Maxi 34 - insight please

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mikeplummer

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Has anyone out there owned or owns a Maxi 34?

I'm thinking of buying one, with the intention of cruising around the UK plus European coasts. How did you find her to sail, was she easy to handle or did she have a few traits, was she responsive or did she sail like a buoy, when the wind and waves gathered how did she behave, when you sold her did you shed a tear, or, did you go home and crack open a bottle of champers to celebrate?

Any comments would be gratefully received.

Thanks and hope you had a great bank holiday.
 
I've chartered a Maxi 34 a number of times in the Solent.

She's a nice boat to sail. Well-balanced helm, quite fast, points well. She's quite light, but she's certainly not a handful to handle in waves. Very precise steering under sail & power.

I think the rig is a bit smaller than a Maxi 1000 but I believe the hull is the same.

The sheet winches are beside the wheel and the mainsheet just abaft the helmsman's position. So well set up for single handed sailing but not so convenient if you have a few crew. You certainly couldn't race her competitively, but I'm not surprised that Maxi 1000s are raced.

The build quality seems good. Certainly the woodwork seems to be of the standard you'd expect from Swedish boats.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi JCP

Thanks for your post, you seem to be in agreement with the comments made by another 34 owner, but he could have been slightly biased!

Thanks again and happy boating

Mike
 
Erm.... No experience of the Maxi 34, but have you considered a Macgreggor 26? The high freeboard and windage might better utilise your well honed skills. O course anything with a much higher superstructure than the Maxi would keep the chill breeze off of your poor neighbours, whilst they are out sunning themselves in the cockpit.
 
Thanks Stugeron

Does the 26 have a flybridge and loads of BHP as well?!?

If only you'd told me my old boat ruined your suntan, I'd have bought you a sunlamp!

Hope to see you next time you're down for a /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
As all the posts have been so positive I've been trying to think of the negatives to balance it up. There aren't many.

The multi-storey sprayhood does restrict forward vision quite seriously but does have the advantage of keeping all those harmful UV rays off your neighbours.

She'll sail quite well on a run under sprayhood alone, so it's worth remembering that when manouvering around the marina in a F8. Think of it as a mini mizzen spinnaker.

The worst fault is having the gas bottle in the anchor locker. It needs to be well tied down and I've developed the habit of playing safe and turning the gas off at the bottle when expecting significant amounts of pitching.

If you're well above average size the passageway from the saloon to the aft cabin is quite small, but there's always the outside route via the cockpit.
 
Hi JCP

The gas bottle situation must be one major oversight in the design, the potential for physical damage from the anchor and corrosion of the copper pipe from sea water.

The cockpit canopy and spray hood are sizeable and obviously could create problems, I assume the only answer is to drop both if its windy for close quarters manoeuvring.

Thanks for the update, I still have not heard any seriously bad report on either the 34 or the 1000/1050.
 
I have a maxi 1000

The gas bottle is not a problem - it fits in a circular brass ring and is lashed securely to it. the gas pipe is copper and then goes into flexible tubing.

the anchor chain is close by as i have a SL windlass. but there is no conflict and no danger.

In fact I'm glad its at the bow as it stops smells and is well ventilated.

The maxi 34 usually has a 2030 engine or a VP 2003 25hp engine. it is more motorsailor than maxi 1000 cruiser/racer.

The chart table is different position to maxi 1000 but seems to sail well enough.
 
Hi,

I agree the gas bottle is not a problem as long as it remains securely lashed in place. If it shaken about a bit, breaks free and ends up on its side there's always the risk of liquid 'gas' passing through the regulator.

Even a small amount of liquid would put a lot of gas pressure on the rubber hose when it boils off. That's why I prefer to keep the gas turned off at the bottle in rough weather.

It just means being careful about re-securing the gas bottle when it is changed.

The arrangement is pretty good at keeping the bottle away from the anchor.
 
We had a Maxi 33 which is basically same boat without sugar-scoop. Excellent boat for all reasons mentioned inc build quality and sailing performance. There were some negatives inc:

Saloon always seemed cramped as it is pushed forward thanks to centre cockpit.

Walkway or stoop-way through to aft cabin was a slight pain.

Fixed windscreen was great but would have been better with an opening window to relieve heat with sprayhood up.

Traveller arrangement or non-traveller on mainsheet was poor. we fitted a traveller rail across aft cabin which worked well. maybe 34 addressed this.

Saloon table supports a bit flimsy.

Someone mentioned chart table - ours faced starboard side and though you had to stand it worked well.

Cockpit was just a bit too wide to brace across without a stretch - we considered fitting a longways beam on cockpit sole to brace against. Nevertheless much better than most newer boats in this respect.

Hope this helps.

WF
 
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