Only 68 boats were built. In 1988, the design was stretched to 35 feet, given a sugar-scoop transom, and renamed the Falcon 35. The same hull later carried the Oceandream and Oceanquest models through 1999.
Design and Construction
Westerly built the Falcon 34 at Waterlooville, Hampshire, with a solid fiberglass hull and solid fiberglass deck. Buyers could choose iron fin or twin keels, and the boat has a spade rudder.
The hull came directly from the Seahawk, but the Falcon gained a deeper cockpit, cleaner lines, and a much larger saloon than its centre-cockpit sibling. Yachtsnet considered it better looking than the Seahawk, as well as a successful boat that sailed well. Westerly’s build quality on the Falcon is characteristically solid, and the cockpit itself is spacious.
The Falcon measures 33 feet 8 inches overall, with a 27-foot waterline and a beam of 12 feet 3 inches. Displacement is 12,588 pounds. The fin-keel version carries 5,732 pounds of ballast, while the twin-keel version carries 6,171 pounds. Keel width is 97 inches. Draft is 4 feet 11 inches with the fin keel and 3 feet 11 inches with twin keels.
Rig, Engine, and Handling
The Falcon 34 is rigged as a masthead sloop. Its sail plan includes a 240-square-foot mainsail, a 485-square-foot No. 1 genoa, and a 288-square-foot No. 1 jib. Main and genoa together provide 727 square feet of sail area.
Auxiliary power comes from a 28-horsepower Volvo Penta MD2003 diesel driving a single shaft.
Reviewers credited the Falcon with good sailing performance and a better turn of speed than the Seahawk. The Dubois hull also gave it a reputation for competent handling under sail.
Accommodation
Below decks, the Falcon differs most clearly from its centre-cockpit sister. Its saloon is among the largest found in any 34-footer, and the three-cabin layout sleeps seven.
Forward, there’s a vee-double cabin, followed by the forward heads compartment and hanging-locker space. The unusually large saloon occupies the middle of the boat. The chart table is to starboard, beside the doorway to the aft cabin.
The double aft cabin sits below the cockpit and has its own en-suite heads, giving the boat two heads compartments in total. The galley is compact but practical, with twin sinks, a refrigerated icebox, and a two-burner cooker with grill and oven.
Westerly deliberately pitched this interior at couples in which one partner was less enthusiastic about sailing. Its generous, livable volume was a large part of the design’s success.
Verdict
The Falcon 34 is a comparatively rare, small-production Dubois cruiser that took the proven Seahawk hull and made it both better looking and more livable. It pairs solid Westerly construction with a notable aft-cabin layout and a saloon that feels unusually generous for a 34-footer.
Pros
- Unusually large saloon for a 34-footer
- Three cabins and seven berths
- Double aft cabin with private en-suite heads
- Solid Westerly construction on a performance-oriented Dubois hull
- Choice of fin or twin keels for different draft requirements
Cons
- Only 68 built, limiting availability
- Galley is compact relative to the rest of the accommodation
- Twin-keel version involves ballast and draft trade-offs compared with the fin-keel boat
