Back when I was comparing the Beneteau 38 to the 35s5 and seeking info
on the WK....I got a lot of help in newsgroups. These responses can be
googled. Poor Sloco won't enjoy reading them!


"In my neighborhood my 35s5 ( wing keel ) has done well scratch
against boats rating down to 100. It always takes silver. It's
been
the top boat at the club since it came there. The boat will give you
what you are willing to put into it. I'm not a big fan of the wing
keel and the short rudder that make up the shoal draft pkg but you can
make it work. My observation has been that there have been a few
bad hulls but rather that there has been an abundant supply of bad
crews running otherwise good hulls."

and....

"The First 38 in my area was even ( head to head ) with the 35s5. It
was well sailed. Apart from the weight and size the First 38 handles
well and feels good. Comparatively the 35s5 feels like a dingy
compared to the 38. The 38 is a good boat, but can't deal with a 35s5
in light air. The First 38 is a VERY good racer and rated lower than
the 35s5 W."

and....

"The 35s5 we crewed on won a lot of races. Pointed with everything,
but
needed a serious crew to win, that's for sure. We bought one to cruise
because we liked it so much. Be prepared for a workout."

and....

" The rating for a First 38 typically is in the mid teens in most
areas
and the 35s5 is in the mid 120's so the rating spread is not that
much. Crew skill is a larger factor as a well sailed 35s5 or First 38
are both pretty fast boats."

and....

" From the polar diagrams it is difficult to see any difference in
the
performance of the boats. Indeed the performance is nearly identical.
The lead keel version has slightly more stability and slightly less
wetted surface. The deep lead version is a bit faster upwind and tight
reaching (2.5% faster). The performance downwind is nearly identical.
The lead keel version has less keel wetted surface but overall
displacement is greater so the total wetted surface is the same. If
you
need any more information I will do my best to help you."

and....

"Robert, if you don't plan to race seriously, the 35s5 will torture
you
at times. As a fast cruiser she's fantastic, but this boat responds to
sail trim like a race boat. As said before, not forgiving on the race
coarse, but as a cruiser she's a blast even when things are off."

and....

"If you race, the 35s5 will need each crew member to be skilled. I'm
sorry, it's not a forgiving boat. Do everything right, and she'll win
a
lot. If you're not racing, just have fun passing most other cruisers
in
most conditions."

"Robert, the 35s5 will be fast, but she'll easily fall short of the
ultimate performance without good crew. You've heard it before; she's
not forgiving of anything. As a fast cruiser you can't do much better
though and you'll pass almost everything crusing in her range, unless
they are racers. Good luck."


Well....two seasons later and the 35s5 has been fun, fast and comfy!
We've used the swim platform a lot. The interior is great with room
for adults to sleep. The head is sized right for reading! The aft bunk
is easy to keep cool. She's faster than most boats! About the only
thing we don't like is the aged mainsheet/vang system, which we'll
upgrade shortly.
Sucks to be Sloco!



RB
35s5
NY