enthusiasts still prefer First series boats, J-Boats, Swans, Swedens

Interesting that you include your boat with such a distinquished list
of
yachts.


I've sailed the Sweden 39, J34c, J30 and J35. I have NOT sailed a Swan
yet. The cost of the swan not withstanding, the 35s5 is in the same
league for performance. In fact it was a hell of a lot nicer than the
nice J34c. The Sweden had better components, but tiny bunks...amazingly
small. A useless boat even for weekending if you're over 6 feet tall.
The J35 was fast and fun...if only it had a nicer cabin. The 35s5 was
simply one of the few boats that sailed like a raceboat while
maintaining a good interior for occasional cruising. Saying it's not
ideal for a 1000 mile voyage is rather silly since we didn't buy it for
that. It's also a poor boat to fly over the Grand Canyon as well.
I had a talk with Mark P. of Doyle sails this morning when I brought a
sail in for an insurance estimate. He owned a 36.7 for a while and is a
fan of the 35s5. We laughed at how we were once Beneteau bashers. He
said, "Yeah, that was me until I sailed a 35s5 and then a 36.7." As
luck would have it he built the sails on my boat and raced with her
owned many years ago aboard a S33.
Max, if you think the First 35s5 is lightly built, you should talk to
some surveyors who've worked the boat. It's built with many weight
saving featires, yet it's structural integrity is a match for most any
production cruiser. Rather than just denying this off the cuff I
suggest you look into it. Your impression on "lightly built" was also
mine. Then I learned a bit about the 345, 32s5 and 35s5 and why they
were standouts among the First series boats.

RB
35s5
NY