Design and Construction
The 35.5 measures 35 feet 7 inches overall, with a 29-foot 9-inch waterline and a beam of 11 feet 9 inches carried well aft of amidships. Displacement is near 13,000 pounds, including 4,800 pounds of lead ballast in a 4-foot 6-inch winged bulb keel. Every 35.5 left the factory with this keel after Hunter dropped the fin-keel option offered on the earlier 35.
Hunter built the boat using its established method: a solid-laminate fiberglass hull with an internal fiberglass grid system. The deck is balsa-cored, with plywood reinforcement where deck fittings are attached.
The hull and deck meet at an outward-turning flange. An aluminum toe rail is bolted through that flange with stainless steel fasteners. It’s a straightforward, conventional structure for its era, and the grid system gives the chainplates secure purchase. The grid also gives the chainplates secure purchase; they sit well inboard, with single deck-entry points secured to the grid.
Rig, Deck Gear, and Handling
The fractional sloop rig carries a reported 569 square feet of sail area. The tested 1993 boat had a 7/8 Isomat double-spreader mast with traditional wire rigging and a backstay. The split backstay makes forestay tension easy to adjust, while a solid vang supports the boom.
From the factory, the fully battened mainsail came with a Dutchman flaking system. All halyards run inside the mast and exit through turning blocks at its base. Sail-control lines lead aft through deck organizers beneath a removable fiberglass pan. Four-gang line stoppers on either side of the companionway feed a pair of Andersen 40ST winches. The Harken furling drum is mounted below deck in the deep anchor locker.
Owners report that the shallow-draft rudder can reach the edge of control when the boat is heeled excessively.
Under power, a three-cylinder, 27-horsepower Yanmar 3GM diesel sits beneath the cockpit floor and turns a MaxiProp. With this propeller, prop walk in reverse is virtually nonexistent.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The deep, T-shaped cockpit is one of the features that makes the boat a practical owner’s boat and suits its role as a coastal cruiser. Below, a low bridge deck leaves the companionway passage unobstructed. The interior has oiled teak joinery and 6 feet 3 inches of headroom, while the teak-and-holly plywood cabin sole is fastened to the fiberglass grid.
Forward, double doors close off the V-berth. In the saloon, a table contoured to the settees wraps around the mast support.
The L-shaped galley is to port. Its deep double sink sits near the centerline in a J-shaped arrangement. Alongside are a gimbaled, two-burner Hillerange natural-gas stove and oven and a substantial, well-insulated, top-loading refrigerator.
The head compartment is to starboard of the companionway, with a small navigation table forward. A solid door aft of the galley leads to the aft cabin, which has a substantial athwartship berth.
Compared with the earlier 35, the 35.5 gained a larger dinette and head but a smaller navigation station. Its quarter-berth cabin also provides more room to move around, with a huge 7-by-5-foot athwartship berth replacing the earlier fore-and-aft arrangement.
Known Issues
Two structural and systems weaknesses are associated with these boats.
The factory aluminum holding tank, quoted at 14 gallons, is prone to internal corrosion. The thin-gauge tank used across the 35 and 35.5 line has a practical life expectancy of around ten years.
The balsa-cored deck is the second trouble spot. Water penetration into the core is a documented possibility, and on the 35.5 the route where the jib-furling lines pass through the foredeck is a common and persistent source of water ingress.
The Verdict
The Hunter 35.5 Legend is a thoughtfully laid-out coastal cruiser. Its shallow draft, deep T-shaped cockpit, and athwartship aft berth make it a practical owner’s boat. The Dutchman flaking system and cockpit-led controls make the rig easy to handle short-handed, while the MaxiProp all but eliminates prop walk in reverse.
The aluminum holding tank and penetrations in the cored deck are the two main ownership concerns, though neither is unusual for a boat of this generation.
Pros
- Shallow 4-foot 6-inch winged bulb keel with lead ballast, suited to accessible cruising
- Cockpit-led sail controls and Dutchman mainsail system simplify short-handed sailing
- MaxiProp produces virtually no prop walk in reverse
- Roomy aft cabin with a substantial athwartship berth
Cons
- Factory aluminum holding tank is prone to internal corrosion, with a practical life expectancy of around ten years
- Balsa-cored deck is vulnerable to water penetration where the jib-furling lines pass through the foredeck
- Shallow rudder is reported to reach the edge of control when the boat is heeled excessively
