Endeavour 35 Buyer's Guide
The Endeavour 35 occupies an interesting position on the used-boat market: a production cruiser-racer from the mid-1980s that delivers noticeably more sail area and beam than many contemporaries of similar length, yet remains within reach of buyers who want genuine offshore capability without moving into the premium bracket. Designer Bruce Kelley's brief was explicit — upwind performance without sacrificing interior volume — and that duality defines what shopping for one is actually like. You are looking at a moderate-displacement fin-keeler with a stiff, heavily ballasted hull and a sail plan that will surprise you if you are used to the more conservative cruising sleds of the same era. Roughly three hundred were built between 1983 and 1987, which means the pool is neither vast nor drying up; patience and a willingness to look across the eastern seaboard and the Gulf Coast will usually turn up a respectable selection.
Layouts on the Used Market
Three-cabin arrangements are the more common configuration on the used market, taking advantage of the generous twelve-foot beam to fit a forward V-berth, a mid-ship or aft owner's cabin, and a dedicated saloon that can sleep additional crew. Two-cabin variants do come up, typically configured to maximise saloon space, and they suit couples who value a larger common area over the extra stateroom. Either way, headroom through the cabin is usable for average-height sailors — a selling point Endeavour emphasized at the time. The galley is generally positioned to port, and most boats retain the original layout intact; major interior reconfigurations are uncommon on this model.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The Perkins 4-108 diesel was the standard auxiliary, and most boats on the market still carry it. These engines have a long service record in the marine world and parts remain available, which makes condition assessment straightforward for any competent mechanic.
Among deck gear, biminis and dodgers are commonly fitted — most owners added them early in the boat's life, and it would be unusual to find an example without at least one of the two. Autopilots are similarly prevalent, reflecting the boat's crossover appeal to coastal cruisers. Air conditioning, solar panels, and a spinnaker kit appear frequently enough that their presence should not be treated as a special find, though you will want to assess the age and condition of each installation independently.
Owner upgrades tilt toward modern passage-making equipment. Watermakers and inverters turn up on a meaningful proportion of examples, particularly boats that have spent time on the Intracoastal Waterway or have been prepped for offshore legs. Chartplotters and radar are often fitted, occasionally as aging units that will need replacement. Lithium battery banks and electric winches represent a more ambitious tier of upgrade — less common, but not rare on boats whose owners made a deliberate investment in modernizing the electrical system. Swim platforms, dinghy davits, and asymmetric spinnaker gear complete the picture of what a well-equipped example might carry.
What to Inspect
The hull-to-deck joint deserves careful attention. The Endeavour 35 uses a flanged joint sealed with adhesive compound and fastened with stainless steel through-bolts, then capped with teak Endeavour 35 Sailboat Specifications. Over four decades the teak cap can lift, the compound can crack, and the joint can weep in ways that are not obvious at a casual glance. Probe the joint all the way around, look for any soft spots in the deck coring adjacent to it, and check the bilge under the chainplates for evidence of long-term intrusion.
Deck coring is a broader concern. The cabin top, deck, and cockpit sole all incorporate closed-cell foam and plywood sandwich construction Endeavour 35 Sailboat Specifications. Plywood core adjacent to any deck fitting — stanchion bases, winch pads, cleats — is vulnerable to saturation if the bedding has failed. Tap the deck systematically and have any dull or hollow returns investigated before purchase.
The rudder construction — solid high-density foam with a fiberglass skin and a stainless steel post — is straightforward, but the stuffing box where the post exits the hull is a routine maintenance item that is sometimes deferred Endeavour 35 Sailboat Specifications. Confirm it is not weeping excessively and that the post itself shows no signs of corrosion or play.
The standing rigging is 9/32-inch stainless steel, with chainplates through-bolted to structural bulkheads Endeavour 35 Sailboat Specifications. On a boat of this age, chainplate inspection is non-negotiable: remove the interior trim to expose the plate-to-bulkhead connection and look for rust staining, cracking, or delamination in the surrounding laminate. The Kenyon double-spreader mast is generally reliable, but survey any aloft hardware that has not been recently replaced.
The capsize screening ratio of 2.06 sits just above the offshore threshold of 2.0, which is worth acknowledging without alarm — this is a coastal and bluewater cruiser that performs well in the conditions it was designed for, not a purpose-built offshore racer Review of Endeavour 35 - www.yachtdatabase.com.
The Perkins 4-108 is a known quantity. Check for weeping injectors, assess the raw-water impeller and heat exchanger history, and confirm the engine mounts have been replaced within living memory. Hours are less meaningful than maintenance documentation on an engine of this vintage.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Endeavour 35 trades most actively in the United States, with the heaviest concentration along the East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes, though examples turn up in Canada as well. The model is uncommon in European waters but not entirely absent. Given the relatively small production run, the market can thin out in any given season, and waiting for the right example rather than settling for one with deferred maintenance is generally worth the patience.
Before making an offer, work through this checklist:
- Hull-to-deck joint inspected full perimeter, teak cap probed for adhesion and coring softness beneath
- Deck coring sounded systematically, all hardware-adjacent areas confirmed dry
- Chainplates removed and inspected, bulkhead attachment points assessed
- Rudder post examined for play, stuffing box confirmed watertight
- Standing rigging age documented, masthead and spreader hardware assessed aloft
- Perkins 4-108 service history reviewed, compression tested, raw-water cooling system inspected
- All owner-fitted electronics and electrical upgrades evaluated for age and installation quality
- Any AC system, solar installation, or battery bank assessed for capacity and current condition
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Endeavour 35. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 6 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25 | 2 | $ 25,500 | — |
| Jul 25 | 3 | $ 25,900 | +1.6% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $ 25,900 | 0.0% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $ 34,983 | +35.1% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $ 82,144 | +134.8% |
| May 26 | 5 | $ 29,900 | -63.6% |
Where they're listed
Endeavour 35 listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 8 (80.0%), followed by Canada.
Country view
10 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 27,900 | 8 | 4 | 80.0% |
| Canada | $ 34,886 | 2 | 1 | 20.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moody 35 | 34.5' | $ 64,062 | 24 | 2 |
| Endeavour 33 | 33' | $ 20,450 | 18 | 4 |
| Hinterhoeller Niagara 35 | 35' | $ 25,000 | 15 | 5 |
| Niagara 35 | 35.08' | $ 28,807 | 15 | 1 |
| Endeavour 37 | 37' | $ 29,000 | 15 | 3 |
| Endeavour 35You are here | — | $ 29,900 | 12 | 6 |
| Endurance 35 | 35.27' | $ 49,000 | 11 | 4 |