Design and Construction
The 353 is 35 feet overall, with a 28.5-foot waterline and a 12-foot beam. She displaces 13,000 pounds and carries 4,700 pounds of lead ballast in a fixed fin keel drawing 5.75 feet.
Huntingford designed her as a recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim. The wood gives the interior its period warmth, while the boat retains a straightforward solid-glass structure. A raised counter and reverse transom define the stern, while the raked stem carries the bow forward.
Below the waterline, the fixed fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder make up a conventional cruising configuration. Her 36.15 ballast-to-displacement ratio and 2.04 capsize screening value place her firmly in the moderate coastal-cruiser bracket rather than at the offshore extreme. A displacement-length ratio of 250.7 confirms a heavy, volume-oriented hull for her length—one that trades outright sprinting speed for steadiness and calm when carrying a load.
Rig and Handling
The Cooper 353 carries a masthead sloop Bermuda rig, with a 45.5-foot foretriangle and a 40-foot mainsail luff. Total sail area is 561.25 square feet. A symmetrical spinnaker may be carried downwind, extending the boat’s usefulness in light reaching conditions without changing her essential sloop character.
Wheel steering controls the skeg-hung rudder, while an inboard engine with a saildrive provides power for docking and maneuvering. Based on the 28.5-foot waterline, hull speed is 7.15 knots. She reaches that natural limit predictably and without drama once the bow wave settles.
Accommodations
The Cooper 353 sleeps five. A double V-berth fills the forward cabin. In the main cabin, a U-shaped settee wraps around a drop-down dinette table, with a straight settee opposite.
The galley is to port, just forward of the companionway ladder, and the navigation station faces it to starboard. This practical split keeps the cook clear of the chart table and places systems monitoring on the windward side. The head is tucked to starboard, just aft of the bow cabin, close to the forward berth but separated from the main living area.
Overall, the layout favors a cruising couple with occasional guests rather than a large charter crowd.
Verdict
The Cooper 353 is a measured, well-proportioned Canadian cruiser that reflects Huntingford’s late-1970s approach: a beamy, moderately ballasted hull, a practical split-plan interior, and an uncomplicated rig. She asks little of her owner beyond normal fiberglass-boat upkeep and rewards careful seamanship with steady, predictable motion.
Pros
- Moderate 36.15 ballast ratio and 2.04 capsize screening value suit coastal cruising
- Practical port-galley and starboard-navigation-station arrangement
- Five-berth layout with a private forward head
- Conventional masthead sloop rig with a spinnaker option
Cons
- 5.75-foot draft limits access to shallow anchorages
