Pearson 34
There are two versions of the Pearson 34, the 34 and the 34-2. There aren't many of the 34-2's around, but there are quite of few of the 34's.
The 34's were made from 1983 to 1986 and I think the 34-2's from 1989 until Pearson closed in 90/91. I would pick a older 34 over a newer 34-2.
For some design and literature, look at
Pearson Information site, for probably the best info on them as far as design and brochure stuff. That being said, the 34 model came in several keel shapes, wing, CB, and Fin. The fin model has a draft of 5' 11 iches, while the others are less, The rudder is a spade rudder and there were problems with them delaminating from the post in the original 34. Probably all of these issues would have been addressed by now. The 34-2 only has a winged keel
The 34 is nicely laid out below with the traditional layout (head forward), while the 34-2 head aft. Definitely could be a live aboard for one, two tight, but not much more. Headroom is great for a boat this size, well over 6' 3".
Sailing wise, the fin keel version has a PHRF rating of 150 ish, which is decent, but not speedy. The other keels won't point as high. The hull is solid core, as are nearly all Pearson's, and the deck core with balsa. Deck joint is both bolted and glassed. The boat is beamy for a 34 foot at 11' 2", but it still sails well.
The boat is an all around coastal cruiser and does that well, mild offshore stuff is probably ok, but the spade rudder would be an issue in heavy seas. All that said, it's a solid boat.
The beauty of the P34 is its cockpit, 9' of luxury for a nice cocktail cruise. The helm is aft in the cockpit, but the traveler is on the coach roof, which makes singlehanding a little less easy.
I almost bought a P34, but ended up with a Pearson 10M instead. The one thing that always nagged at me with the P34 was that I thought it was underpowered. Many were delivered with Universal Diesels rated at 16 HP. For a boat that displaces 11,500 lbs, I would think that at least 22 hp would be needed. The 16 HP motor will get you in and out of the harbor, but if you have to buck a strong current or head into strong wind or seas, the motor maybe underpowered. My boat is 13,500 lbs and it has a 27 Hp Yanmar. There have been times when I needed everyone of the horses with my 2 bladed prop.
Depending on what you are looking for in a boat, the P34 could be it. If you are looking to go offshore, rethink your choice. If you are looking for solid built all around boat that does everything well, but nothing really great, the P34 is a decent choice. That last statement is not a knock on the boat as I look at it as a jack-of-all trades boat.
DrB