Design and Construction
The Liberator 35 carries a length-to-beam ratio of 3.13, which makes her beamier than the typical slender racer of the era and, by one comparison, roomier below than 58 percent of similar designs anchor. Her displacement-length ratio of 228 places her among the "moderate racers" rather than heavy cruisers, yet 66 percent of comparable sailboats are heavier than she is. The keel is lead and the ballast ratio sits at 47 percent — higher than 85 percent of similar designs, a figure that speaks to a pronounced ability to resist heeling. With 4,740 pounds of lead on a 10,075-pound displacement and a fin-keel draft of roughly 5.4 to 5.7 feet depending on load, she draws little enough to enter most marinas. The hull is fibreglass with a wetted surface of about 333 square feet, and the immersion rate is about 1,059 pounds per inch, so she loads and trims in a predictable way.
Rig and Handling
The boat is a masthead sloop, and the standard running-rig estimates call for 14 mm sheets throughout: jib and genoa sheets of about 35 feet, a mainsheet of 88 feet, and spinnaker sheets of just over 77 feet anchor. Those dimensions tell you the cockpit is laid out for a full-size overlapping headsail plan rather than a self-tacking setup. Under power, the design may carry a Volvo Penta 2003 T diesel of 43 hp, which gives a calculated maximum of about 8 knots and sits above the theoretical 7-knot displacement hull speed. The capsize screening value is 2.08, a number that would bar her from sanctioned ocean races, and her Motion Comfort Ratio of 20.9 is below average, so she is built for coastal and moderate offshore use rather than heavy-weather passage-making pedigree.
Accommodations and Tankage
Below, the Liberator 35 was laid out around a fresh water capacity of 80 US gallons and a fuel tank of 49 US gallons, figures that support extended cruising without resorting to jerry cans. The beamy hull form noted above translates the 11.25-foot width into usable interior volume rather than sheer deck sprawl.
Known Issues
The central buyer caution is build provenance: because the Liberator 35 was produced at yards beyond Colvic Craft PLC, finishing standards and structural detail can differ from one hull to the next. A buyer should not assume a given boat matches Colvic's own molding practice without verification of where and how it was completed.
The Verdict
The Liberator 35 is a Dubois-designed, moderate-displacement masthead sloop whose high ballast ratio and beamy hull give her poise under sail and room below, within a draft that keeps her marina-friendly. The thin documented defect history and the spread of non-Colvic builds mean condition is everything at the individual-hull level.
Pros
- High 47 percent ballast ratio resists heeling better than 85 percent of similar designs
- Beamy 3.13 L/B hull offers more space than 58 percent of comparable boats
- Shallow-enough fin keel (about 5.4–5.7 ft) enters most marinas
- Fibreglass hull with predictable 1,059 lb/inch immersion rate
Cons
- Motion Comfort Ratio below average
- Capsize screening of 2.08 excludes her from ocean racing
- Built at multiple yards, so finish and structure vary by hull
