VICTORIA 34
PRICE £40,000-£80,000 YEAR 1986-1999
In 1985, after the success of Paine’s earlier Francis/morris double-ender designs, the Victoria 26 and 30, it was decided to create a completely new larger cruiser with a transom for the UK market, which soon became the Victoria 34.
She was a pretty yacht with a low, sleek coachroof that hinted at one of Paine’s other famous designs, the Bowman. Built to Lloyds’ specifications, their hulls were handlaid up in solid GRP, only the decks having a balsa core. She had a shallow but long-ish fin keel, a stout skeg-hung rudder, enclosed prop and a relatively conservative masthead sloop sail plan with small mainsail and powerful 140% furling genoa.
Below, she is very traditional with a seamanlike layout and plenty of warm wood. She sleeps five – two forward, two in the saloon and one quarterberth, or eight with pipecots and saloon dinette double.
The heads, forward of the saloon, is roomy enough for easy showering and enclosed from the rest of the boat. The galley is very good – well appointed with very large fridge – and there’s a proper, forward-facing nav station at the head of the quarterberth.
On deck the cockpit is deep and secure with a keyhole around the wheel and high coamings to keep any water out. Tiller or wheel steering was offered and all sail control lines led aft.
Her side decks are wide and uncluttered, handholds are excellent and the foredeck business-like with very chunky deck fittings.
Like all these classic-style cruising yachts, the Victorias were powerful and dogged sailing craft – not the quickest, but certainly very able to take the crew through even the most extreme sea conditions safely and comfortably.
In fact, so robustly built and durable was the V34 that the British Army ended up purchasing a fleet of them for their sail training activities, many of which are still doing service as such.