Sadler 34

[kris]

Hi, I'm looking for information about a sadler 34. How do they sail, are they seaworthy, how do they withstand time, is it a good boat to sail with the family along the coasts of the Northsea ... Any help will do.
Thanks.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Unless you're looking for a lightweight flyer, you won't be disappointed.

Nice cruisng boat, plus a couple of Sadler USPs.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Lovely boats.... very seaworthy.... pleasant to sail, but as Ken said, not a racer.... quite a few owners on here, so I'm sure you'll get some very focused feedback on Sadler foibles....

 

[cliff]

IMHO probably one of the best but then I have one so might be a little biased.
I seem to have developed a bit of a habit of sailing in F7 / F8 recently and the Sadler takes it in her stride (more than I can say for the "crew")
Sails pretty well to windward. Easy to sail single handed.
A bit old fashioned in layout but I like that. No bilges to worry about (double skin, foam filled). They are very popular boats and seem to hold their value pretty well. I have had more people than I can remember asking if I was thinking of selling.

Watch out for the lower shroud brackets - some were square cut rather than radiused and hence tended to crack - easy to fix but a pain in the a$$ getting them out to repair or replace. (These are located just aft of the main bulkhead in the saloon and are covered by an "L" shaped moulding).

Good site / forum is Mike Lucas Yachting.
-----------

“Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity”
Skype id:cliffillupo

 

[Cotillion]

I've sailed a 32, which behaved impeccably. On my short list for next boat.

Kim

 

[KREW2]

Did my day skipper in 1990 in a sadler 34, loved it, unfortunately when looking for one last year the only ones I saw that I could afford were in poor condition so I went for something smaller
Keith

 

[TigaWave]

Nice boats, they were on my shopping list a few years back, only thing I was told to look out for was soft areas in the deck where water might have got into the foam core. Many were used by sailing schools, so some of the second hand ones I looked at were well used/tired.

Good hunting.

 

[jamesjermain]

Excellent all round cruising boats with good performance in this context. Seaworthy and easily handled.

Foam coring make them unsinkable - probably - but they can't be sailed when flooded.

Foam core also reduces internal volume and stowage is at a premium for a full crew (but better than some modern equivalents).

Problems include chain plates already mentioned and 'crunchy decks' where the foam core breaks down. Its cosmetic in its early stages but needs to be treated eventually. A simple cure is to bore holes through core and inject resin to form a network of support 'pillars'. The cockpits of early boats got wet througyh water flowing down sidedecks and in over the low after coaming. A simple teak 'toerail' modification solved the problem in later boats.

 

[DavidBolger]

I bought a Sadler 34 in 2001 and it was an excellent decision. One of the reasons I went for the S34 was the amount of info I was able to glean on them especially on the Mike Lucas website located at Mike Lucas . Go to the discussion forum. I spent days reading all the posts on the forum (you can go back years). By the time I was finished I was an expert on S34 even though I had never been on one. Be careful of pre 85 versions as the build quality was not the same. I got the SJ keel and I don't know the difference with other keels but she does handle excellent. I don't agree with the racing comment. We club race her in Dun Laoghaire and with some new sails this year and a folding prop, her performance is fine. She is heavy and does not perform well in light airs but otherwise you can have as much fun racing her and certainly more fun than a moody, westerly or Halsberg (which I would consider as similar boats). We find her excellent for cruising and cruise on her every year for the family hols. I can manage her ok on my own. Conclusion is to go for it - you will not regret it.

 

[DavidBolger]

Correction to the Mike lucas link

Mike Lucas

 

[dickh]

I was very tempted on one at the SYH boat show last autumn but I didn't have quite enough dosh - then SWMBO saw the Moody33 mk2..............................

 

[tyce]

one races regularly with us, and it goes like a train, im waiting patiently for him to put it up for sale.

 

[nuc]

Did my DS aboard a Sadler 34. As others have said, lovely boat, stiff compared to other more recent boats, enjoyable sail. In fact I tried to find a good one (the ones I saw were not) before finally settling on another boat.