Hi;
I have had my Coast 34 Ka'sala for two years now and prior to that lived on and cruised a Brewer 44...
Every boat built is a compromise and every sailor has an opinion. We were looking for a traditional style cruiser for two and had not considered that a boat less than 36-40 would do for us until we saw the Coast 34. We considered Hallie along with a couple of others available in the fall of 08 but struck a deal on Ka'sala before we had the chance to see Hallie. I was not expecting the Coast 34 to be a good light air boat but was pleasantly surprised. We can do 5 kts beating in 10 kts of
wind with out trying too hard and with her drifter she manages half the apparent right up to a reach. Kasala is quite (actually very) stiff and carries her working
sails (115 yankee and main) up to 20 kts without too much
weather helm. She is light on the
helm and quite well balanced on all points of sail. She does not point as high as I would like Tacks are 100+ degrees) and that is due in part to the beam and wide sheeting angle of the headsail. She actually points higher in stronger winds with the stays'l and reefed main due to the tighter sheeting of the stays'l (inside the shrouds). Sea state is more of a consideration in my experience with this boat and she gets knocked off the
wind well before she stops pulling. In the two seasons we have sailed her we have been out in two full gales and confirmed that she maintains her balance in a moderate sea with a tendency to fall off while running which the
Monitor was more than capable of handling. While hand
steering, the yaw in following seas was benign and much less challenging than the fin keel/spade
rudder boats I have raced on.
Bear in mind that the Coasts were all more or less custom finished (either by the yard or the owner) and individual boats may have different sail plans.
Ka'sala was cruised for twelve years by her previous owners (thanks Peter and Marlene) and experienced a variety of off shore conditions. There were no signs of structural damage during the
survey and since owning her I have exposed large sections of her
interior and the
layup I have seen is very high standard with uniform thickness and no signs of voids or bubbles - Iwish I could say the same of other boats I have seen. After a dozen years in warm
salt water there was no sign of any hull
blisters.
The
engine installation has been problematic. The space allocated for the
engine is compact and very close to the shaft log and the original speck was for a 30 HP auxiliary which, in the experience of other Coast 34 owners I have talked to, is adequate but only just (remember this is a ten ton boat) Ka'sala's owners opted for a sturdier 37 hp
Yanmar which required reverse mounting and a vee drive arrangement which, when combined with the soft Yanmar engine mounts, makes for sympathetic vibes, at various points in the
power band. So expect to be under powered - or shaken not stirred.
You probably have your own opinions based on what you have seen on her accommodations, so I will keep mine to myself.
So, that is one Coast 34. For more information try Googling Angelique or Ladybug both of which are (were) cruising in
Mexico last time I checked. Good point on the owner's site - might have to do something about that someday.
Hopefully this helps. If you have any specific questions I might help with - fire away.
Doug.