Review of Larsen 34
Basic specs.
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Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
The hull is a double hull which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.
The deck is a double deck which improves the indoor climate.
The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.
The boat is equipped with 2 cabins, 5 berths, a galley, 65.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.
Note: the boat has also been sold to be self-made/-interiored, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.
The Larsen 34 is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.
Fin keel
The Larsen 34 is equipped with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.
The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.
Larsen 34 can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.63 - 1.73 meter (5.35 - 5.65 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
The boat may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar diesel engine at 9 hp (6 kW). The speed is 7.5 knots.
The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.
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 Larsen 34 is 1.67, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - 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 7.3 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 Larsen 34 is about 161 kg/cm, alternatively 902 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 161 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 902 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 Larsen 34 is 24.5.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Larsen 34 is 3.95.
The ballast ratio for Larsen 34 is 39%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for Larsen 34 is 145 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.
What is Relative Speed Performance?
The Relative Speed Performance for Larsen 34 is 76
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 29m2 (312 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 fractional 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 | 29.6 m | (96.9 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 29.6 m | (96.9 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 29.6 m | (96.9 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 10.4 m | (34.1 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 10.4 m | (34.1 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 26.0 m | (85.3 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 22.9 m | (75.1 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Cunningham | 3.7 m | (12.1 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 7.4 m | (24.3 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 7.4 m | (24.3 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
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