Windy 34 Khamsin, BABYLON

Broker’s Comments

BABYLON is a beautifully presented, highly specified and very clean Windy 34 Khamsin. She has always lived in Poole Harbour and was first launched in 2002. She is just being fully serviced, polished, antifouled & anoded for the 2023 season and is a joy to be on board. Khamsins are very rare to the market in this condition and we note that her bathing platform and cockpit teak has been replaced and shows little wear. She sports the varnished mahogany canopy cover after which sets her apart from the run- of-the-mill dayboat, and her cockpit upholstery is in good order. Her condition is testament to careful ownership and the first-class initial build of these modern classics from Windy.

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 is spacious and versatile. As for handling and performance, other boats may come close, but I haven’t found one that’s better.” That is fine; however, the 34 Khamsin is now an older design 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.

Owner’s Comments

We have enjoyed six wonderful seasons with BABYLON. Largely cruising the Solent and the Jurassic Coast we have found her stylish cockpit and well-appointed cabins a joy for both entertaining friends and comfortable nights onboard. Having owned several classic boats, a Nelson and Fairey Spearfish included, the solid, dependable Windy 34 Khamsin has surely joined that category.