[TSOJOURNER]

I am considering a larger, newer boat. Any opinions on the Sabre, particularly the 34'' models would be appreciated. I think that they have Mark I, II, etc. There is a beauty at my marina, but I have never seen the owner.

Thanks in advance.


Matt

 

[Guest]

I have always considered Sabre''s to be well constructed and relatively nicely detailed. (The early boats had pretty crude wood work) They have generally been intended as performance coastal cruisers but they have been used for on a number of distance voyages. There were quite a few minor design changes over the life span of the Mk1 and Mk2''s and the Mk2 also had a ''Targa'' model with a jazzier look and a more modern layout down below. The MK2''s are substantially more expensive than the Mk1''s.

These are very nice sailing boats with a good turn of speed. In their day the Mk1 did reasonably well under PHRF but I don''t know if they are still competitive. The Mk2 (DK,TR-phrf 141) looks like it should be a much better sailor than the Mk1 (DK,TR-PHRF 156). 141 is a reasonably fast rating for 34 foot a boat of that era. Both are not the best light air boats but are better than many a coastal cruiser when things get light.

They were available in a number of configurations which I believe included a deep fin, shoal fin with a centerboard and a shoal wing keel. There was also a tall rig available at least for part of the production run. The fin keel with tall rig was clearly the best sailor. Then came the centerboarder with the wing bringing up the rear.

A broker friend here in Annapolis has a really clean 34 MK1 listed for $43K that he expects will actually sell in the $38K or so range.

 

[Denr]

I would be pleased to answer any questions about this boat, I own hull number 261 34 II which has the deep fin keel. I sail on Lake Michigan. This boat is a great sailing boat and well put together. Jeff was correct about light conditions (wind below 5 knots) but when it picks up this boat flies by C&Cs of the same length and vintage. I have been offered more than 10K more for mine than what I purchased it for 7 years ago, so they hold their value if maintained and upgraded occasionally. If you post your email, I''ll send you my address to further discuss this matter. Nothing I''ve sailed on in this size range is as easy on the eyes, as well engineered and thought-out as this boat is. A mid to late 80''s boat in top condition will set you back about 75K, but well worth it!