Its center-cockpit layout creates separate forward and aft living or sleeping areas, while a choice of keel configurations broadens its cruising appeal. The Seahawk also shares its hull shape with the Westerly Falcon sloop variant.
Design and Construction
The Seahawk 34 measures 34.6 feet overall, with a 27-foot waterline and a 12.5-foot beam. Both the hull and deck are solid fiberglass.
Westerly offered the boat with either a fin keel or twin bilge keels. The fin keel favors deeper-draft performance, while the bilge-keel arrangement provides greater tolerance for grounding. The same hull shape underpins the Westerly Falcon sloop variant, giving buyers a useful point of comparison between the two models.
The boat displaces 12,699 pounds and carries 5,732 pounds of ballast, placing it in the moderate-displacement cruiser class. The fin-keel version has a maximum draft of 4.92 feet, which remains manageable in shallower estuaries without sacrificing the stability needed in a family cruiser.
Rig and Sail Plan
The Seahawk carries a fractional sloop rig. Its dimensions are I 41 feet, J 15 feet, P 39 feet, and E 12 feet, producing a mainsail area of about 241 square feet.
The working jib measures just over 302 square feet at 115 percent LP. The standard genoa increases that to 410 square feet at 135 percent LP, while a second, larger genoa approaches 462 square feet at 148 percent LP.
For offwind sailing, the boat carries an 822-square-foot asymmetrical spinnaker and a conventional spinnaker of 952 square feet. The latter has a stays length matching the luff of the larger genoa. Together, these sails give the rig real versatility across different wind angles, from a modest working jib in a breeze to a sizable kite for reaching.
Accommodations and Cruising Systems
As a center-cockpit family cruiser, the Seahawk places the helm amidships and divides the hull into distinct forward and aft sleeping or living areas. That separation favors privacy for two couples or a family on an extended passage.
The 12.5-foot beam provides the interior volume expected of a Dubois cruiser of this length. Tankage comprises 60 gallons of water and 45 gallons of diesel, supporting coastal or moderate offshore itineraries without constant reprovisioning. Auxiliary power comes from a single 28-horsepower Volvo Penta diesel, appropriate for the boat’s displacement.
The Verdict
The Seahawk 34 is a purpose-built family cruiser from the Dubois-Westerly collaboration. It combines a documented hull shared with the Falcon, a choice of keel configurations, and a well-developed sail plan that ranges from a working jib to a large spinnaker.
Its center-cockpit arrangement and moderate displacement make it a considered design rather than a generic production boat. A production run of about 125 hulls also distinguishes it within Westerly’s output.
Pros
- Center-cockpit layout suited to family cruising
- Choice of fin or twin bilge keels
- Hull shared with the Westerly Falcon sloop variant
- Versatile documented sail plan, from a 115 percent jib to a 952-square-foot spinnaker
- Moderate displacement with 5,732 pounds of ballast
Cons
- Limited production—about 125 hulls from 1984 to 1988—can complicate parts comparison
- The fin keel’s 4.92-foot draft restricts access to the shallowest anchorages
