Hi all.
Basic question. Iam sure it's been asked before but I couldn't see it.
Is a S&S 34 too much of a boat for first yacht?
Looking for shorthand cruising and overnight with the wife n kids rather than racing.
Please put up other suggestions that you think would suit a first timer.
Cheers
My mate has just put his Duncanson 29 on the market is in south oz though but they are a great little cruiser before the step up, it really depends on how much experience you have with boats I guess.
Everything is just bigger on a big boat obviously!
Getting in and out of a berth can be difficult without the experience on a larger vessel but once out the leads in open water it's pritty much the same as any boat although you have more room and luxuries down below.
I learnt to sail on a 26ft keel boat and now solo sail a 37ft keel boat and skipper a 52 ft racer...
Anywhere between 26ft to 37ftis manageable without worrying to much about crew.....the most important thing is to remain Calm and keep the boat slow and steady when berthing don't panic and start yelling and throttling up in and out of gears......this situation then becomes an embarrassment and possibly expensive!
Obviously the bigger the boat the more expense so consider this....
A couple of bunks,metho stove, engel fridge.....in up to a 30 ft yacht can be a cheap little weekender and a lot fun with a small family on a budget however if budget is not an issue there is no reason why you couldn't jump strait into a 34 to 37 fter...
Stone I am sure u will be swamped with advice on this but my for my two cents... There are quite a few boats that are common in WA that would probably suit depending on your budget etc. SS34's are very sea kindly so not too much for shorthanded (1st choice of Aussie solos after all), I've raced on one for near on 20 years and can't say enough good things about them - this forum is full of other SS34 lovers too! One that I set up well for cruising would be hard to beat for the family, Rotto etc. Other similar boats for similar price include Duncanson 34 (I have one of these and very happy with her) & UFO 34. All these designs are good solid ocean capable designs that wont get too hairy for the family and can handle the strong sea breezes over here without flinching. If you want something for a bit less money or a touch smaller the SS30 is a great boat, also a few Peterson 30s around. Next step down in size you can look at Spirit 28s or the Spacesailor range are good little cruisers with very good interior space for size, the Spacey 28 would be the best but the 24 may suit too - not a bad option as very reasonably priced if you want to see how much the family enjoy before spending more significant $. There are no doubt plenty more choices but that list are fairly common in Perth so would probably give a good range to compare size, price, features etc. Good luck and happy hunting!
Do it for sure - awesome first boat - bomb proof.
Only downside is they are starting to get old and hence have lots of maintence.
But that's the same for any boat of that era.
I'm one of the S&S34 owners on this site. They are a brilliant sailing boat and provided the rig is OK they are bullet proof and forgiving of mistakes (from more experienced skippers as well as learners) and easy to sail solo.
Any boat this age and size will require maintenance but once it is set up it isn't bad. Let's face it, it is only the hull that is getting old and they last forever. Everything else is replaceable with something newer.
They are quite cramped compared to many newer boats of the same length but are adequate for a couple and two kids. We spent a few days to a week away on ours with two kids of 12 to 14 years of age. Not at sea but in sheltered waters. Offshore two or three handed is fine.
Send me a private message if you want to talk about them.
The S&S 34 Association is also very active over here in WA. Generally a great source of good honest advice and will be able to advise on all local boats currently on market (some of these on the website http://www.ss34.org/ss34/index.html). We have 4 or 5 fleet races a year too and if your keen I have no doubt you could jump on one of the boats and crew for the next race (23 Feb) to get a better feel for the design. A lot of the cruisers are active in the assoc too not just the racing crowd. Emails and phone numbers on the website but if you like I can put you in touch with some of the guys.
Funny that. You never hear ill spoken of an S&S 34 by anyone who has ever owned one.
Classic designs like this look nice, but also have an advantage over modern production boats. New boats with fin keels often have nice-weather racing in mind, and sit on top of the water (like a canoe). The new ones are too light on the water, even if a 40-footer. But a traditional hull tracks nicely and doesn't move around so much in the water. Even tied to a dock, a big new production boat moves around a lot. So the S&S looks great.
