1981 Sabre sloop

V-berth with insert, ample storage and large opening hatch forward. Next aft starboard is head with vanity, sink and wand shower, large hanging locker across to port.

Continue aft to salon with setees port and starboard with bulkhead towed folding dinette on starboard. Far aft port side is nav table and quarter berth, centerline companionway and galley starboard.

Note interior is beautifully crafted in teak, 6'3 headroom, new Lewmar hatches (2009), solid teak & holly sole.

Hot/cold pressure water with deep double stainless steel sinks with one touch faucet and manual foot pump, stainless steel two burner Gas Systems CNG stove with oven, top loading deep icebox with Norcold AC/DC refrigeration. Manual pump head (2004, replaced all head plumbing at same time).

110V AC / 12V DC.

Ritchie magnetic compass

Aluminum keel-stepped mast with single spreaders and 1x19 stainless steel standing rigging.

Hand-laid fiberglass cloth and resin hull with substantial fiberglass encapsulated longitudinal and athwartship structural support. The deck and hull are through bolted on an inward flange and structural knees and bulkheads are securely attached. with fin keel and semi-skeg rudder. Fin keel, semi-skeg-hung rudder.

Heavy duty stainless steel stanchions with double lifelines (replaced in 2009), stainless steel bow and stern pulpits, stainless steel folding swim ladder.

Fresh water cooled 27 hp Westerbeke diesel engine.

Can you remember when someone who was 35 was old or when the $18 per hour labor rate at the local boat yard seemed an outrageous sum? Well, if you can, I’d like to say you’re a lot older than I am, but the truth is I can remember all too well.

I was once again reminded of how our perceptions change with time when I was researching this month’s review and ran across a 1978 advertisement for the Saber 34 that extolled her wide beam as one of the features setting her apart from her competition. By current standards, the 10’ 6" beam of the Sabre 34 would be considered moderate by most and narrow by some.

The Sabre design team, headed by the company’s founder Roger Hewson, was responsible for the Sabre 34. The model was introduced in 1977 at a time when it was common to blend in elements of IOR design though there was likely never any serious intention of creating a design that would seriously compete under the rule. The 34’s hull shape clearly suggests an IOR influence however, without the extremes of the flat out racers of the day. The original Sabre 34 measured 33’ 8" LOA, with a 10’ 6" beam, 5’ 6" draft and an approximate displacement of 11,300 lbs. A shoal draft centerboard version was also offered drawing 3’ 11" board up. The design remained in production until 1984. In 1985, Sabre introduced a considerably modified 34. In fact, every principal dimension was changed as well as significant interior modifications and it isn’t possible to compare post-1984 Sabre 34s to the earlier models.

From the first Sabre Yacht I ever saw in the early 1970s, I was impressed with the company’s quality of construction and attention to detail. The hull of the Sabre 34 is constructed of hand-laid fiberglass cloth and resin with substantial fiberglass encapsulated longitudinal and athwartship structural support. The deck and hull are through bolted on an inward flange and structural knees and bulkheads are securely attached.

Cabinet and joiner work is among the best to be found on any production built boat. Access for inspection is generally good through the boat and it is rare to find any significant structural concerns.

The accommodations of the Sabre 34 are right out of Yacht Design-101. The layout features a V-berth cabin forward followed by a port side head and starboard side lockers, port and starboard settees in the main saloon with a table that folds up against the forward bulkhead. Aft there is a U-shaped galley opposed by a navigation table and quarter berth. The navigation station and galley may be reversed depending on the year of production. This layout is traditional, utilizes available space well, is functional and is just plain tough to beat on a boat of this size.

The Sabre 34 performs well on all points of sail and under nearly all conditions, she has taken home her fair share of silver in club racing and is stout and comfortable enough to consider for offshore pasagemaking.

Two numbers that are commonly used to evaluate sailing performance are displacement to length ratio (D/L) and sail area to displacement ratio (SA/D). Again, by today’s standard, the Sabre 34’s numbers 279 and 16.1 respectively, are conservative. However, when compared against a relatively large sample of 50 boats between 33.5 and 34.5 feet LOA, these numbers are not far from the average, which, for my 50-boat sample, indicated a D/L of 257 and SA/D of 17.2.

Another performance number that’s interesting to consider for cruising boats is what its creator, Ted Brewer, has dubbed the comfort ratio. This number results from a formula that compares the length overall, length at the waterline, the beam and the displacement and is intended to represent a boats expected motion in a seaway. A larger number generally suggest a boat with a slower less violent motion and therefore more comfortable. The Sabre 34’s comfort ratio is 27. Comparing this to my 50-boat sample shows the Sabre to be slightly above the average of 25.4. This is not high enough to suggest sluggish performance. For comparison, the highest comfort ratio in my sample was the Hans Christian 34 with a ratio of 38 and the lowest was the J-105 with a ratio of 15.

Some early model 34s were powered by Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engines. After the first year of production only Volvo or Westerbeke diesel engines were standard equipment. All provide adequate power and reliability when properly maintained although the two-cylinder Volvo engines are louder with more vibration than the  Westerbeke models.

The Sabre 34 is a traditionally styled, solidly constructed, good performing boat that should retain her value well when properly maintained.

Review by naval architect Jack Horner in Sail magazine