VANCOUVER 34 CLASSIC
Duncan Kent looks at the enduring appeal of this versatile yacht which is suitable for blue water as well as coastal cruising
The Vancouver 34 Classic is one of a range of highly sought-after ocean cruising yachts built by Northshore Yachts between 1991-2012.
Initially designed as a 32-footer in 1979 by Robert Harris, she was later stretched to 34ft LOA in order to increase her waterline length and to enlarge the cockpit enough to enable wheel steering to be fitted. Around 120 of the Classic model were built in total.
DECKED OUT
The hull and deck were generously laid-up by hand using bi-directional mat with waterproof (Isopthalic) resin and substantially reinforced all around her long, encapsulated keel, the foot of which extends aft to provide support for the lower rudder pintle. This design helps keep ropes and debris away from the prop, while a cutaway forward helps speed up tacking and improve manoeuvrability under power.
Her topsides and deck are sandwiched with end-grain balsa for insulation and weight reduction, and the hull deck join is both throughbolted and bonded over for watertight integrity.
Being a little pinched at her stern means the cockpit is relatively narrow, but a cut-away around the wheel improves the helmsman’s access forward. A pronounced helm seat hump offers support when heeled and the binnacle has a sturdy grab rail.
She’s not the easiest to single-hand because the primary winches are a little far forward from the helm, the mainsheet track runs along the bridge deck and the staysail sheets are on the coachroof, so a good autopilot is essential.
Access along the side decks is slightly restricted due to three chainplates and a headsail track each side, but the coachroof handrails are excellent. Treadmaster was the standard non-slip covering and her attractive raised bulwark with integral scuppers works well.
Her foredeck is uncluttered, except for the inner forestay, and the anchor chain is fed below decks. She has twin bow rollers and her cleats and other deck gear are good quality and generously proportioned. A masthead cutter rig was standard, with a deck-stepped, twin spreader Seldén mast. She has twin lower shrouds, the aft pair set well back to eliminate the need for running backstays. Roller furling was standard on the yankee, but not on the staysail, although a self-tacking option was available.
As standard the reefing lines terminate at the mast, although full battens with singleline reefing, lazyjacks and a zipped sail bag were also optional, as was in-mast furling.
Her attractive, woody interior feels warm
and cosy, whilst top quality materials and craftsmanship has ensured the woodwork a long life. She has a raised coachroof for the first couple of metres, giving 1.88m/6ft 2in headroom in the galley and nav areas. Forward of this the sole drops a few inches to enable continued standing headroom throughout the saloon.
The layout is traditional and straightforward, though dimensionally conservative. Beside the companionway steps is a narrow oilies locker. Uprights on the half-bulkheads forward of the galley and chart table, plus a stout rail all around the saloon, both provide excellent handholds going forward at sea.
The saloon seating is comfortable and, despite the relatively narrow beam, quite spacious. The port settee is straight and 1.96m/6ft 5in long, whereas the U-shaped settee to starboard can become a 1.0m/3ft 3in-wide double berth by dropping the saloon table. Despite an abundance of teak, the white deck head brightens it up and all ports open for ventilation. Stowage is good, with plenty of room under and behind the settees, and in lockers and shelves above. The freshwater tank is over the keel, where it should be.
Forward of the saloon is a short corridor, offset to port, containing a large clothes locker. Opposite, the heads is sizeable for a 34-footer and has a GRP moulding up to basin level. The aft-facing toilet has a shower seat over and is almost on the centreline. There is stowage under and above the sink and pressurised hot water was standard. A cowl vent and opening port keep it well ventilated.
HEAD SPACE
She has no aft cabin, only a single 0.68m/2ft 3in-wide quarter berth. The forecabin is, however, quite spacious and headroom still 1.88m/6ft 2in under the large forehatch. There’s also plenty of standing room with the infill removed, a large hanging locker and a small desk/vanity unit, plus a deep shelf around the bunk. Beneath the berth is additional stowage and room for a holding tank.
Her galley is L-shaped, well-appointed and large enough to prepare and cook for a crew of four, although work surface is minimal without the cooker and sink covers in place. There’s plenty of food and crockery stowage above, plus a cutlery drawer and pan locker beneath the worktop.
Opposite is a large, forward-facing chart table with bags of instrument/book stowage
all around. The seat backrest is removable to extend the quarter berth to 2.28m/7ft 6in.
On deck, her cockpit is small, in today’s terms, so more than three working crew can cause congestion. However, at anchor there’s room for four to sit around the cockpit table.
Deck stowage is generous, with three sizeable cockpit lockers. One is full depth, the other two shallower, but still spacious. The two gas lockers (one for a spare cannister) both drain overboard.
Her ground tackle is easy to deploy, although she can suffer from ‘chain piling’ when retrieving a lot of cable, which can often require going below to tip the pile with a stick. Fairleads and cleats are all stout and solidly mounted.
Under sail her steering is light and positive, though it gets heavier if overcanvassed. She tracks well, thanks to her long keel, but tacking can be a bit slow. This is not entirely due to the turning resistance of her keel, but also because of the need to haul the yankee around the inner forestay.
As a cutter, she trims well and the slot between the headsail is easy to fine-tune. While she can just point up to around 35º off the apparent wind, she’s a lot happier and quicker 50º off, when 7 knots plus is easily achievable in 15-18 knots of true wind.
Off the wind, as with all cutters, you have to mind the staysail doesn’t become shadowed by the mainsail. With the wind on her quarter or dead astern it’s easier to roll away the staysail to stop it flapping about, or simply gybe down your course.
PLAIN SAILING
The Vancouver 34 easy on the helm and effortless to keep on course. In fact, once the sails are correctly balanced, she’ll virtually sail herself, which is handy as not everything is within reach of the helm, including the mainsheet. A good autopilot, though, will alleviate the problem.
Although likely to have been replaced by now, her original 27hp (37hp option) Yanmar freshwater-cooled marine diesel has plenty of power and in reasonably flat water with a clean bottom she’ll easily cruise at 5.5 knots at 2,400rpm, reaching 7 knots at full revs.
Access to the engine is reasonable from the front, by removing the steps, but not so easy from the sides, where the panels are in lockers, limiting both light and movement. The fuel tank is behind the engine, but the filter is just about accessible from the front. Vancouver Owner’s Association:
www.vancouveryachtsassociation.org.uk