Broadblue 346

A new British boat

There was a time when the Brits were at the forefront of cruising catamaran production, but decades later this accolade has long since gone to the French, South Africans, Australians and others. So when a new British cat comes along, our interest is sparked. The current trend in cruising cats is bigger and bigger: many manufacturers ranges now start at 45 feet. Big is all very well, but big is expensive to buy, big is expensive to dock, big is expensive to maintain, and so is out of reach for many. Here, we have a "small" boat, yet the advert says two large double cabins, two single berths, heads with luxury shower, additional heads, large galley, large dining table and chart table in the saloon, large cockpit, and so on... Really? On a 33 footer? And all for £139,500? Surely corners have been cut, compromises made? And will it sail? We sent Graham over to the UK to see what the story is with the new Broadblue 346.

A performance rig: mast pre-bend thanks to twin diamond stays on single spreaders, and a generous roach on the mainsail

Upwind work is made easy with the self-tacking jib

Impressive performance off the wind with the reacher

Good bridgedeck clearance, especially forward. Narrow waterline beam.

The shape of the coachroof and the curved chine smooth the overall lines

Clever ergonomics mean the door doesn’t feel small

A dozen clutches and two winches combine all sail-handling functions in one place

Twin mainsheet system requires no vang for perfect sail trim. Note the aft platform across the full beam of the boat

Comfortable seats aft on both sides of the cockpit

A chart table big enough for real chartwork. Raymarine repeater allows for autopilot control from here

Saloon table with inlaid chessboard shows the quality of the joinery

A cruiser’s galley, with double sink, oven and separate grill and ample storage

Owner’s cabin to starboard, looking forward to the bathroom. Plenty of space and natural light

Single berth forward, to port. A small cabin, but it still has a WC and washbasin

Luxurious bathroom includes electric WC, washbasin and separate shower

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Practical info

Builder : Broadblue Catamarans
Technical specifications
Finance your Broadblue 346
Articles about the Broadblue 346
Available in issue # 162

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Origins

Broadblue has been around a while, with their most prolific model being the 385. Plenty of these have been cruised long distances by liveaboards, and make good average speeds (some boat buddies set out from the Galapagos on theirs the same day as me on my own catamaran, and got to the Marquesas two days ahead of us!). But what about this smaller boat? Well, the new Broadblue 346 is an evolution of, and is replacing, the Broadblue 345. Keeping the same hulls as her predecessor, the deck and interior are new. The hull, deck, engines and interior joinery are completed at Broadblue's factory in Poland, and the boats are then motored to the UK (already a good shakedown, not least for the engine installation), where the mast, rigging and sails are fitted, and finishing work completed.

On deck

Approaching the boat on the dock, I can clearly see the rig is set at the after end of the coachroof. This is the common denominator of all Broadblue cats, and numerous other manufacturers have recently started to see the advantages of bringing the mast further back. The freeboard appears high but there's no problems stepping aboard onto the wide aft platform in the center of which...

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