Nicholson 35-1 Buyer's Guide
The Nicholson 35-1 is a medium-displacement offshore cruiser built by Camper & Nicholson from 1971, with production tailing off in the early 1980s and just over 200 completed. Most were sold in England, but a fair number reached American owners and others crossed later. On the used market you are looking at a solid-glass hull with an encapsulated lead keel, simple masthead rig, and a deep protective cockpit — a boat meant for serious cruising rather than dock-side show.
Layouts on the Used Market
Two interior navigational layouts dominate the fleet. One uses an aft-facing nav station that borrows the dinette for a seat; that version deletes the quarterberth in favor of an extra cockpit locker and adds a raised belowdecks watch seat by the companionway. The other fits a forward-facing nav station using the quarterberth as a seat, retaining that aft berth. All boats share a forward V-berth cabin with generous foot room, a full-width head, a starboard U-dinette, and a galley with small sink and a five-cubic-foot icebox. Early boats show white melamine bulkheads and molded teak fiddles; later ones went to lighter teak-veneered bulkheads and aluminum fiddles, and added a cutlery drawer under the counter.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Chartplotter, autopilot, and life raft are commonly fitted on brokerage boats. Beyond those, owners have frequently added capabilities for extended voyaging: solar panels, wind generators, and inverters appear as often-seen energy upgrades, while heating and bow thrusters show up less regularly. A number of boats carry AIS or radar, and some are offered having completed a transatlantic or circumnavigation. Teak decks were a factory option but not a commonly chosen one, so most survivors have the original glass deck.
What to Inspect
Engine access is poor in both the early hydraulic-drive and later V-drive layouts, so confirm you can reach belts and seals — on V-drive boats with a quarterberth, the only front access is through that berth anchor. Early hydraulic-drive boats show a prop shaft exiting the aft end of the keel; later ones use an exposed shaft and strut with the engine further aft. Check the forward cabin for weak ventilation — the standard Tannoy hatch vent moves little air, and early boats have no deck fill for the molded water tank, filled only from inside. Inspect the shroud chainplates, heavy stainless hairpins just inboard of the low bulwarks, for bedding integrity at the beam shelf. Later boats should have transom flapper scuppers in addition to cockpit scuppers; without them a pooping can fill the deep cockpit nearly to the hatch.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats turn up in the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, and Netherlands. When you go to view one, run through this short list:
- Confirm engine access path for the specific drive type.
- Check chainplate bedding at the bulwarks.
- Verify forward-cabin vent operation.
- Look for later transom scuppers on deep-cockpit boats.
- Note early vs late rig and galley fittings before negotiating.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Nicholson 35-1. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 8 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25 | 1 | $59,000 | — |
| Sep 25 | 2 | $36,656 | -37.9% |
| Nov 25 | 1 | $38,063 | +3.8% |
| Dec 25 | 1 | $55,351 | +45.4% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $47,579 | -14.0% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $18,386 | -61.4% |
| Jul 26 | 2 | $42,447 | +130.9% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $47,579 | +12.1% |
Where they're listed
Nicholson 35-1 listings appear across 3 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 8 (80.0%), followed by Italy and Netherlands.
Country view
10 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $41,122 | 8 | 3 | 80.0% |
| Italy | $29,132 | 1 | 0 | 10.0% |
| Netherlands | $55,351 | 1 | 0 | 10.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dufour 35 | 35.25' | $ 30,000 | 26 | 1 |
| Pearson 35 | 35' | $ 19,000 | 17 | 7 |
| Nicholson 36 | 36.25' | $ 29,000 | 16 | 1 |
| Moody 36-1 | 36' | $ 47,576 | 14 | 3 |
| Hinterhoeller Niagara 35 | 35' | $ 25,000 | 14 | 4 |
| Nicholson 35-1You are here | — | $ 41,122 | 10 | 3 |
| Nicholson Nicholson 35 | 35.25' | $ 39,424 | 10 | 2 |