Sadler 34

Rupert Holmes looks at one of the most desirable cruising yachts of the Sadler era, as well as some alternative boats

- By Rupert Holmes

During the 1970s and 1980s, Sadler Yachts was one of the UK's best-known boatbuilders, producing a range of serious sea boats that remain popular as cruising yachts today.

In a sense, the firm grew out of the success of the David Sadler-designed long keel Contessa 26 from 1966 and the Contessa 32 of 1970.

Sadler's son Martin subsequently founded his own yard in which the Sadler 25, also designed by his father, was built. This was followed by the Sadler 32 in 1979. In many respects, this was a considerably updated Contessa 32, with more freeboard and accommodation volume, but still with good performance and sailing qualities. The latter was proven in the 1979 Fastnet Race storm, which the boat survived without requiring outside assistance. However, the one-design racing format that helped confer something of a cult status for the Contessa was missing.

Then the Sadler 29 and Sadler 26 updated the concept, with broader transoms than the Sadler 32 and decent accommodation for their length by the standards of the era.

They also introduced an unusual, but appealing, element–both boats were unsinkable thanks to a considerable volume of closed-cell foam sandwiched between the hull and an inner moulding. This also provided excellent thermal and acoustic insulation, making the boats more comfortable than many.

When it came to replacing the 32, Martin Sadler created the Sadler 34, which made its debut in 1984. As one of the Poole-based yard's later models, it was widely seen in the UK as one of the most desirable and capable cruising yachts of its era.