The result was a moderately light-displacement cruiser with longish waterlines, a fin keel, and a high-efficiency spade rudder. The builder described the boat as “establishment” in her approach to rewarding sailing, yet “individualistic” in the way she handled offshore and dockside living offshore and dockside living.
Design and Construction
The Cal 35 displaces 13,000 pounds on a 28-foot-9-inch waterline—just 2,000 pounds less than the famed Cal 40. Her ballast/displacement ratio is 40 percent, with 5,200 pounds of lead encapsulated in a resin matrix inside the fiberglass keel.
The hull is solid fiberglass, while the deck is plywood cored. Lapworth gave the boat a straight sheer, an elongated stem, almost no counter, and a delicately reversed transom. Dorade boxes flank the companionway as part of the overall visual language.
Her hull is narrower and has softer chines than most later designs, while the sharpened entry is intended to help in slop and chop. The keel takes a middle course in pursuit of a “please everybody” mission, with a conservatively thick section and a long chord length.
At the hull-to-deck joint, the hull turns inward and the deck turns downward. The joint is bedded and capped by a perforated aluminum toerail bolted through the structure. Owners of boats 20 years old or more reported no deck leaks.
Rig, Sailing Performance, and Handling
The Cal 35 is a masthead sloop with aluminum spars. Her mainsail is smaller than the foretriangle but still large enough for pleasurable sailing under main alone. The main sheets to a cabin-roof traveler, while the genoa leads to tracks and two-speed winches. Inboard shrouds allow tighter sheeting angles and leave the side decks clear for walking.
The large spade rudder and smallish fin keel give the boat a very small turning circle. Under sail, she shows plenty of get-up when the wind is free and strong. She is at her worst upwind in light air and chop.
Her full entry helps her ride high and dry when surfing down waves, though the flat sections forward of the keel can pound. That trade-off also produces a crisp, fluid motion. Practical Sailor rated her somewhat tender, and her PHRF rating is around 160.
Accommodations
The original interior placed the head aft, with the galley opposite. After 50 boats had sold during the first three years, the layout was redesigned.
The Mark II has a quarter berth aft, two settee berths in the saloon, and a substantial platform double forward. The head and shower are forward of the saloon and include double centerline sinks. A drop-leaf saloon table replaced the original clumsy, mast-mounted table.
Ventilation is better than average, thanks to Dorade vents, six opening ports, and an overhead hatch. The standard forepeak hatch leaks, however. The icebox is large but poorly insulated.
Engine and Owner Modifications
The standard Universal 32-hp four-cylinder diesel pushes the Cal 35 past 7 knots while burning less than a gallon per hour. Several owners describe it as very smooth and quiet.
Several owners also moved the pedestal four inches forward and replaced the standard 28-inch wheel with a 36-inch wheel.
Known Issues
In addition to the leaking forepeak hatch and poorly insulated icebox, owners report a mainsheet system with two travelers that several sailors found over-complicated.
One owner documented substantial water entry through the anchor-locker drains and at the cutless-bearing strut mount. Some boats built in Tampa after 1982 showed blistering and other problems.
Cal Yachts’ later corporate turmoil brought the line to an end. Even so, the Cal 35’s construction has aged without the deck-leak complaints that affect many of her contemporaries.
The Verdict
The Cal 35 is a thoughtfully engineered late-Lapworth cruiser that balances performance and livability. A few specific details let her down, rather than any systemic weakness.
She rewards sailors who accept her on her own terms: reaching and running hard while living with her tender motion and limitations upwind.
Pros
- Long waterline and 40 percent ballast ratio in a 13,000-pound hull
- Small turning circle from the spade rudder and fin keel
- Mark II interior with a roomy head and substantial forward double
- Quiet, efficient Universal diesel that pushes the boat past 7 knots
Cons
- Somewhat tender and weak upwind in light air and chop
- Leaking forepeak hatch and poorly insulated icebox
- Over-complicated dual-traveler mainsheet system
- Risk of blistering in some Tampa-built boats produced after 1982
