Mull 34
Encyclopedia
The Mull 34 is a sailing
yacht
designed by Gary Mull
under the International Offshore Rule
. The design, although similar in many ways to Mull's Ranger 22 design, is striking for its wide beam, carried well aft, and the quintessential IOR transom.
At least two Mull 34's have been built:
New Orleans Marine built Swampfire in 1974 using Bill Seemann's C-Flex system. Swampfire went on to win every race in the 1978 ¾-ton world championships, establishing C-Flex as the material of choice for amateurs building one-off sailboat hulls.
A Michigan family built Soma 3 in 1978 for racing on the Great Lakes, and she carries the Detroit River Yacht-racing Association sail number of 25777. The family donated Soma 3 to the Hoofer Sailing Club in 1989. Club members in 1996 painted the boat with its iconic cow spots as a practical joke, a riff on the notion that the boat "sails like a cow" due to its wide beam. The joke stuck, and the boat has become a local landmark, even gracing the cover of the 2004 State of Wisconsin highway map.
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
designed by Gary Mull
Gary Mull
Gary Mull He was a successful yacht designer behind these popular Fibre-reinforced plastic boats.- Early life and Education :...
under the International Offshore Rule
International Offshore Rule
The International Offshore Rule was a measurement rule for racing sailboats. The IOR evolved from the Cruising Club of America rule for racer/cruisers and the Royal Ocean Racing Club rule.-Rule context - past and present rating systems:...
. The design, although similar in many ways to Mull's Ranger 22 design, is striking for its wide beam, carried well aft, and the quintessential IOR transom.
At least two Mull 34's have been built:
New Orleans Marine built Swampfire in 1974 using Bill Seemann's C-Flex system. Swampfire went on to win every race in the 1978 ¾-ton world championships, establishing C-Flex as the material of choice for amateurs building one-off sailboat hulls.
A Michigan family built Soma 3 in 1978 for racing on the Great Lakes, and she carries the Detroit River Yacht-racing Association sail number of 25777. The family donated Soma 3 to the Hoofer Sailing Club in 1989. Club members in 1996 painted the boat with its iconic cow spots as a practical joke, a riff on the notion that the boat "sails like a cow" due to its wide beam. The joke stuck, and the boat has become a local landmark, even gracing the cover of the 2004 State of Wisconsin highway map.