Sparkman & Stephens 34: your experiences

sniffyjenkins

sniffyjenkins

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Hey all

I'd love to hear about any experiences anyone here may have had with the S&S 34. I know their legendary status as small racing yachts and round-the-world-single-handed-non-stop-at-age-16 stories, and would love to hear first-hand from those who've sailed and/or owned one. Salty sea dog stories, advice, things to watch out for, etc.

Thanks so much :)
 
I helped a friend fit one out in around 1976.
A solid upwind yacht, designed for sailing rather than marina lounging.
Small volume by todays standards with heavier gear than a new bavjen but they dont fall over in a blow & req less in the way of reefing early.
Like all things, yachting is a compromise, you will have a yacht that most will admire as you enter hbr, unlike the ones from sausage factories that all look the same
 
Raced one, Slipstream of Cowley, RORC Class 3 for 4 or 5 seasons in the mid 70's. Also did non-stop delivery Gib to Malta in October, pre- Middle Sea race.

During that period faced every sort of weather/sea conditions up to 5m waves (Channel, wind 35 to 40 kts) to bare pole flat sea knock downs under a roll cloud.

3 days beating to windward in 3m waves, 25 to 35 knots wind indicated, was the most punishing part of the delivery trip. Every bit of the boat was creaking as we dropped of the tops and slammed into the troughs, managing to keep 4 to 6kts on the clock much of the time. Lee rigging was just slack in the worst bumps.

During racing we suffered a few knockdowns with too much spinnaker for the gusts. Two or three big rolls, then whoops! Pole or boom under water and boat stops dead.

We inspected the rig before and after every trip, using dye. Rod rigging. No sign of cracking or stress. Some sign of transient hull banana bending when bashing to windward (slacker forestay and foc's'l door panting).

Yes, very tough boats. Directionally stable, so almost self steering with sails properly set to windward. Penalty, can't spin her around on a pin-head, and a bit of a pain to steer astern.

And yes, if you've got a pressure cooker, and you strap it down, it's possible to cook a hot "one dish meal" for 6 crew while beating to windward in a F6!
 
I'm an owner, although being older than 16 and not having circumnavigated non-stop, I'm probably not typical. Can't add much to the qualities described above, which I tend not to encounter with my wife as crew in the Clyde, but they are very nice boats to sail, unless you want to win races nowadays.
I'd endorse the remarks re handling, and they are not entirely marina friendly under power with a largish turning circle and strong prop-kick astern, despite the forward position of the prop and engine. I watch owners of modern boats with envy as they manoeuvre effortlessly.
I believe some 34's have sail-drives, but I've never seen one. My engine, in the main cabin makes it's presence felt down below, but is fairly accessible, esp. the back end.
They seem well built, mine was moulded by Aquafibre, as were most in the UK. She is 46 years old and, fingers crossed, no structural issues yet.
If you really want one, AFAIK they're still available as new-build in Mk.2 form.
Should add, they have the usual keel-stepped mast syndrome of permanently wet bilges, if kept in Scotland anyway!
 
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Kingfisher 3 said:
Didn't Edward Heath have one once?
Click to expand...

He had Morning Cloud, the name was based on Morningtown, the precursor of the class. IIRC, his previous boat was a Fireball. He famously won the Sydney Hobart race. He kept the name for later boats. The original was wrecked when she broke from her mooring in Alderney.
 
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yes, the S&S34 was Heath's first venture into big boats, after trying out RORC racing with my owner Maurice Laing. The skipper was always generous to his crew in terms of provisioning, and as we broke open the chilled container for day 2, containing steak rolls and sparkling wine, Heath muttered something about being barely able to accept the "privations of this ocean racing game". He never looked back from owning MC, and was a very focused and determined competitor.


EDIT

The name Morning Cloud was a dig at another boat being built at the same yard, to be called Morning After. Heath always said it was a reference to a phrase in Psalms, about a cloud disappearing like smoke to the horizon..
 
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sailorman said:
I helped a friend fit one out in around 1976.
A solid upwind yacht, designed for sailing rather than marina lounging.
Small volume by todays standards with heavier gear than a new bavjen but they dont fall over in a blow & req less in the way of reefing early.
Like all things, yachting is a compromise, you will have a yacht that most will admire as you enter hbr, unlike the ones from sausage factories that all look the same
Click to expand...

Yes, what attracts me - apart from the lovely lines - is the sailing ability. We have no problem with the interior volume, don't need any more than that. Nor do we need microwave ovens, flat screen TVS, a saloon table that seats 17...It's the sailing we're interested in. And the prettiness ;)
 
jimbaerselman said:
Raced one, Slipstream of Cowley, RORC Class 3 for 4 or 5 seasons in the mid 70's. Also did non-stop delivery Gib to Malta in October, pre- Middle Sea race.

During that period faced every sort of weather/sea conditions up to 5m waves (Channel, wind 35 to 40 kts) to bare pole flat sea knock downs under a roll cloud.

3 days beating to windward in 3m waves, 25 to 35 knots wind indicated, was the most punishing part of the delivery trip. Every bit of the boat was creaking as we dropped of the tops and slammed into the troughs, managing to keep 4 to 6kts on the clock much of the time. Lee rigging was just slack in the worst bumps.

During racing we suffered a few knockdowns with too much spinnaker for the gusts. Two or three big rolls, then whoops! Pole or boom under water and boat stops dead.

We inspected the rig before and after every trip, using dye. Rod rigging. No sign of cracking or stress. Some sign of transient hull banana bending when bashing to windward (slacker forestay and foc's'l door panting).

Yes, very tough boats. Directionally stable, so almost self steering with sails properly set to windward. Penalty, can't spin her around on a pin-head, and a bit of a pain to steer astern.

And yes, if you've got a pressure cooker, and you strap it down, it's possible to cook a hot "one dish meal" for 6 crew while beating to windward in a F6!
Click to expand...

Sounds wonderful!

And, we're used to manoeuvring a long keeler with bilge plates so anything else is going to seem like it's pirouetting on the spot in comparison :)
 
Kingfisher 3 said:
Just checked ... yes he did - the first Morning Cloud ... he won the Sydney-Hobart race with it in 1969. I know this wasn't the info you requested but it is a bit interesting!
Click to expand...

Oh, it's all fascinating to me! I love finding out this stuff and have done quite a lot of reading on the history and successes of this type of boat. I'm currently obsessing over young Australian Jessica Watson and her round the world non-stop, single-handed trip at the age of 16 on a S&S34 a few years back. Her S&S is bright pink, and while I'm not a pink-loving type of woman, I do love the boat.
 
earlybird said:
I'm an owner, although being older than 16 and not having circumnavigated non-stop, I'm probably not typical. Can't add much to the qualities described above, which I tend not to encounter with my wife as crew in the Clyde, but they are very nice boats to sail, unless you want to win races nowadays.
I'd endorse the remarks re handling, and they are not entirely marina friendly under power with a largish turning circle and strong prop-kick astern, despite the forward position of the prop and engine. I watch owners of modern boats with envy as they manoeuvre effortlessly.
I believe some 34's have sail-drives, but I've never seen one. My engine, in the main cabin makes it's presence felt down below, but is fairly accessible, esp. the back end.
They seem well built, mine was moulded by Aquafibre, as were most in the UK. She is 46 years old and, fingers crossed, no structural issues yet.
If you really want one, AFAIK they're still available as new-build in Mk.2 form.
Should add, they have the usual keel-stepped mast syndrome of permanently wet bilges, if kept in Scotland anyway!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, all good to hear. While I'm looking to go a bit faster than I have hitherto, I'm not looking to start any hardcore racing. Yet. :)
 
sarabande said:
yes, the S&S34 was Heath's first venture into big boats, after trying out RORC racing with my owner Maurice Laing. The skipper was always generous to his crew in terms of provisioning, and as we broke open the chilled container for day 2, containing steak rolls and sparkling wine, Heath muttered something about being barely able to accept the "privations of this ocean racing game". He never looked back from owning MC, and was a very focused and determined competitor.


EDIT

The name Morning Cloud was a dig at another boat being built at the same yard, to be called Morning After. Heath always said it was a reference to a phrase in Psalms, about a cloud disappearing like smoke to the horizon..
Click to expand...

What a great story :) Am now planning on putting steak sandwiches and sparkling wine on the list of sailing grub...
 
sarabande said:
The name Morning Cloud was a dig at another boat being built at the same yard, to be called Morning After. Heath always said it was a reference to a phrase in Psalms, about a cloud disappearing like smoke to the horizon..
Click to expand...

'Morning After' is, I think, currently moored in the Granville Dock at Dover.
 
If you briefed a yacht designer to produce a modern take on the S&S 34 then I think the only design fault to resolve is the stern profile. With 40 years of yacht design advances to factor into a theoretical S&S 34 v2016 and free of 1970's race rull cheating then I believe the stern profile would be broadened to provide more hull form stability when sailing downwind. An S&S 34 is not the best design for a blue water round the world cruise with loads of downwind sailing, in other respects there is plenty to like. Many designs of this era suffered from undersized rudders and poor chainplate design.
 
That is exactly what somebody did on a similar (but larger) S&S Swan last year. Reprofiled the aft end to give more buoyancy, wider stern and a decent rudder. Was written up in one of the mags (YW?).
 
Interesting thread- there are a few similarities between the 34 and my own S&S designed boat.
The engine and the water tankage are all low down in the saloon. We certainly find this contributes to a seakindly motion. I have heard of people moving the engine to a more conventional locatin (via saildrive) but why sacrifice the fantastic access and the as-designed weight distribution?
 
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