Hunter 34
Built 1983–1987 by Hunter Marine
About the Hunter 34
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1983–1987
- Builder
- Hunter Marine
- Designer
- Cortland Steck
- Length
- 34.42 ft
- Waterline
- 28.25 ft
- Beam
- 11.58 ft
- Draft
- 5.5 ft
- Displacement
- 11,820 lb
- Ballast
- 5,000 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass
- Hull / keel
- fin keel
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 25 gal
- Water
- 65 gal
- Stern thruster
- none
B&R rig (swept spreaders, no backstay). Fin keel with spade rudder, 5.5 ft; shoal keel 4.25 ft with about 220 lb more ballast. PS says 1985 boats carry about 450 lb more ballast than 1983 boats, and it calls the boat tender and prone to weather helm. Over 800 were built in just over three years (PS); replaced by the Legend 35. Tri-cabin layout. Galley was specified with a kerosene stove, later alcohol. PS says over 800 were built and calls it a single-skin (uncored) hull with a molded liner.
Known problems for this model
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Undersized original rudder cracking steering
Several early boats had the original rudder crack; Hunter replaced it with a larger high-performance rudder, which was standard on 1984-85 boats. Check which rudder is fitted.practical-sailor.com
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B&R rig with no backstay or inner stay rigging
The swept-spreader B&R rig is hard to tune. With no forward lowers, baby stay or inner forestay, a headstay failure can bring the mast down, and one owner lost the rig this way.practical-sailor.com
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Rusting iron keel and keel seam hull
The iron keel rusts, and the keel-to-hull seam can open up and let in salt water, which PS thinks may become structural over time.practical-sailor.com
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Deck molding flaws and weak lids deck
Owners reported gelcoat voids and blisters, one case of cockpit skin separating from the core, slippery molded nonskid, and locker and anchor-well lids that crack.practical-sailor.com
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Deck-stepped mast step leak and damage deck
One owner described mast step leaks and damage, which is a known issue on the H34. The previous owner had repaired it with an aluminum beam and epoxy.cruisersforum.com
4 more
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Liner traps stuffing-box water hull
The first small Hunter with a molded hull liner; stuffing-box leaks can collect between hull and liner rather than draining to the bilge.practical-sailor.com
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Early Yanmar vibration and raw-water cooling engine
Some early Yanmars had vibration problems, and some lacked freshwater cooling. For salt water, confirm the engine is freshwater cooled.practical-sailor.com
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Holding tank odor plumbing
Owners report a smelly holding tank system that PS blames on porous hose and a poor vent design.practical-sailor.com
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Hull-deck joint bolts not torqued other
Owners reported QC problems: chafed hoses, bad system hookups and leaking ports and hatches. One found hull-deck joint bolts that had never been tightened.practical-sailor.com
Engines & parts
Yanmar 3GM / 3GM30F parts: good
Factory standard engine — you entered “Yanmar 3GM”
Very popular (used 3GM30Fs sell for $3,000+) and supported by a strong parts network. Cylinder head overhauls (valve seals, lapping, injector service) are a common, parts-supported repair.
Parts sources: Mack Boring & Parts (Yanmar distributor), HDI Marine (stainless exhaust elbows), Parts4Engines
Common problems (2)
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Overheating at cruise rpm cooling
The 3GM30F has a known overheating tendency linked to its heat exchanger; owners also trace it to coked elbows, worn impellers, scaled heat exchangers or air in the raw water circuit. Some heat exchangers were replaced under warranty.forums.sailboatowners.com
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Mixing elbow corrosion exhaust
OEM elbows corrode internally and should be inspected or replaced with stainless versions before they let water into the engine.practical-sailor.com · facebook.com
Model sources (4)
sailboatdata.com · practical-sailor.com · cruisersforum.com · forums.sailboatowners.com
Other Hunter models
- Hunter 27 1975–1984
- Hunter 30 1973–1983
- Hunter 33 1977–?
- Hunter 336 1995–?
- Hunter 356 2000–?
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.