Design and Construction
The S&S 34 hull, viewed from above, has a definite diamond shape with a fine bow and a narrow stern, a short waterline with long overhangs, generous tumblehome, and for its era a relatively high freeboard. Below the waterline sits a short fin keel with nearly all the ballast right in the middle of the boat and a skeg-hung rudder quite far aft — a distinct rudder-and-keel separation preserved from the 12 Metre Intrepid that Stephens had just drawn. The English version differed in having a slightly raised doghouse, while the Australian version built by Swarbrick Brothers has an uninterrupted cabin trunk; original U.K. built boats had a step down coach roof and lower deck line joining the hull to form a bulwark, whereas Swarbrick Bros. developed their own deck mould to increase forward headroom, yielding a flush cabin trunk with the deck elevated flush to the sheerline. The boat is robust in every detail, and in 2003 the moulds returned to Western Australia where construction was updated to foam sandwich with vacuum infusion; the new Constellation class introduced in 2004 carries a 25% lighter hull that is physically stiffer with higher impact strength.
Rig and Handling
The S&S 34 has a relatively tall masthead rig with a high aspect mainsail and an enlarged foresail, a configuration innovative for its day and later popular among racers. Two rig sizes existed from the start: a cruising rig and a racing rig two feet taller, and Swarbrick Brothers initially built the Mk 1 with a straight coach roof and single spreader or cruising rig, later the Mk 2 with the slightly taller twin spreader rig, Mk 2 keel and spade rudder. In British and early Australian boats the forestay terminated aft of the bow, but later Australian boats took it to the end of the bow; during the 1980s some boats had a keel-stepped mast and others a deck-stepped mast with a substantially bigger cross-section. The hull is easily driven and only 20hp is required to drive the boat at hull speed, and she is wonderfully balanced and easy to handle with one hand, able to hold her course when beating to windward without active steering, sea state permitting. Owners have reported tacking through 80 degrees, and even today she is hard to beat to windward in more than 10 knots.
Accommodations
Down below, the standard Australian cabin has headroom of 6ft 1in which tapers to an inch lower at the main bulkhead, with a sea-going quarter berth on port and a navigation station slightly forward, the galley to starboard, hanging lockers and a head forward of the saloon, and a rather tight V-berth at the forepeak with headroom of 5ft 10in. The 50% ballast ratio results in a stiff boat, with the first reef taken at a hefty
25 knots of wind, and as she heels the waterline length increases significantly — Olin's design criteria put the ideal angle of heel at 23.5 degrees. The boat is forgiving of mistakes and rough treatment, and when introduced was regarded as having exceptional speed to windward and in heavy weather; over 40 years on she is still a quick boat.
Known Issues
The S&S 34 is a wet boat, like most Sparkman & Stephens designs of that era, so a dry ride should not be anticipated. The original S&S plans listed calculated parameters, but some such as displacement-to-length ratios are not accurate because all boats were heavier than the design weight; practical measurements have shown the pounds-per-inch immersion figure to be fairly accurate. The Mk1 keel ballast on S&S plans is listed as 2368kg or 2450kg, the lighter from the original lines plan marked "weight to be confirmed" and the heavier from the construction plan perhaps after the keel was weighed, while Swarbrick-built Mk1 actual ballast is 2480kg and current Mk2 is 2365kg, the original Mk2 uncertain because the mould was lost original Mk2 uncertain as mould lost but likely similar or a few kg less due to galleries for keel bolts.
Refits and Ownership
Swarbrick Brothers initially built the Mk 1, later the Mk 2, and Maybrook Marine built both cruising and racing versions; Cottesloe Yachts and Swarbrick & Swarbrick Yachts now build with vacuum-infusion and a slightly modified tall rig. The traditional engine position is amidships for best weight distribution, but some later cruising-focused boats had engines under the cockpit. Aquafibre produced hulls often finished by other yards, and some boats were exported to the US as the Palmer Johnson 34, built in Denmark as the Sagitta 35 and in Italy as the Impala 35. Between 50 and 100 were built in the UK and 126 off the Australian mould including three recent Constellation class; solo circumnavigation records include Jon Sanders' 12 world records in Perie Banou, David Dicks at 17, Jesse Martin at 18, and Jessica Watson at 16.
The Verdict
The S&S 34 is a design that demonstrates Stephens' hope that a good offshore racer is also a good cruising boat, and four decades of varied builds have not dated the concept. She rewards an owner who accepts a wet deck and a tight forepeak in exchange for windward precision and a stiff, easily driven hull.
Pros
- Exceptional to windward in more than 10 knots with owner-reported 80-degree tacks
- 50% ballast ratio and central fin-keel ballast make a stiff, forgiving hull
- Easily driven — 20hp reaches hull speed; balanced enough to hold a windward course
- Continuous build evolution from 1968 through vacuum-infused Constellation class
Cons
- Wet boat in the manner of era S&S designs
- Tight V-berth at forepeak with only 5ft 10in headroom
- Published displacement ratios unreliable; all boats heavier than design weight
