Hunter 35 Legend Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Hunter Legend 35 or its mid-run successor, the 35.5, means looking at boats from a production span that opened in late 1986 and closed with the 1995 model year. The two share the same 35-foot-7-inch hull and 11-foot-9-inch beam, but the 35.5 — introduced mid-1989 after deck and interior mold changes — dropped the original fin-keel choice and reworked the aft accommodations. Most examples afloat today are the later 35.5, and the differences below matter when you compare listings.
Layouts on the Used Market
Both versions place a v-berth forward, a port dinette and starboard settee in the saloon, and a port galley with starboard head aft, plus a nav station and quarter berth to port anchor. The 35.5 enlarges the dinette and head while shrinking the nav station, and replaces the 35's fore-and-aft quarter berth with a 7-by-5-foot athwart-ship double — a meaningful gain for liveaboard or two-couple use. The 35's fin keel (6'6") or winged bulb (4'6") gives way to the winged bulb alone on the 35.5, so shoal-draft seekers should confirm the later model.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Power comes from a Yanmar 3GM diesel rated 24 hp at 3,400 rpm, sufficient for these hulls anchor. Sail plans are fractional sloops, and most boats originally carried a mainsail with a 120-percent jib; any furling gear you see is a period or owner addition worth checking at the deck penetrations. Beyond the engine and standard sail inventory, buyer-consequential upgrades to verify include any added generator or watermaker (energy and tankage consequences), autopilot or modern navigation instruments, and canvas such as a dodger or bimini that protects the balsa-cored deck from sun and sheds water away from furling-line holes.
What to Inspect
On the 35.5, the spot where the jib furling lines pass through the foredeck is a documented, persistent source of water entering the balsa deck core anchor — sound the area with a moisture meter and tap for delamination. Also confirm the waste holding tank: the original thin-gauge aluminum unit was rated for about ten years, so any un-replaced example has long passed its design life and should be budgeted for replacement.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats change hands through general brokerage channels without a single dominant region. For a shopper, the short list is: confirm whether you are looking at a 35 (fin or bulb keel) or a 35.5 (bulb only, enlarged aft berth); sound the 35.5 foredeck around furling-line penetrations for core saturation; verify the holding tank is a modern replacement; and check the Yanmar 3GM's service history. A clean 35.5 with a replaced tank and sound deck core is the more practical buy for most cruising plans.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
10 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter 40.5 Legend | 40.17' | $ 69,000 | 55 | 10 |
| Hunter 37.5 Legend | 37' | $ 49,500 | 53 | 16 |
| Hunter 35.5 Legend | 35.58' | $ 36,213 | 51 | 9 |
| Beneteau Oceanis 35 | 32.78' | $ 145,000 | 50 | 13 |
| Gemini Legacy 35 | 35.33' | $ 173,000 | 43 | 6 |
| C&C 35-3 | 34.67' | $ 27,000 | 39 | 15 |
| Hunter 37 Legend | 37.5' | $ 31,497 | 32 | 8 |
| Hunter 35 Legend WK + 246 | 35.58' | $ 20,500 | 12 | 2 |
| Marlow-Hunter 36 Legend | 35.73' | $ 73,330 | 12 | 1 |
| Marlow-Hunter 37 | 39.08' | $ 180,000 | 10 | 7 |