Express 34
Description
The Express 34 is a high-performance, one-design racer-cruiser designed by Carl Schumacher in 1985 and built by Alsberg Brothers Yachts (Santa Cruz, CA) from 1986 to 1990. This 34 ft sloop was engineered as a "big-boat feel in a small package"—fast, stiff, and surprisingly roomy for its size. With ~50 hulls produced, the Express 34 became a cult favorite on the West Coast for PHRF racing, beer-can fleets, and short-handed coastal cruising. It’s a strict one-design class with a loyal following, praised for its planing ability, balanced helm, and solid fiberglass construction. The boat’s tagline: "Fast is fun, and fun is fast." The Express 34 was Schumacher’s first production design after his work on the Olsen 30 and Wilderness 30, blending IOR-era speed with modern ergonomics. It remains competitive in 2025, with active fleets in California and the Pacific Northwest.
Construction Details
| Designer | Carl Schumacher |
|---|---|
| Builder | Alsberg Brothers Yachts |
| Length | 34.000 ft |
| LOA | 34.000 ft |
| LWL | 28.330 ft |
| Beam | 10.500 ft |
| Displacement | 8500 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 44.30 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 13 ft |
| p | 38.50 ft |
| e | 12.80 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44.30 ft | 13 ft | 38.50 ft | 12.80 ft | - | - | - | - |
Blueprints
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 38.5 ft - (11735 mm) |
| Foot | * 12.8 ft - (3901 mm) |
| Leech | * 39.88 ft - (12155 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 40.15 ft - (12238 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 254.67 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 36.93 ft - (11256 mm) |
| Foot | * 16.9 ft - (5151 mm) |
| Leech | * 32.27 ft - (9836 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 113.54 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 14.76 ft - (4499 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12.8 ° |
| Area | * 272.53 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 43.86 ft - (13369 mm) |
| Foot | * 20.67 ft - (6300 mm) |
| Leech | * 41.2 ft - (12558 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 148.31 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 19.28 ft - (5877 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.77 ° |
| Area | * 422.83 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 43.86 ft - (13369 mm) |
| Foot | * 21.45 ft - (6538 mm) |
| Leech | * 40.35 ft - (12299 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 706 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPINNAKER |
|---|---|
| Stays | * 43.86 ft - (13369 mm) |
| MidGirth | * 23.4 ft - (7132 mm) |
| Foot | * 23.4 ft - (7132 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 872 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.