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The Fisher 34 Motorsailer

The Fisher 34 is a classic motor-sailer that combines the best of both worlds: a powerful engine and a spacious wheelhouse for comfortable cruising, and a well-balanced sail plan and a sturdy hull for sailing performance.

The boat was designed by Wyatt and Freeman, inspired by the Colin Archer fishing boats of Norway, and built by various companies in the UK since 1978. The Fisher 34 has a loyal following of owners and admirers who appreciate its timeless design, comfort and rugged sea-keeping abilities.

Published Specification for the Fisher 34

Underwater Profile:  Long keel

Hull Material:  GRP (Fibreglass)

Length Overall:  34'1" (10.4m)

Waterline Length:  29'10" (9.1m)

Beam:  11'0" (3.4m)

Draft:  4'10" (1.5m)

Rig Type:  Ketch

Displacement:  25,759lb (11,684kg)

Designer:  Wyatt & Freeman

Builder:  Northshore Ltd (UK)

Year First Built:  1978

Year Last Built:  still in production

Owners Association:  www. fisherowners .org

Published Design Ratios for the Fisher 34

1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio:  11.6

2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio:  41.3

3. Displacement/Length Ratio:  433

4. Comfort Ratio:  52.5

5. Capsize Screening Formula:   1.49

read more about these all-revealing numbers...

Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the  Fisher 34

1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of just 11.6 suggests that the Fisher 34 will need a stiff breeze to get her going. In light conditions motor-sailing will be the only way to go.

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 41.3 means that the Fisher 34 will stand up well to her canvas in a blow, helping her to power through the waves.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 433, tells us the Fisher 34 is firmly in the ultra-heavy displacement category. Load her up as much as you like and her performance will be hardly affected, not that it was ever startling. Few if any sailboats are built to this displacement category these days - but they remain popular with some long-distance sailors.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 52.5 suggests that crew comfort of a Fisher 34 in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of an extremely heavy bluewater boat - and that's as comfortable as life ever gets on a sailing boat!

5. The Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.49 tells us that a Fisher 34 would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0. 

Any Questions?

Is the Fisher 34 still in production and, if not, when did production end and how many of these sailboats were built?

The Fisher 34 is no longer in production. The last Fisher 34 was built in 2010 by Northshore Yachts. According to the Fisher Owners Association, there were 211 Fisher 34s built between 1978 and 2010.

What is the history of the builders of the Fisher 34 and is the company still in business?

The Fisher 34 was originally built by Fairways Marine, which later became Fisher Yachts International. In 1988, Fisher Yachts International went into receivership and the moulds were acquired by Northshore Yachts, which continued to build the Fisher range until 2010. Northshore Yachts also went into administration in 2013 and was taken over by Discovery Yachts Group, which currently owns the rights to the Fisher brand but does not produce any new boats.

What sailplan and rig options are available for the Fisher 34?

The Fisher 34 has two main sailplan options: a ketch rig with a mizzen mast and sail, or a sloop rig with a single mast and a larger mainsail. The ketch rig offers more flexibility and balance in different wind conditions, while the sloop rig is simpler and faster. Both rigs have a furling genoa as the headsail. Some owners have also added a staysail or a spinnaker to their boats for extra performance.

What is the Fisher 34 like to sail?

The Fisher 34 is a heavy displacement boat that sails well in moderate to strong winds. It has a good motion in waves and can handle rough seas. It is not very fast or agile, but it is steady and reliable. It can be sailed from either the cockpit or the wheelhouse, depending on the weather and preference. The wheelhouse offers excellent visibility and protection from the elements, while the cockpit gives more feel of the wind and water.

What other sailboats have been created by the designer of the Fisher 34?

Wyatt and Freeman are the naval architects behind the entire Fisher range of motor-sailers, which includes the models 25, 30, 31, 32, 37, 38, and 46. They also designed other boats such as the Freeward 25, Freeman 33 Ketch Cruiser, Wyatt Wren Mk II, Freeman Starclass Ketch Cruiser, Freeman Starclass Sloop Cruiser, Wyatt Wren Mk III Sloop Cruiser.

How does the Fisher 34 compare to other motor-sailers on the market?

The Fisher 34 is one of the most popular and well-known motor-sailers in its size range. It has a distinctive style that appeals to many sailors who value tradition and comfort. It competes with other motor-sailers such as the Nauticat 33, the LM 32, the Colvic Watson 28, the Westerly Konsort Duo, and the Moody 34. The Fisher 34 has a larger wheelhouse and a higher freeboard than most of its rivals, which gives it more space and protection, but also more windage and weight. The Fisher 34 also has a better sailing performance than some of its competitors, especially in the sloop version.

The above answers were drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; to the best of our knowledge,  we believe them to be accurate.

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Know About International Yacht Owners Association

The International Yacht Owners Association (INTYOA) represents the Owners & Captains of more than 1,000 yachts worldwide. INTYOA provides our members with an unrivaled digital platform with valuable information, news, partner relationships, and support on critical industry topics.

Some Numbers

Fact About Us

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1. Provide Support

To create partnerships and provide support for our members. We ensure Owners & Captains have the access, insights, and influence needed to strengthen the overall yachting experience.

2. Private and Charter Yachts

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Cruising the Moskva River: A short guide to boat trips in Russia’s capital

There’s hardly a better way to absorb Moscow’s atmosphere than on a ship sailing up and down the Moskva River. While complicated ticketing, loud music and chilling winds might dampen the anticipated fun, this checklist will help you to enjoy the scenic views and not fall into common tourist traps.

How to find the right boat?

There are plenty of boats and selecting the right one might be challenging. The size of the boat should be your main criteria.

Plenty of small boats cruise the Moskva River, and the most vivid one is this yellow Lay’s-branded boat. Everyone who has ever visited Moscow probably has seen it.

This option might leave a passenger disembarking partially deaf as the merciless Russian pop music blasts onboard. A free spirit, however, will find partying on such a vessel to be an unforgettable and authentic experience that’s almost a metaphor for life in modern Russia: too loud, and sometimes too welcoming. Tickets start at $13 (800 rubles) per person.

Bigger boats offer smoother sailing and tend to attract foreign visitors because of their distinct Soviet aura. Indeed, many of the older vessels must have seen better days. They are still afloat, however, and getting aboard is a unique ‘cultural’ experience. Sometimes the crew might offer lunch or dinner to passengers, but this option must be purchased with the ticket. Here is one such  option  offering dinner for $24 (1,490 rubles).

If you want to travel in style, consider Flotilla Radisson. These large, modern vessels are quite posh, with a cozy restaurant and an attentive crew at your service. Even though the selection of wines and food is modest, these vessels are still much better than other boats.

Surprisingly, the luxurious boats are priced rather modestly, and a single ticket goes for $17-$32 (1,100-2,000 rubles); also expect a reasonable restaurant bill on top.

How to buy tickets?

Women holding photos of ships promise huge discounts to “the young and beautiful,” and give personal invitations for river tours. They sound and look nice, but there’s a small catch: their ticket prices are usually more than those purchased online.

“We bought tickets from street hawkers for 900 rubles each, only to later discover that the other passengers bought their tickets twice as cheap!”  wrote  (in Russian) a disappointed Rostislav on a travel company website.

Nevertheless, buying from street hawkers has one considerable advantage: they personally escort you to the vessel so that you don’t waste time looking for the boat on your own.

Prices start at $13 (800 rubles) for one ride, and for an additional $6.5 (400 rubles) you can purchase an unlimited number of tours on the same boat on any given day.

Flotilla Radisson has official ticket offices at Gorky Park and Hotel Ukraine, but they’re often sold out.

Buying online is an option that might save some cash. Websites such as  this   offer considerable discounts for tickets sold online. On a busy Friday night an online purchase might be the only chance to get a ticket on a Flotilla Radisson boat.

This  website  (in Russian) offers multiple options for short river cruises in and around the city center, including offbeat options such as ‘disco cruises’ and ‘children cruises.’ This other  website  sells tickets online, but doesn’t have an English version. The interface is intuitive, however.

Buying tickets online has its bad points, however. The most common is confusing which pier you should go to and missing your river tour.

“I once bought tickets online to save with the discount that the website offered,” said Igor Shvarkin from Moscow. “The pier was initially marked as ‘Park Kultury,’ but when I arrived it wasn’t easy to find my boat because there were too many there. My guests had to walk a considerable distance before I finally found the vessel that accepted my tickets purchased online,” said the man.

There are two main boarding piers in the city center:  Hotel Ukraine  and  Park Kultury . Always take note of your particular berth when buying tickets online.

Where to sit onboard?

Even on a warm day, the headwind might be chilly for passengers on deck. Make sure you have warm clothes, or that the crew has blankets ready upon request.

The glass-encased hold makes the tour much more comfortable, but not at the expense of having an enjoyable experience.

Getting off the boat requires preparation as well. Ideally, you should be able to disembark on any pier along the way. In reality, passengers never know where the boat’s captain will make the next stop. Street hawkers often tell passengers in advance where they’ll be able to disembark. If you buy tickets online then you’ll have to research it yourself.

There’s a chance that the captain won’t make any stops at all and will take you back to where the tour began, which is the case with Flotilla Radisson. The safest option is to automatically expect that you’ll return to the pier where you started.

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Membership in the FOA really does make sense, with access to the exclusive FISHER forum once you become a member where help is at hand on many issues concerning maintenance and even boat handling. The helpful information gained can help you make big savings on your annual maintenance budget, as well as the opportunity to make friends before meeting on the water or at the ‘Events’.

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With many of the normal membership features and specifically tailored to those who don’t own their own fisher but have friends who do, or are looking to buy a fisher and need a little guidance.

Membership in the FOA really does make sense, most members join the exclusive FISHERPEOPLE chat room once they have become members where help is at hand on many issues concerning maintenance and even boat handling. The helpful information gained can help you make big savings on your annual maintenance budget, as well as the opportunity to make friends before meeting on the water.

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Inside Florida's 'Little Moscow,' where Russian money flows thanks to 'rich daddies' snapping up real estate

• "Little Moscow" is the nickname for Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, which is flowing with Russian money.
• Previously a strip of motels, the island was revitalized in the 1990s with luxury developments.
• Many Russians snapped up properties, but they're afraid sanctions could prevent them from buying more .

Welcome to "Little Moscow."

Like its namesake city, it's home to many Russian elites. Unlike it's namesake city, it's located on a small strip of land near Miami: Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.

"They love to be here, and they like to spend their money and enjoy their life," Lana Bell, a real-estate agent, recently told the News Nation correspondent Brian Entin , referring to her wealthy Russian clientele.

Russian money has brought a real-estate boom to the region over the years, but now these power players are afraid they might not be able to enjoy the Miami sunshine much longer. As Entin reported, they're worried the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict will blacklist them from buying American real estate, although Bell said it hasn't been a problem so far.

However, existing sanctions from past political events already slowed their buying efforts in recent years, and Biden has said the US will seize luxury apartments from Russian oligarchs with wealth parked in the country. But not all of Little Moscow's residents are wealthy, and not all of them support the war. 

Here's a look at the rise of Little Moscow and the lives of the Russians who made it happen.

Sunny Isles Beach is a 1.5-mile strip of island that sits between the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway in South Florida. It's about a 40-minute drive to downtown Miami, depending on traffic.

Sunny Isles Beach is located in northeastern Miami-Dade county. As of 2020, it's home to 22,342 people . The most recent data from the Census' American Community Survey that tracked population from 2015 to 2019 shows that there are 1,079 Russian-born residents living there — more than any country in Europe or Asia.

It's a place where beachfront high-rise hotels and condos dot the coastline, towering over an idyllic scene of white-sand beaches and sparkling turquoise water. Compared to the dark and brutal winters of Russia, it's a slice of paradise.

Before becoming a Russian luxury hot spot, the city was full of quirk and charm thanks to beachfront motels and tourists.

Fred Grimm wrote in the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the city was "once a linear tableau of South Florida kitsch, a seaside strip of themed motels, offering homage to ancient Egypt, Rome, the wild west, Polynesia, American Indians and so many nautical motifs, including Neptune and his water nymphs."

"Motel Row," a strip of 30 motels along the beach, was built in the 1950s and 1960s, when the city was known as Sunny Isles (before that it was called North Miami Beach). Tourism slowed its roll in the 1970s, resuming some 20 years later when most of the motels were replaced with luxury hotels, and Sunny Isles was renamed Sunny Isles Beach.

The city's luxury-development boom that first began in the 1990s revitalized the city's economy, which began to see an influx of wealth.

The median home value in Sunny Isles is $555,042 , higher than the $469,562 median home value in Miami. The most expensive home in the area currently listed on Sotheby's is $13.9 million , and condos can cost as much as  $35 million . 

It's a place of well-known luxury. Consider the Porsche Design Tower , where residents can use an elevator for their cars. And the iconic Acqualina Resort was named the country's best continental resort four years in a row by US News & World Report . Nightly rates at the five-star resort start at $2,500 a night . 

Among these developments are several Trump Towers, a brand that has held a huge appeal among Russian investors looking to move their money in the post-Soviet economy.

Trump doesn't actually own the buildings but licensed the use of his name there, The Washington Post reported . Real-estate agents told the Post in 2016 that Trump's name carries weight among the European, South American, and Asian elite, but especially among Russian oligarchs.

"When Russians get here, the first thing they ask is, 'Where is the Trump building?'" Ilya Masarsky, real-estate developer who has worked with Russian investors in the US, told The Post. 

Jose Lima, a salesperson for the company that developed the region's Trump towers, said at the time that Russian speakers bought about one-third of the 500 units he sold. 

A 2017 Reuters investigation found that at least 63 members of Russia's elite spent nearly $100 million buying property in Trump buildings in the region, including the nearby city of Hollywood. Reuters called some of the buyers "politically connected businessmen," adding that none seemed to be part of Putin's inner circle.

"Russian patriots are happy here; Sunny Isles is a happy place," Bell, the real-estate agent, told The Daily Beast in 2019 . "Russian men make money at home, they visit their Miami property just for a few months in winter. Some of these rich daddies are in their fifties or older, while their women are in their twenties; the beach is packed with really young pregnant Russian girls, girls with babies." 

A past Miami Herald investigation found that some of these buyers were the targets of US government investigations. Experts in illicit financing said Russian money gave the city its nickname of Little Moscow.

The Miami Herald found in 2016 that at least 13 personal or company buyers in the Trump Towers were investigated by the government, including a Russian-American organized-crime group and a Mexican banker accused of robbing investors. It also found that about 60% of the units are owned by shell companies, which only hold assets like real estate and can be involved in money laundering.

Experts more recently told the Herald's Michael Wilner that illicit financing has helped Russians spend years snapping up properties along Florida's southeastern coast. They estimated that Russia's elite had more than $1 trillion in offshore accounts, which they said was disproportionally held in South Florida property.

As Julia Friedlander, director of the Atlantic Council's Economic Statecraft Initiative, told the publication, "We know what's happening based on patterns of behavior and observations from various sources, just like parts of Manhattan and parts of London. They're known as places where real estate will reliably retain its value."

The greater Miami region that Sunny Isles Beach is part of is also a popular place for birth tourism. Russian women have fueled a baby boom there in recent years.

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As NBC News reported in 2018 , having a baby in Miami is considered a status symbol in Moscow. Russian birth tourists told the publication that giving birth there means getting an American passport and better medical care. It's a legal act, as long as documents are filled out honestly, that allows their children the right to American citizenship and to sponsor their parents for a green card once they turn 21.

Wealthier Russians even hire agencies that offer birth-tourism packages that cost anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000, according to NBC News. Some of these companies offer Trump apartments as part of the package, the Daily Beast's Katie Zavadski reported . For $84,700, expectant Russian mothers can get an apartment in a Trump Tower with a gold-tiled bathtub and chauffeured Mercedes-Benz. 

Not all of the money flowing into Little Moscow is from Russia, nor is it all "dirty." And not all of the people who live there are wealthy.

The Herald's Wilner reported that the area has also seen investments by overseas buyers in Europe and Latin America.

And, as Ari Odzer reported for local outlet NBC Miami , Sunny Isles Beach is also a sanctuary for refugees from the old Soviet Union and Russians on tourist visas. For this reason, he said, it's also known as Little Kyiv, Little Odessa, and Little Minsk. 

Locals told Odzer that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is dividing residents, with some supporting Putin and others who don't but are too afraid to say anything. Odzer wrote "the fear of Putin is a real phenomenon," considering he could barely get any Russians to speak on the record about their president.

Russian real-estate purchasing has been slowing down in recent years because of sanctions.

Tightened US sanctions in light of Moscow's interference in the US elections, as well as the Kremlin banning thousands of rich Russian law-enforcement officials from traveling abroad, left many Russians renting or selling their Sunny Isles Beach condos, the Daily Beast's Anna Nemstova reported in 2019 . 

"Russians can be easily recognized by their Bentleys and Rolls-Royces," Bell, the Russian real-estate agent, told Nemstova at the time. "But this year the sales have gone down. It is becoming problematic for the Russian elite to take their money out of the country; and here the rules demand full disclosure, the name of the buyer and the source of money."

However, Little Moscow still held the attention of "Russian corrupt bureaucrats," Ilya Shumanov, the deputy head of Transparency International, added. Those who could still travel came during the winter and conducted deals at restaurants in the Bal Harbor mall before returning home to conduct business again, Nemstova wrote.

Brokers also recently told Wilner that Russian purchases have dwindled in the past few years, but said that could change with new developments like the Bentley Tower and the St. Regis Sunny Isles.

Now, Russian elites in the area are worried new sanctions stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict could prevent them from buying real estate.

President Joe Biden issued sanctions last week targeting Russia's elite and their families and restricting the Kremlin's ability to access Western financial institutions.

"We are extending the reach of US sanctions to prevent the elites close to Putin from using their kids to hide assets, evade costs, and squander the resources of the Russian people," a National Security Council official told Wilner. "This is a new approach."

While Little Moscow's elites are worried future sanctions will threaten their lifestyle, experts told Wilner the sanctions currently in place were unlikely to have a strong effect in South Florida. 

Anders Åslund, a Swedish economist and the author of "Russia's Crony Capitalism: The Path From Market Economy to Kleptocracy," doesn't think this will affect the Russian rich in the greater Miami region that Little Moscow is in. He told Wilner that the Miami Russians weren't powerful enough to feel the sanction burn.

As he put it, "These are comfortable people, rather than the top people."

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