31 and 34 (Posting here as well as Big Boats)

[Richard]

(This is a repost from the Big Boats forum, I hope you don't mind the duplicate, I'm not sure that H31 interested parties would see the post there. Several of you have been very helpful with info during my H31 search, and thank you..)Greetings,I have been looking for several months for a Hunter 31 with no great luck. I have stumbled across an H34 that I can afford... I really like the boat layout, cockpit size compared to 31, foreward berth, etc. There seem to be far fewer than the H31. I've had the benefit of sailing the H31 quite extensively, but never the H34.I will be lake sailing the boat on Lake Travis in Austin Texas. I'm a weekend cruiser, enjoy beer can races... that helps describe the mode I'm in. I've been known to (gulp) tow a jet ski to keep the teenagers happy on a long weekend. I just moved here from 5 years of active sailing on the SF Bay.Can I impose on you to tell me your opinions of the 34 vs the 31? Is this a slam dunk, i.e., I can afford the bigger boat so go for it? I realize that slip costs increase a bit, mainsail/headsails cost more, bottom jobs, etc. I'm just wondering if the sailing characteristics are wildly different, increased draft of about 1' a problem, ? Just wondering what I might be missing. Thanks,-Richard

 

[Daryl]

H34 / h31

The h31 and h34 are very similiar vessels with the same strengths and weaknesses. I owned an h34 for ten years and it performs quite a bit betterthan the h31. This can be verified by the PHRF handicap ratings. You get a lot of boat for the money and they perform better than most cruisers in that size range. I stumbled in to the 34 while looking for a boat with 6'3" heardroom and a diesel for under $30k. The boat is easy to single hand, all lines lead to the cockpit, good layout and they sell easy when priced correctly.Thre down side is the iron keel, compression post design problems, cabin and deck leaks and the rudder design is poor so many fail.Overall it's a good value if you don't mind doing some upgrades yourself. I'm you are not handy and rather write checks to maintain your boat I'd suggest you keep looking