S/V Eileen is a 1996 Pacific Seacraft 34’ sloop, hull #299. This boat was designed by William “Bill” Crealock as a smaller successor to the Pacific Seacraft 37. My wife and I bought her in 2014 and have been living aboard most of that time near Key West, Florida while updating and outfitting her for cruising.
Highlights of the Pacific Seacraft “Crealock” 34 include a suitable design for offshore cruising, excellent construction quality, and excellent support from the US based manufacturer. Eileen is currently rigged as a sloop; current sail inventory includes an Ullman 241 sq. ft. battened mainsail and 130% 379 sq. ft. roller-furling genoa. The mainsail has two reefing points which are rigged in a “jiffy-reef” configuration (reefing lines pass through luff and foot and then back to cockpit so that reefing may in theory be conducted completely from the cockpit). All other lines also lead aft to cockpit (this is the “voyagemaker” or “single-hander” layout). All standing rigging was replaced in 2016.
Construction characteristics include an elongated fin keel underbody with a slight bridge between the keel and the skeg and with the propeller in an aperture. The elongated fin keel provides a good compromise between tracking stability and maneuverability for an off-shore boat. The slight bridge between the keel and the skeg shifts the design slightly more towards the traditional side of the full-fin keel continuum (compared to, for example, the Valiant design). The skeg is heavily built. The propeller in an aperture, combined with the slight bridge, protects substantially against entanglements, such as with crab pots. Eileen has a 10 ft. beam and a positive stability of 144 degrees. The canoe stern was designed to aid control in strong following seas.
Electronics we have updated since 2014 include:
- Garmin 741xs 7” Chartplotter, Garmin GMR 18 Radar, Garmin Autopilot with below-deck mounted Octopus Hydraulic Linear Drive, ICOM VHF with AIS Receiver, Magnum 1212 Charger/Inverter with Xantrex Energy Monitor, (2) 4D AGM house batteries (396 amp hours) and AGM starting battery.
Specifications:
- 13,200 lb. displacement empty, 4,800 lb. elongated fin keel (external lead ballast)
- full-skeg rudder, propeller in aperture, slight bridge between keel and skeg
- 34′ 1″ overall length, 26′ 3″ water-line, 10′ beam
- 4′ 11′ draft per original specs., but about 5′ 1″ when loaded for cruising
- 47′ vertical clearance
- 6.9 knot, 7.9 mph hull speed
- Tankage: 75 gal. water, 35 gal. diesel, 16 gal. holding
- Yanmar 3JH2E 38hp 3 cylinder auxiliary diesel
Primary ground tackle is a 45 lb CQR plow-style anchor. Although I have not had any dragging or setting issues, I am considering the upgrade to a 44 lb. Rocna. This primary anchor is attached to 100’ of 5/16″ G4 chain spliced directly to 200′ of 5/8″ 3-strand nylon line. For cruising, I plan to carry a 20 lb Bruce style anchor as a day/secondary anchor, mostly because it will nest neatly behind my primary anchor in the double bow roller. This will be attached to either 25’ or 50’ of G4 chain and 150’ of the 3-strand line. As a backup/mud/stern anchor, Eileen carries a Fortress FX37 in a bag that lives in the quarter berth. On the foredeck is a Muir Hercules manual windlass that serves adequately.