Design and Construction
Bern's 35-foot hull is fiberglass in a sandwich layup, a construction the original review notes improves the indoor climate — the same thermal-isolation logic behind the marque's later sandwich boats. The hull carries 4,409 pounds of lead ballast against a 12,992-pound displacement, a 34 percent ballast ratio that, with the 5.9-foot bulb fin, puts the center of gravity low for a boat of this length. The beam is 10.83 feet on a 35.83-foot overall length, a length-to-beam ratio of 3.19 that keeps the topsides reasonably narrow without going slab-sided. The wetted surface runs about 398 square feet, and the displacement-length ratio of 187 places her among what the data calls moderate racers rather than heavy voyagers.
Rig and Handling
The fractional sloop rig is the headline. With the ISO reference sail the sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 16.8, rising to 19.4 with a 135 percent genoa, and the review records that she carries more rig than 76 percent of similar sailboats — significantly overrigged by that measure. The Relative Speed Performance index reads 86, and the theoretical displacement-hull speed is 7.5 knots; the calculated maximum under the Yanmar 3GM is about 6.0 knots. The capsize screening value is 1.88, and the Motion Comfort Ratio is 24.9, the latter a moderate figure that, with the immersion rate of about 1,197 pounds per inch, tells you she settles predictably under load rather than skittering. The draft of 5.91 to 6.21 feet varies with load, which keeps her out of shallow anchorages but steadies her on a heel.
Accommodations and Layout
The CE Class A ocean certification is the clearest statement of intended use for this narrow-beam cruiser. The 47-gallon water and 21-gallon diesel capacity frame her as a coastal-and-offshore cruiser rather than a long-haul liveaboard by tankage alone.
Known Issues
The saildrive transmission is fitted per the source record.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership centers on a small fleet — under 200 built — from a single Swedish builder, with a Yanmar 3GM diesel driving a saildrive. The numbers that matter for living with her — immersion rate, comfort ratio, ballast ratio — are stable and unremarkable, suggesting a boat that asks for routine fiberglass and rig care rather than constant structural attention.
The Verdict
The Comfortina 35 is a Thomas Bern design from a Swedish builder that trades volume for pace: overrigged for her size, certified for ocean class, and built in small numbers with a thermally isolated sandwich hull. She is a sailor's boat rather than a condo at anchor, and the modest production and considered design speak for themselves.
Pros
- Fractional rig with sail-area-to-displacement up to 19.4 under genoa — overrigged versus peers
- Sandwich fiberglass hull built to improve interior climate
- CE Class A ocean certification on a 34 percent ballast-ratio bulb-fin hull
- Low production (under 200) from a known Swedish builder
Cons
- Draft of 5.9–6.2 feet limits marina and anchorage access
