BoatsPeterson 34

Peterson 34

Masthead Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · 1976–1981

A Doug Peterson-designed IOR racer built to bridge the gap below the One Ton class with a stiff, performance-oriented hull

Designed by Doug Peterson, built by Island Packet Yachts.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

See her sail

The Peterson 34, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from 59° North Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 22 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 22
CoastalBluewater

2.04 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.04
LightHeavy

214 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 214
EasygoingPowered-up

19.1 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 19.1
TenderStiff

47% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 47%

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

What the fleet has seen

The Peterson 34, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Peterson 34 is a Masthead Sloop designed by Doug Peterson and built between 1976 and 1981, intended as a 7/8 Tonner under the IOR rule. It features a fin keel with a spade rudder, measures 10.3 meters LOA, has a 3.4-meter beam, a 1.9-meter draft, and displaces 4898 kg. Some boats of this design were built in Argentina. Aboard 59° North Sailing, Wendy Mitman-Clark and her husband returned to their original Peterson 34 after selling a larger cruising vessel, highlighting the boat's role as a stable home base after extensive voyaging.5:01

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
47.2%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
19.1
Displacement / length
213.9
Comfort ratio
22.2
Capsize screening
2.04
Hull speed
7.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1136
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1976–1981
Units built
91
Designer
Doug Peterson
Builder
Island Packet Yachts, Composite Technologies, Plastrend

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Hunter Marine 34010.29 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA B&R rigged cruiser featuring a shoal-draft fin keel and spade rudder, designed for stable and efficient coastal sailing
Best Sailboats For Sale In Florida - Ep 276 - Lady K Sailing1:00from Lady K Sailing
Hallberg-Rassy 34210.32 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed fractional sloop balancing a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio with Hallberg-Rassy comfort
Truls Berger sails from Son with the class with everything on0:46from SEILmagasinet
X-Yachts X-3410.36 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Niels Jeppesen-designed fractional sloop balancing performance and comfort with a stiff, bulb-keeled hull
Sailing Insights: Sigmund Hertzberg on the Massive Success of Race to the Arctic3:10from SEILmagasinet
Seidelmann Yachts 3410.36 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1981 masthead sloop with a 45% ballast ratio, balancing a light-displacement hull with a deep 1.65-meter fin keel
Luisa is (finally) getting her boat license! ⛵️ Passed the test?? 😬0:01from Eternal Sailing
Beneteau 33110.34 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 10.34-meter masthead sloop featuring a fin-and-bulb keel and a balanced displacement for coastal cruising
La Palma - El Hierro9:55from Velero Regina
Jeanneau 34.210.29 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Jacques Fauroux-designed masthead sloop widely favored for Mediterranean and Aegean charter fleets
The Truth About Below Deck with Capt. Glenn Shephard11:07from The Sailing Doodles Podcast

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Peterson 38A performance-oriented masthead sloop with a 48% ballast ratio and a deep fin keel for competitive upwind trackingPeterson 37A Doug Peterson-designed masthead sloop with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio built for performancePeterson 25 1/4 TonA Doug Peterson-designed masthead sloop built for the International 1/4 Ton Cup and produced globally in numerous variantsNy 40 (Peterson)A specialized offshore one-design racer featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, commissioned specifically for New York Yacht ClubShow 34A Doug Peterson-designed IOR 3/4 ton racer that proved its pedigree with a top-five finish at the 1974 3/4 Ton Cup

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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