Design and Construction
Hulls were built from solid laminate fiberglass with a fiberglass structural grid system, while the deck used balsa coring anchor. The hull-to-deck union sat on an outward-turning flange dressed with an aluminum toe rail and fastened by stainless steel nuts, bolts, and washers. Below the waterline the hull was solid glass, consistent with the builder's established method of the era. The 35 originally offered a standard fin keel at 6' 6" or a winged bulb keel drawing 4' 6"; when the 35.5 appeared the fin option was discontinued, leaving the shoaler winged bulb as the only listed configuration.
Rig and Handling
The boat carried a fractional sloop rig, and most left the factory with a mainsail and 120-percent jib as standard equipment anchor. Auxiliary power came from a Yanmar 3GM diesel rated at 24 horsepower at 3,400 rpm, described in period review as more than sufficient for the hull. The combination of a moderate-displacement hull, beamy plan, and a modest but adequate engine made for a straightforward coastal cruiser rather than a performance racer.
Accommodations
Both the 35 and 35.5 shared a general arrangement: a v-berth forward, a portside dinette, and a starboard settee amidships anchor. Aft, the layout placed the galley to port and the head to starboard, with a navigation station between the head and settee and a double quarter berth running aft along the port side. The 35.5 refined this plan with a larger dinette and head but a smaller nav station. Its quarter-berth cabin gained room to move, and instead of the 35's fore-and-aft berth it held a substantial 7-by-5-foot athwart-ship berth — a notable improvement for two-person comfort at anchor.
Known Issues
A well-documented weak point on the 35.5 is the passage where the jib furling lines run through the foredeck, which acts as a common and persistent path for water into the balsa deck core anchor. Left unchecked, that penetration threatens the core itself. Separately, the original thin-gauge aluminum waste holding tank carries a maximum service life of roughly ten years, a limit any long-owned example will have exceeded and should have addressed.
The Verdict
The Hunter Legend 35 and 35.5 form a coherent late-1980s cruiser family: solid-glass hulls, balsa-cored decks, a forgiving shoal-keel option, and a practical three-cabin interior that the 35.5 upgraded with a proper double berth aft. The fractional rig with modest overlapping jib keeps sail handling manageable, and the Yanmar 3GM gives adequate motivation. Buyers should weigh the deck-core vulnerability at the furling-line penetrations and the dated holding tank against an otherwise sensible, well-built coastal cruiser.
Pros
- Solid laminate hull with structural grid and balsa-cored deck on an outward flange joint
- Shoal winged-bulb keel option (4'6") broadens gunkholing appeal
- 35.5's 7'x5' athwart-ship quarter berth greatly improves aft accommodation
- Adequate 24 hp Yanmar 3GM auxiliary
Cons
- 35.5 foredeck furling-line penetrations prone to persistent deck-core water ingress
- Original aluminum holding tank effectively timed out after ten years
- Fin-keel option lost with the 35.5 revision
