Design and Construction
The 34 is built around a solid fiberglass hull with a bottom thickness of 7/8 inch, and the structure is tied together with a full-length interior pan bonded to the hull with bi-axial roving. After an ISO-NPG gelcoat, a 3-ounce chopped strand mat layer is wetted with vinylester resin to ward off blistering. The deck is laminated with mat and bi-axial roving and cored with Baltek AL600 end-grain balsa, while the hull-deck joint sits at the 4-inch bulwark. The lead keel is fastened to a solid fiberglass stub and bedded in epoxy, and a skeg extends below the rudder to shield it from grounding damage. Chainplates are mounted outside the hull for easy inspection, a thoughtful touch that simplifies a normally awkward survey point.
Rig and Handling
The cutter rig is built on a single-spreader LeFiell aluminum mast finished in linear polyurethane paint rather than anodizing, with standing rigging of ¼-inch 1x19 stainless wire. Running backstays are standard, required by the inner forestay, and both the headstay and inner forestay carry Harken furlers. Six Harken two-speed self-tailing winches manage halyards and sheets led aft to Spinlock rope clutches, and the mainsheet traveler is mounted ahead of the dodger with a Harken ball-bearing unit. Under sail, test sailors found her able to claw to weather within 50 to 60 degrees of apparent wind at 4.5 to 5 knots with a Yankee, staysail, and full main, and at roughly 70 degrees she buried her shoulder and surged to 5.2 to 5.5 knots. Polar data shows a VMG of 3.23 knots on a beat in 8 knots of wind and best broad-reach angles around 116 degrees true. With the Yanmar diesel at 1800 to 2400 RPM she moved at 6 to 6.5 knots on an 11x17 three-blade prop, and she proved nimble under power in tight quarters compared with a full-keel cruiser.
Accommodations
Below, the 34 trades the 37's wider saloon for a narrower 10-foot-10-inch main cabin that still feels open thanks to 6-foot-4-inch headroom. She sleeps four to six; the regular V-berth forward takes an insert to become a 78-by-84-inch queen, and the port settee folds out to a 48-inch double while starboard offers a 6-foot-6-inch settee. Only the forward stateroom is enclosed by a door. The quarterberth is more than 7 feet long but narrow and low, best used as a sea berth and stowage. The galley has hot and cold pressure water and a gimbaled Force 10 two-burner propane stove with oven, and newer boats carry an 8-cubic-foot Seafrost BD3 fridge. There is a head but no shower stall, and the head itself is smallish. The cockpit is a near-oval with 6-foot-5-inch seats, 16-inch widths, and angled backrests, though the 28-inch footwell is tight and the space seats no more than four adults comfortably; testers preferred the arched helm seat over the 37's flat version.
Performance Profile
With a displacement-length ratio of 333 and a sail-area-displacement ratio of 15.12 — rising to 18.38 with the staysail — the 34 is no lightweight racer but a steady ocean traveler. She will log 150-mile days in comfort in typical sea conditions, and the Yanmar sipped roughly six-tenths of a gallon per hour in the observed power range. The numbers and the sea trials agree: she is an excellent daysailer or distance cruiser for four adults or a couple with two children.
The Verdict
The Crealock 34 is a deliberately traditional small cruiser that rewards owners who value structural honesty and predictable behavior offshore over volume and brightwork fashion. She is not large for her length, but what she offers is coherent and well-executed.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull with vinylester barrier and epoxy-bedded lead keel on a solid stub
- Externally mounted chainplates and skeg-protected rudder simplify inspection and groundings
- Cutter rig with furling on both forestays and full winch complement for short-handed control
- Genuine offshore capability with 150-mile days and tight-quarter maneuverability
Cons
- Cockpit footwell only 28 inches wide and seats limited to four adults
- No enclosed shower stall and a smallish head
- Quarterberth best treated as single sea berth and storage rather than guest space
