Review of UFO 34
Basic specs.
Looking for a new boat? Find an UFO 34 or similar boat for sale
The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
Note: the boat has also been sold to be self-made/-interiored, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.
The UFO 34 is equipped with a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.
Unknown keel type
The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated.
The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.88 - 1.98 meter (6.17 - 6.47 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
UFO 34 may be equipped with an inboard Thornycroft T90 diesel engine at 35 hp (26 kW). Calculated max speed is about 7.2 knots
Sailing characteristics
This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for UFO 34 is 2.01, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.
What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?
The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.1 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level.
The immersion rate for UFO 34 is about 194 kg/cm, alternatively 1087 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 194 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 1087 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.
Sailing statistics
This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.
What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?
The Motion Comfort Ratio for UFO 34 is 22.0.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for UFO 34 is 3.10.
The ballast ratio for UFO 34 is 52%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for UFO 34 is 210 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for UFO 34 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.4, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 19.8.
What is Relative Speed Performance?
The Relative Speed Performance for UFO 34 is 38
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 34m2 (365 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.
Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.
Dimensions of sail for masthead rig.
Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale
If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Mainsail halyard | 30.5 m | (100.0 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 30.5 m | (100.0 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 30.5 m | (100.0 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 10.4 m | (34.3 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 10.4 m | (34.3 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 26.1 m | (85.6 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 23.0 m | (75.4 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Cunningham | 3.2 m | (10.6 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 6.5 m | (21.2 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 6.5 m | (21.2 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.
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