Design and Construction
Forgus Yachts built the 35 in solid fiberglass for both hull and deck, with lead ballast of roughly 6,400 pounds set in a fin keel. The ballast ratio sits at about 50 percent and the displacement-to-length ratio is a conservative 214, which together mark her as a steady, weight-bearing cruiser rather than a light racer. Her beam of 11.15 feet gives a length-to-beam ratio of 3.06, so the hull is relatively narrow by modern standards but carries enough beam to support three cabins without feeling pinched. The wetted surface is about 365 square feet, and with a hull speed near 7.3 knots she is built to move comfortably at cruising pace rather than to sprint. The capsize screening value of 1.91 places her within accepted offshore-cruising tolerance by that formula anchor, and the comfort ratio of 25.57 reinforces the picture of a stable, easy-motion hull.
Rig and Handling
The Forgus 35 is rigged as a masthead sloop with a sail area of 516 square feet, yielding a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.75 — enough to keep her lively in a breeze without demanding a large crew. The standing and running gear follow period practice: the jib and genoa sheets are both 34.1 feet long and half an inch in diameter, the mainsheet runs 85.3 feet at the same diameter, and a spinnaker sheet of 75.1 feet completes the light-air kit anchor. The fin keel draws between 5.91 and 6.21 feet depending on load, which limits her to major marinas but gives her a firm foothold when heeled. Her immersion rate of about 1,326 pounds per inch means she sits predictably as stores and water come aboard, a useful trait for load planning on a cruise.
Accommodations
Below, the boat is equipped with three cabins, a galley, and a toilet facility. The three-cabin arrangement was the standard layout and supports either a family cruising mode or a couple-with-guests setup. The solid-fiberglass construction and moderate beam mean the interior volume is honest rather than exaggerated, and the 29.86-foot waterline underpins a usable cabin length forward and aft.
Known Issues
The authority sources show no structural or systemic defects for this model. The principal practical caveat is the draft: at roughly six feet loaded, she cannot use shallow anchorages or modest club slips, and a buyer should confirm the specific marina depths against the 5.91–6.21 foot range. The other inherited limitation is simply her age and low production count — with only twenty-eight built, spares and class knowledge are thin compared with mass-market contemporaries.
The Verdict
The Forgus 35 is a modest, well-founded cruiser from the late seventies: narrowish, solidly built, and quietly capable. She rewards an owner who values a small, coherent class and predictable load behavior over volume or resale liquidity.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck with lead ballast at a 50% ratio
- Capsize screening value of 1.91 and comfort ratio near 26
- Three-cabin layout with galley and head as standard
- Predictable immersion rate of 1,326 lbs/inch for load planning
Cons
- Fin keel draws 5.91–6.21 ft, restricting marina access
- Only 28 built, so class support and spares are limited
- Sail-area/displacement ratio of 15.75 is modest, not sparkling
