Design and Construction
Both hull and deck are solid fiberglass, and the boat draws between 6.36 and 6.66 feet depending on load, which limits her to major marinas anchor. Her proportions are moderate—an length-to-beam ratio of 3.01 and a ballast ratio of 36 percent—with a wetted surface near 387 square feet and an immersion rate of about 244 kg/cm, figures that describe a hull that settles heavily under stowage rather than one that floats lightly. The capsize screening value of 1.84 places her within the range where the formula alone would admit her to offshore consideration, though that index is only one lens on a 13,200-pound cruiser.
Rig and Handling
As a fractional sloop she carries a sail plan built around a 771-square-foot total area, returning a relative speed performance index of 58—numbers that put her in the camp of a steady cruiser rather than a lively racer. The standing and running gear is plainly specified: jib and genoa sheets run 34.4 feet at half-inch diameter, the mainsheet is 86 feet of the same size, and the spinnaker sheet 75.6 feet, all 12 mm anchor. A shaft-drive transmission sits behind the single engine, the conventional arrangement for the class and era.
Accommodations
Below, the Friendship 35 is equipped with seven berths, a count that reflects a layout intended for family cruising or a full crew rather than a minimalist couple's boat. The beam of 11.5 feet gives the interior its width, and the 1980 start of production places her in the earlier solid-glass generation before the yard's later sandwich-construction models.
The Verdict
The Friendship 35 is a straightforward solid-fiberglass cruiser of moderate proportions, designed by Koos de Ridder and built by Jachtwerf Meijer from 1980. Her seven berths and lead-ballasted fin keel suit her to coastal and modest offshore use, while her draft keeps her to deeper harbors.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck construction
- Lead ballast fin keel with 36 percent ballast ratio
- Seven berths for cruising crews
- Conventional shaft-drive transmission
Cons
- Draft of 6.36–6.66 feet limits marina access
- Moderate sail-area-to-displacement ratio favors passage-making over speed
