Design and Construction
The 34 measures just over 34 feet on deck, with a 26-foot-2-inch waterline. It displaces 13,500 pounds and carries 4,800 pounds of lead ballast, placing it firmly in the traditional bluewater-cruiser camp without making it sluggish.
Construction starts with a solid fiberglass hull whose bottom is 7/8 inch thick. A full-length interior pan, bonded to the hull with bi-axial roving, ties the structure together. Over the ISO-NPG gelcoat, the builder wets out a 3-ounce layer of chopped strand mat with vinylester resin to help prevent blistering.
The deck is laminated with mat and bi-axial roving around a core of Baltek AL600 end-grain balsa. The hull-deck joint sits at the 4-inch bulwark. The lead keel is fastened to a solid fiberglass stub and bedded in epoxy, while a skeg extends below the rudder to protect it from grounding damage.
The chainplates are mounted outside the hull, where they’re easy to inspect—a thoughtful detail that simplifies a normally awkward survey point and grounding inspections.
Rig and Sail Handling
The cutter rig uses a single-spreader LeFiell aluminum mast finished with linear polyurethane paint rather than anodizing. Standing rigging is ¼-inch 1x19 stainless wire. The inner forestay requires running backstays, which are standard, and both the headstay and inner forestay have Harken furlers.
Six Harken two-speed self-tailing winches handle the halyards and sheets, which lead aft through Spinlock rope clutches. Ahead of the dodger, the mainsheet traveler runs on a Harken ball-bearing unit. Altogether, this is a practical setup for short-handed control.
Test sailors found that, under Yankee, staysail, and full main, the 34 could claw to weather within 50 to 60 degrees of apparent wind at 4.5 to 5 knots. At roughly 70 degrees, it buried its shoulder and surged to 5.2 to 5.5 knots. Polar data gives a VMG of 3.23 knots on a beat in 8 knots of wind, with the best broad-reaching angles around 116 degrees true.
Performance Under Sail and Power
With a displacement-length ratio of 333 and a sail-area-displacement ratio of 15.12—rising to 18.38 with the staysail—the Crealock 34 is no lightweight racer. It is, however, a steady ocean traveler. The boat can log 150-mile days in comfort in typical sea conditions.
Under power, the Yanmar diesel drove the boat at 6 to 6.5 knots between 1800 and 2400 RPM with an 11x17 three-blade propeller. Fuel consumption in that observed range was roughly six-tenths of a gallon per hour. Compared with a full-keel cruiser, the 34 also proved nimble under power in tight quarters.
The figures and sea trials point in the same direction: the Crealock 34 works well as either a daysailer or a distance cruiser for four adults, or for a couple with two children.
Accommodations
Below, the 34 gives up some of the Crealock 37’s saloon width. Its main cabin is 10 feet 10 inches wide, but 6-foot-4-inch headroom helps it feel open.
The boat sleeps four to six. Forward, the regular V-berth becomes a 78-by-84-inch queen with an insert. The port settee folds out into a 48-inch double, while the starboard settee is 6 feet 6 inches long. Only the forward stateroom can be enclosed with a door.
The quarterberth is more than 7 feet long, but it’s narrow and low. It works best as a sea berth and stowage rather than as comfortable guest accommodation.
The galley includes hot and cold pressure water and a gimbaled Force 10 two-burner propane stove with an oven. Newer boats have an 8-cubic-foot Seafrost BD3 refrigerator. There is a head, but it’s smallish and has no separate shower stall.
Cockpit
The near-oval cockpit has 6-foot-5-inch seats that are 16 inches wide, with angled backrests. Testers preferred the arched helm seat to the flat version on the Crealock 37.
Space is limited, however. The footwell is only 28 inches wide, and no more than four adults can sit comfortably.
Verdict
The Crealock 34 is a deliberately traditional small cruiser for owners who value structural integrity and predictable offshore behavior more than interior volume or brightwork fashion. It isn’t large for its length, but what it offers is coherent and well-executed.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull with a vinylester barrier, plus an epoxy-bedded lead keel on a solid fiberglass stub
- Externally mounted chainplates make inspection easier
- Skeg-protected rudder offers protection during groundings
- Cutter rig with furling on both forestays and a full complement of winches for short-handed control
- Genuine offshore capability, including 150-mile days
- Nimble handling under power in tight quarters
Cons
- Cockpit footwell is only 28 inches wide, with comfortable seating limited to four adults
- Smallish head with no enclosed shower stall
- Quarterberth is better suited to use as a single sea berth and storage than as guest accommodation
