Endurance 35 Buyer's Guide
The Endurance 35 is one of those rare boats that rewards patient buyers willing to do their homework. Designed by Spanish naval architect Peter Ibold in the late 1960s and built at the yard of Belliure S.A., this heavy-displacement ketch-rigged motorsailer was conceived from the outset for serious offshore work rather than weekend racing. The hull numbers were never enormous, which means the used pool is select rather than abundant — but for a buyer prioritising seakeeping over speed, the search is worth the effort. What you're buying is a substantially built full-keel cruiser with a motion comfort ratio that sits well above average for her class, a full-bodied interior that packs genuine liveaboard volume into 35 feet, and a track record in bluewater passages that speaks for itself. That heavy displacement and long keel do extract a price: she is not close-winded, and she will not hurry. If your sailing is about point-to-point racing or shallow-water gunkholing, look elsewhere. If it's about getting through a rough night offshore without the boat — or the crew — being shaken to pieces, the Endurance 35 makes a compelling case.
Layouts on the Used Market
The three-cabin arrangement is the more common configuration found on the used market, typically pairing a forward double or V-berth cabin with a main saloon and an after cabin, yielding six to seven berths in total. The standard layout as described in contemporary test reports offered a good galley and a large navigation area, both practical priorities for long-distance voyaging. The ketch rig with boomed staysail is essentially universal on used examples, and many boats carry the characteristic flush deck with doghouse that provides full standing headroom in the after saloon while keeping the forward deckhead somewhat lower. Some hulls were fitted with a stub bowsprit. The doghouse was built in either wood or fibreglass depending on the era and yard of construction, and both materials appear on the market; the wooden doghouses naturally require more attention.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Used examples are often well equipped for extended passages, reflecting the cruising ambitions of their typical owners. Solar panels, an autopilot, a chartplotter, a hot water system, an inverter, and a bow thruster are often found fitted, reflecting the liveaboard or long-range focus of many previous owners. These are less upgrades than baseline expectations for a boat of this type.
Further up the fitting-out ladder, heating systems, roller-furling mains, a bimini, swim platforms, teak decks, radar, AIS, and a life raft appear as owner upgrades or one-off installations rather than fleet-wide standards — you may find one or several of these aboard, but their presence varies boat to boat and should be verified rather than assumed. A number of Endurance 35s have completed circumnavigations, and boats with that kind of pedigree tend to arrive on the market heavily fitted out; the equipment list on such examples can be extensive, though age and service history of each item warrant independent assessment.
What to Inspect
The fibreglass hull on most examples is fundamentally sound, but osmotic blistering is an age-related concern on any GRP boat built from this era, and a professional osmosis survey is prudent before purchase. The long keel is a structural positive — there is no fin-keel attachment point to worry about — but the keel-to-hull join and any ballast encapsulation should be inspected closely for crazing or weeping.
The wooden or fibreglass doghouse is a focal point. On boats fitted with a wooden doghouse, look carefully for delamination, rot around deck fittings, and the integrity of the seal where it meets the fibreglass deck; this junction is a known source of leaks over time. Standing rigging on a ketch of this vintage should be assumed due for replacement unless there is documented recent renewal — shroud chainplates and their deck penetrations deserve particular scrutiny for hidden corrosion.
The standard engine is a Volvo Penta unit. These engines have a long service record in motorsailers, but hours, maintenance documentation, raw-water impeller condition, and heat exchanger integrity should all be checked. Motorsailers by design work their engines harder and more often than pure sailboats; a well-run engine log is a meaningful differentiator between listings. Through-hulls and seacocks on a boat of this age warrant replacement or at minimum thorough testing if they have not been recently addressed.
The design's noted comfort under way in heavy conditions is borne out by its ratios, but buyers should remember that the same full-bodied hull and long keel that produce a comfortable motion also mean the boat needs a good breeze to get going and is not particularly close-winded — this is a design characteristic, not a defect, but it informs how the boat should be rigged and sailed.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Endurance 35s appear most frequently in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, and Australia, with occasional examples across wider European and Asia-Pacific markets. This is fundamentally a northern European and Commonwealth bluewater boat, and most of the used inventory reflects that heritage. Buyers in those regions will find the supply manageable; those in other markets may need to be prepared to import.
The Endurance 35 rewards buyers who are not in a rush and are willing to spend time on a thorough survey. Her seakeeping qualities and interior volume are genuine strengths; her age means the inspection process must be diligent.
Pre-purchase checklist:
- Professional osmosis and hull survey by a qualified marine surveyor
- Doghouse integrity — seal to deck, wood rot if applicable, hatch condition
- Standing rigging and chainplate inspection, ketch rig included (two masts, two sets of chainplates)
- Engine hours, service history, raw-water system, and heat exchanger condition
- Through-hull and seacock condition and operation
- Keel-to-hull join and ballast encapsulation
- Electrical system audit, particularly if solar and inverter installations are owner-fitted
- Life raft service certification and flare expiry, if included in the sale
- Navigation electronics age and compatibility with current chart data
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Endurance 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. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 18,040 | — |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $ 15,602 | -13.5% |
| Mar 26 | 5 | $ 49,000 | +214.1% |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $ 55,913 | +14.1% |
| May 26 | 1 | $ 60,133 | +7.5% |
| Jun 26 | 2 | $ 37,383 | -37.8% |
Where they're listed
Endurance 35 listings appear across 6 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 4 (36.4%), followed by Malaysia and Netherlands.
Country view
11 listings · 6 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $ 39,721 | 4 | 2 | 36.4% |
| Malaysia | $ 49,000 | 2 | 0 | 18.2% |
| Netherlands | $ 55,866 | 2 | 1 | 18.2% |
| Australia | $ 15,602 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
| Spain | $ 14,699 | 1 | 1 | 9.1% |
| Greece | $ 112,778 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dufour 35 | 35.25' | $ 30,000 | 28 | 7 |
| Tradewind 35 | 35.01' | $ 60,099 | 20 | 2 |
| Pearson 35 | 35' | $ 19,000 | 16 | 4 |
| Nicholson Nicholson 35 | 35.25' | $ 37,399 | 13 | 3 |
| Endeavour 35 | 35.42' | $ 29,900 | 12 | 6 |
| Endurance 35You are here | — | $ 49,000 | 11 | 4 |
| Endurance 38 | 37' | $ 85,431 | 5 | 1 |