Beneteau Swift Trawler 34 Buying Guide

Why the Beneteau Swift Trawler 34 sold so well

The Beneteau Swift Trawler 34 arrived at a good moment. Motor Boat & Yachting reported that it was packed with visitors at the 2009 Southampton Boat Show, where Beneteau sold five on the spot, and Beneteau now says more than 350 were built. YachtBuyer dates the run from 2009 to 2017, after which the Swift Trawler 35 took over as the entry boat in the line.

Its appeal was simple. Power and Motoryacht's tester, a self-confessed fan of single-diesel cruisers, listed the advantages that sold it: fuel efficiency, affordability, relatively low maintenance and easy short-handed handling with a bow thruster. Beneteau built on that by promoting owners' Great Loop trips, and the boat became a familiar sight on American waterways despite being built in France.

A semi-displacement hull, not a true trawler

Despite the name, the 34 does not have a full-displacement hull. Power and Motoryacht described a hybrid running surface with fine forward sections, two lifting strakes per side, hard chines and a long but shallow keel cut away around the propeller for maneuverability, developed by Beneteau with the naval architects Joubert-Nivelt. The aim was better than displacement speed with good stability and economy.

In 15 knot winds and a chop the test boat showed no tenderness despite its height, held course well in a quartering sea thanks to the keel and ran with moderate trim and no noticeable hump onto plane. The hull and superstructure are balsa-cored, which helps explain why Power and Motoryacht found the 34 about 3,500 lb lighter than a Mainship it compared it with.

Lopsided side decks and a galley by the helm

The 34's most distinctive trick is its asymmetric deck. Power and Motoryacht measured the port side deck at 11 in wide and the starboard one at 1 ft 3 in, because the starboard side gets the traffic: a helm door, a midships boarding gate and an unusual wing door into the cockpit. The narrow port deck lets the saloon grow sideways. Bulwarks are a reassuring 2 ft 7 in high.

Inside, the U-shaped galley sits forward to port, directly across from the helm, with the refrigerator under the double helm seat. The saloon has a starboard sofa that pulls out into a double bed, with room for two barrel chairs to port and an adjustable table. Below, Motor Boat & Yachting found a very good master cabin forward with plenty of storage and light, and a bunk cabin for guests. Every saloon window slides open, which helped on a test boat where some diesel exhaust drifted into the saloon.

What the single Cummins delivers

Power and Motoryacht's 2010 test boat had the standard 425 hp Cummins QSB 5.9 driving a 25 by 25 four-blade propeller through a ZF gear. Its figures were in statute miles: a top speed of 24.3 mph, about 21 knots, at a disappointing 1.12 mpg and a range just over 200 miles. Throttled back to 2,000 rpm the boat made 12.3 mph, close to 11 knots, at better than 1.5 mpg, giving almost 300 miles of range from the 211 gallon tank. Sound fell from 84 dB-A at full throttle to 78 dB-A at that cruise.

YachtBuyer lists a 19 knot top speed and a 15 knot cruise with about 200 nautical miles of range, and BoatTEST summed up the boat's real use as 15 knots for a day or 7 knots for weeks. Beneteau's 2016 equipment list shows the newer Cummins QSB 6.7, still at 425 hp.

• Top speed: about 21 knots on test (19 knots per YachtBuyer)
• Economical cruise: about 11 knots at 2,000 rpm, roughly 8 gph
• Fast cruise: about 15 knots
• Trawler pace: 7 knots for long-range cruising

Fly or Sedan, and the air draft question

The 34 came with or without a flybridge helm. The Fly has a duplicated steering station, an L-shaped bench and a space for a 2.80 m tender launched with the mast and boom. The Sedan uses the roof for the tender or a large sunbathing area instead. Power and Motoryacht found the lower helm actually gave better all-round sightlines than the bridge, including a clear view aft for backing into a slip, while the upper station felt low and exposed without the optional bimini.

Air draft decides a lot of Loop and canal plans. Beneteau quotes 11 ft 11 in with the mast folded and 25 ft 1 in with it raised; Power and Motoryacht measured 11 ft 1 in to the bridge with the standard mast down. Measure the boat you are buying, with its electronics and canvas, before you commit to a route.

Standard kit and the options worth finding

Standard equipment on the 2010 test boat included a bow thruster, electric trim tabs, hydraulic steering, a pivoting mast, a convertible saloon settee and a Quiet Flush electric toilet. Options included a stern thruster, a 6.5 kW Onan generator, a diesel heater, air conditioning, an electric windlass and a cockpit enclosure. By 2016 Beneteau's list offered a 6 kVA generator and air conditioning of 16,000 BTU in the wheelhouse plus 6,000 BTU per cabin.

On the used market, a stern thruster, a generator and air conditioning are the three options that change how usable the boat is in the American South, and they are expensive to add later.

Buying advice and running costs

Used Swift Trawler 34s generally ask between about $150,000 and $270,000. Prioritize the engine: a single Cummins is reliable when serviced, but there is no second engine to get you home, so look for documented heat exchanger, aftercooler, raw water pump and injector service. Check the shaft, cutless bearing and rudder, and confirm the thrusters and their batteries work hard.

Annual costs, including slip, insurance, haul-out, bottom paint and engine service, usually run $15,000 to $30,000, with fuel the variable that depends entirely on whether you cruise at 7 knots or 15.