Windy 34 Khamsin, HEATWAVE

Broker’s Comments

The Windy 34 Khamsin was a maverick at her birth in 2002, and is still firmly on the wish list of many. Sleek lines envelope a full beam cockpit within her beamy 3.2 metre width hull, and plenty of space for sunbathing / seating. Well-placed grab-rails, three forward facing bolstered helm seats, and a practical wet bar with two large lazarette lockers in the deck all provide excellent storage. Her four berths below, a proper galley and separate stand-in heads with separate shower make her an utterly practical proposition. This is all within a Hans J Johnsen designed, deep V 34ft hull, that is reassuringly sure-footed, effortlessly swift and deeply exhilarating to drive.

As Motor Boat & Yachting commented, “Glamorous, fast, incredibly sporty, very quiet and extremely well-built: it sounds like a wish-list for the ideal sports boat. So if you were looking to buy the best 34-footer, why go for anything other than the Khamsin?

The cockpit layout may look simple, but it’s spacious and versatile. As for handling and performance, other boats may come close, but I haven’t found one that’s better.”

That’s all well and good; however the Khamsin is now an older design (the first 34 smashed her way up the Solent in 2002) so how does she fare? Well, the hull has never been bettered in my opinion – it is lithe, sure-footed, deep vee’d to hammer any chop out of the way and burst through waves that would stop lesser tools. The boat drives as tightly as when she was first commissioned, with a pair of dependable, manually governed, under-stressed and super-smooth KAD300s. It is a straight six, 3.6 litre volume, simple diesel (supercharged and turbocharged), and delivering 285HP apiece – so she runs with 570 lusting stallions pulling her along. Built in Gothenburg, these are so well suited to the Khamsin that it was the only engine option. Please also note that the Windys at this age were built in Arendal, Norway – not Sweden, not Poland, they were built by the best yard around, with the best craftsmen, who knew their jobs inside out, and lovingly built these sports-cruisers. The Norwegian spirit of Windy is alive and kicking in the Khamsin and, arguably, Windy have never pulled this trick off ever again.

The Windy 34 Khamsin became the 35 Khamsin with the advent of the Volvo Penta D4 and D6 block in late 2004/2005 – but what did they change about the boat? Nothing. Zero. Nada. Apart from a slightly larger scallop to the bathing platform due to the lengthened outdrives.

These boats are indescribably special – as anyone who has ever been lucky enough to enjoy one will attest. There is nothing that is better to drive, especially through a whipped-up short Solent chop into a stiff Westerly; although she is equally adept at tearing up the archipelagos or gliding past the bleached beaches of Ibiza. Often copied, but never, ever bettered.

HEATWAVE has been thoroughly improved in her present Ownership with recent new hull paint, recent servicing to both drives and engines, and is currently stored inside close to central Palma for ease of access.