Design and Construction
Stan Huntingford laid out the 353 as a recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, a combination that gives the interior its period warmth without departing from a straightforward solid-glass structure. The raised counter and reverse transom shape the stern profile, while the raked stem carries the bow forward. Beneath the waterline, the fixed fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder describe a conventional cruising configuration, and the 36.15 ballast-to-displacement ratio paired with a 2.04 capsize screening value place her firmly in the moderate coastal-cruiser bracket rather than the offshore extreme. The 250.7 displacement-length ratio confirms a heavy, volume-oriented hull for her length, one that trades outright sprint for steadiness and load-carrying calm.
Rig and Handling
The 353 wears a masthead sloop Bermuda rig with a 45.5-foot foretriangle and a 40-foot mainsail luff, totaling 561.25 square feet of canvas. A symmetrical spinnaker may be carried for downwind work, extending her usefulness in light reaching conditions without altering the essential sloop character. The skeg-hung rudder is controlled by a wheel, and an inboard engine with a saildrive provides docking and maneuvering power. With a hull speed of 7.15 knots derived from the 28.5-foot waterline, she reaches her natural limit predictably and without drama once the bow wave settles.
Accommodations
Below, the Cooper 353 sleeps five. A double V-berth occupies the bow cabin, while the main cabin pairs a U-shaped settee around a drop-down dinette table with a straight settee opposite. The galley sits on the port side just forward of the companionway ladder, with the navigation station facing it to starboard — a practical split that keeps the cook clear of the chart table and puts systems monitoring on the windward side. The head is tucked just aft of the bow cabin on the starboard side, close to the forward berth yet separated from the main living space. The arrangement favors a cruising couple with occasional guests over a large charter crowd.
The Verdict
The Cooper 353 is a measured, well-proportioned Canadian cruiser that embodies the late-1970s Huntingford approach: a beamy, moderately ballasted hull with 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 screen suit coastal cruising
- Practical port galley / starboard nav-station split
- Five-berth layout with private forward head
- Conventional masthead sloop with spinnaker option
Cons
- 5.75-foot draft limits shallow anchorage access
