fifteen built, so scarce on the market
