Review of Omega 34

Omega 34 anno 1984.

Basic specs.

The Omega 34 is a sailboat designed by the New Zealander maritime architect Ron Holland in the early eighties. The Omega 34 is built by the Swedish yard Svenska Familjebåtar AB.

Looking for a new boat? Find a Omega 34 or similar boat for sale

Hull

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
The deck is a double deck which improves the indoor climate.

Interior

Interior of Omega 34 anno 1984.

The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.
The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 6 berths, a galley, toilet facility and 60 liter waste water capacity.
Note: the boat has also been sold to be self-made/-interiored, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.

Rig

Rig of Omega 34 anno 1986. Billedet er en skannet AutoCad tegning. (hjemmelavet)

The boat equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a genaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Engine

Omega 34 is typically equipped with an inboard Yanmar diesel engine at 15.0 hp (11 kW), which gives a max speed about 4.8 knots.

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenence than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.

The fuel tank which is made of stainless steel has a capacity of 50 liters (13 US gallons, 10 imperial gallons).

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Omega 34 is 1.83, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.1 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Omega 34 is about 170 kg/cm, alternatively 956 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 170 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 956 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Omega 34 is 24.4.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 42% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Omega 34 is 3.43.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 73% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more speedy hull design.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Omega 34 is 204 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

69% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Omega 34 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 18.7, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 21.6.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 76% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Omega 34 is 38

The relative speed performance is 38 which means that a it is faster than 38% of all similar sailboat designs.

Maintenance

Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	33.3 m	(109.3 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	33.3 m	(109.3 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	33.3 m	(109.3 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib sheet	10.3 m	(33.8 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Genoa sheet	10.3 m	(33.8 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Mainsheet	25.8 m	(84.5 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	22.7 m	(74.3 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Cunningham	4.3 m	(14.3 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Kickingstrap	8.7 m	(28.5 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Clew-outhaul	8.7 m	(28.5 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Omega 34 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.