input on an Aloha 34

[jpvb59]

Hi;

This summer I've been looking for a nice cruiser for the gulf islands of BC and possibly further north. I like the Aloha 34 but am having trouble finding much feedback on her. I'm looking for reasonable speed, good in low and high winds, comfortable interior, big sized double berth in the cabin, headroom > 6'1", comfortable cockpit, maneuverable at low speed for docking.... I have limited experience so something forgiving is also a must. I've looked at Cat 30's but it seems a little light and a cooper pilothouse 353 seems a little heavy.

Any input would be welcome.

Thx

Pete

[RTB]

Don 1500 should be able to help you out. It is for sale at the moment, but has a pretty nice history -

Cruisers & Sailing Forums - View Profile: Don1500

Ralph

[gonesail]

they are 30 year old old boats .. lots of systems will be either failing or already failed like motors tanks rigging and hulls. but i guess you already knew that.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Pete.

[jlrubin83]

Both myself and my brother own Catalina 30's. They are fairly hard to beat for the money and are available for almost any budget. The earlier comment is true, 30 year old boats require work, mine is a 1997 and I'm always working on it. Catalina is still in business, parts are plentiful, they have more interior space than most 35 footers. They are relatively fast, lots are available, pretty hard to beat. I would not go offshore with it but as a coastal cruiser it's hard to beat. If you want a little more below you buy one with a fin keel. We live in shallow water so we have a wing. There is also a great national assoc to help��

[VinnyVincent]

Originally Posted by jlrubin83

Both myself and my brother own Catalina 30's. They are fairly hard to beat for the money and are available for almost any budget. The earlier comment is true, 30 year old boats require work, mine is a 1997 and I'm always working on it. Catalina is still in business, parts are plentiful, they have more interior space than most 35 footers. They are relatively fast, lots are available, pretty hard to beat. I would not go offshore with it but as a coastal cruiser it's hard to beat. If you want a little more below you buy one with a fin keel. We live in shallow water so we have a wing. There is also a great national assoc to help��

I did a lot of research on them and I really liked the cat. 30. I was going to buy one when I was in the market, but I had a really hard time finding a decent deal on one.
I may eventually upgrade to one, but I'm not sure. I want to see how they sail.

[Kelsea]

KELSEA is an Aloha 34. She has a shoal draft 4'6". The standard keel is 5'6" which is still O.K. for most of the Caribbean. Solid (very solid) fiberglass hull. cored deck so like any 30 year old, you need to check moisture there. I have sailed her offshore, she's stronger than I am. I lived onboard for 2 years full time and now about 20 weeks per year. Singlehanded her from Canada (Great Lakes) to Belize. Never has the boat's integrity been an issue. Ted Brewer design. Fin keel, skeg hung rudder. All berths are 6'4" long and a respectable width. I'm 6'2". The V-berth fits my 5'5" partner and me without ever bumping into each other (unintentionally). Tons of storage.
I sailed a Catalina 25 for 15 years while raising a family. The 30 is a good Catalina and was on my list to move up but it can't hold a candle to the Aloha. I wouldn't even take a Catalina 36 over my boat.
Alohas were built by the Ouyang Boatworks in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. The guys behind it were a spinoff from the Whitby boatworks that built the Whitby 42 and all of Carl Arlberg's classics (22-37). Excellent heritage.
The helm is beautifully balanced. Reefing is nice over 15 knots and double reef at 20 knots. Very comfortable. I won our local regatta this year with a double reefed main and 150% Genny in 20-25 (30 gusts) knots of wind. She just thunders through it. It's a big, little boat.
30 year olds do need attention. I spent 8 years refurbishing before I ventured far. Of note, I replaced the leaking aluminum fuel tank which split a seam, and the exhaust water trap, all standing rigging with Haynes Hi-Mod do it yourself, furling, sails, bigger, self tailing primary winches, port windows, etc. A 30 year old boat needs everything so pay attention to what has been done by the previous owner. In today's market you don't actually pay for all the upgrades that have been done. I'd be happy to share any other info you might want on the Aloha 34 if you can figure out how to private message me.

[Kelsea]

I should add that my Aloha 34 has a 21 hp auxillary Westerbeke which is not original. It was replaced just before I bought her. I wish the engine was a tad bigger, like 27 hp. Also, the engine is offset so she only likes to reverse to port. The 6'4" headroom is throughout the boat, even into the v-berth.

[alansmith]

Jp, saw half a dozen Aloha 34s for sale on yachting world...most of them under 35 K. Several up in B.C....I can see why u like them. Nice boat.