Big boats tend to grab the headlines, but it is good to see that there’s a spate of new 31- to 35-foot cruising boats on the market. You may think this is because builders are setting their sights lower because of the recession, but in fact most of these new boats were conceived well before the Crash of 2008. Beneteau, Jeanneau, Hanse, Bavaria, X-Yachts and J-Boats have all introduced new smaller models in the last year, and Hunter and Catalina also have fairly recent entrants in this size bracket. The upshot is that boat owners who want to upsize from a daysailer, or downsize from a bigger cruiser, now have a number of attractive options.

The pretty 34-footer pictured above is a fine example of a modern small/medium-sized dual-purpose boat. Like its bigger sisters, the v was designed by Umberto Felci as a fast yet comfortable cruiser that, given sharp sails and a competent crew, will rate well under IRC and hold its own on a racecourse. A series of podium finishes in high-profile European regattas, including a second in IRC2 in last year’s Fastnet classic, suggests Felci fulfilled his design brief to the letter.

He has done so without going to extremes. Though the shallow hull has an almost plumb bow and a forefoot that barely kisses the water, it is still moderate in most respects and has a nicely tucked-in (by modern standards) stern that is easy on the eye and will improve tracking upwind. The deep spade rudder will ensure good control downwind. You can take your pick of lead or iron keels, with deep (6ft 3in) or shallow (4ft 11in) draft. The double-spreader fractional rig is mainsail-driven and halyards and reefing lines are led aft to the cockpit. A tang is already in place for an inner forestay on which a storm jib can be flown; other builders, please take note.

The hull is foam-cored above the waterline. The deck, also cored with PVC foam, is built using the Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) method, which increases the fiberglass-to-resin ratio and results in a lighter boat. At a whisker under 12,000 pounds, the boat is heavy enough to power to weather into a choppy sea, but light enough to achieve some serious speeds under its symmetrical spinnaker.

The dollar will have to stage a big comeback against the Euro before you’ll see many smaller boats like the 34e arrive on this side of the Atlantic, but stranger things have happened. We are, however, likely to see Dufour’s 405 and 45 models at the fall boat shows this year.

Meanwhile, here is some news that will gladden the hearts of diehard multihull fans. The SIG45 catamaran we previewed a year ago is now on the water, and builder Hugo Le Breton sent us photos of the boat sailing at 20-plus knots off the south coast of France. Designed by Van Peteghem Lauriot Prevost, who also drew the BMW Oracle trimaran “DoGzilla,” this speedy 45-footer is an express cruiser, designed to reel off 300-mile days while its crew enjoy comfortable and commodious accommodations. The build is as high-tech as it gets. To get an idea of why the boat is so fast, check out the power-to-weight numbers: 2,600 square feet of downwind sail area, and a displacement of just 12,000 pounds.

The South African-built Gunboats have had a lock on the high-performance cruising cat niche, and it will be interesting to see how the SIG45 stacks up. I suspect anything that increases public awareness will be good for both companies. Le Breton has meanwhile started work on a 60-foot version. Now that will be a must-sail boat.

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