Design and Construction
The 340's hull is solid GRP, as are the deck, rudder, and internal mouldings, with an aluminium gunwale worked into the moulding for edge protection. Northshore built her in Australia, and the construction reads as straightforward solid-laminate work rather than cored experimentation below the waterline. A newly-designed deep rudder gives the vessel inherent tracking ability anchor, a trait that pairs with the 29.99-foot waterline to keep her steady on course under autopilot or short-handed steerage. The 21 horsepower Nanni diesel drives through a saildrive leg and fixed three-blade propeller, a compact installation suited to the boat's 13-gallon fuel capacity and 4,200-pound lightness.
Rig and Handling
Her aluminium fractional rig is a single-spreader, deck-stepped mast with an adjustable backstay, set up to ensure maximum control and to be sailed shorthanded. The basic sail inventory is a Dacron main and a Dacron No 3 furling headsail, with a total sail area of 46.7 square metres spread across a 44.29-foot mast. A sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18.03 tells the familiar cruiser-racer story: enough canvas to move briskly in modest breeze without demanding a full crew. The deep rudder and fractional rig together make her a tractable introduction to keelboat sailing, as the original brief intended.
Accommodations
Below, the interior is finished with teak panelling, solid teak trim, and laminates to give a warm and luxurious feel to the cruiser. The saloon carries a straight settee berth to port and an L-shaped settee to starboard, both wrapping a centrally located teak drop-leaf dinette table. Aft, a double berth stateroom sits opposite the base-of-companionway skipper's chart table and seat; a quarter berth aft of the chart table can be pressed into storage. Forward, a second double V-berth matches the aft cabin's accommodation. The L-shaped galley follows the chart table and holds a stove/oven, stainless sink with pressure hot and cold water, and storage, while the enclosed head opposite the galley is fitted with toilet, washbasin, and shower. An icebox sits forward of the chart table. Storage runs under the berths and in deep shelves down both sides, with a locker aft, a larger starboard-aft storage area, and a forward port locker. A built-in shower is standard, and the spacious cockpit can be optioned with a portable teak table forward of the steering position.
Equipment and Options
The walk-through transom with a stainless steel boarding ladder was offered as an option, as was the cockpit table. The standard shower and pressure-water galley, along with the furling No 3 headsail, speak to a boat equipped for coastal cruising out of the box. The 100-litre water capacity and 51-litre fuel figure round out the self-sufficient baseline for a couple or small family.
The Verdict
The Northshore 340 is a coherent 1990s Australian cruiser-racer: light, beamy, and simple enough to sail short-handed, yet finished below with genuine teak warmth and a practical double-cabin layout. She trades tankage and offwind wardrobe for ease of handling and tracking stability, and the solid-GRP construction avoids the scan for core issues that plagues some contemporaries.
Pros
- Inherent tracking from the deep rudder design anchor
- True shorthanded sailing layout with fractional rig and furling headsail
- Warm teak interior with two double berths and enclosed head
- Solid GRP hull and deck with no below-water cored structure
Cons
- Modest 13-gallon fuel and 100-litre water capacity for extended cruising
- Basic sail inventory limited to main and No 3 furling jib
- Walk-through transom ladder and cockpit table only optional, not standard
