Through the 1980s, the Pawtucket 35 became one of Australia’s most popular production yachts. Many competed in the Sydney–Hobart, including Moon River II. Originally launched in Sydney as Saga, she was raced in the 1980 event by her first owner, Gary Allenby.
Design and Construction
The Pawtucket 35 has a fin keel, spade rudder, and lead ballast. Its hull and deck are solid fiberglass rather than cored laminate; the hull is glass-reinforced plastic.
The boat measures 34.97 feet overall, with a beam of 10.99 feet. Its length-to-beam ratio is 3.18, while the immersion rate is about 1,339 pounds per inch. That means it sits heavily for its size and resists being pushed down by added load or a stiff breeze. Wetted surface is about 376 square feet.
The capsize screening value is 1.92, placing the Pawtucket 35 within the range that, by that formula alone, would admit it to ocean racing. That number is consistent with the class’s many Sydney–Hobart entries.
Draft ranges from 5.91 to 6.21 feet, which can limit access to shallow anchorages and smaller marinas.
Rig, Handling, and Offshore Record
The Pawtucket 35 has a masthead rig. Its specified sheets are substantial: the mainsheet is 87.4 feet long and 14 mm in diameter, while the jib, genoa, and spinnaker sheets are each around 35 feet long, also at 14 mm diameter. Those figures point to a powerful reaching and downwind sail inventory.
Cole paid close attention to the offshore racing rules of the day, and the boat’s racing history reflects that focus. A heap of Pawtucket 35s contested the Sydney–Hobart over the years. Moon River II was also the smallest yacht in a fleet racing to islands off New Guinea, yet came through a savage storm without a problem.
Owners report that the design is strong, seaworthy, and easy to sail double-handed. That combination helps explain its popularity as both a racer and a cruiser.
Accommodation and Cruising Fit-Out
The Pawtucket 35 is roomier than 54 percent of comparable sailboat designs, a meaningful advantage in a 35-foot hull with a 10.99-foot beam.
A longtime owner of Moon River II described her as a wonderful cruising boat for a couple. That boat’s inventory included a gas oven and stove, a marine toilet with macerator, and an electric fridge added during a refit. It suggests a practical two-person interior rather than an arrangement intended for a charter crowd.
Moon River II also carried a big battery bank and large solar panels on the back davits. These additions show that the platform can accommodate self-sufficient cruising systems without rebuilding the core accommodation.
Ownership and Refit Example
The 1979 Peter Cole-designed Moon River II illustrates the sort of mid-life work these boats may receive. Her owner removed the mast and replaced all standing and running rigging. The refit also added big solar panels on the back davits, an electric fridge, and a big battery bank. The boat carried a solid twin-hulled dinghy.
Her electronics included HF and VHF radios, a depth sounder, a Navman GPS log and course plotter, and a Raymarine autopilot backed up by a Coursemaster 100. A 20 hp Bukh diesel provides propulsion. This list of owner-installed equipment shows that the hull readily absorbs modern cruising systems.
The Verdict
The Pawtucket 35 is an Australian cruiser-racer with a genuine offshore record and the capacity for double-handed passage-making. Its solid fiberglass construction, lead-ballasted fin keel, and masthead rig produced a boat that was fast by design and seaworthy by experience. It became popular in Australian waters through the 1980s and proved itself in the Sydney–Hobart.
This is no lightweight coastal toy, but a serious 35-footer. Its capsize screening value and immersion rate mark it as a boat built for the sea.
Pros
- Peter Cole design from the late 1970s, with explicit attention to offshore racing rules and a brief to be fast
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck, lead ballast, fin keel, and spade rudder
- Capsize screening value of 1.92 and extensive Sydney–Hobart participation
- Roomy for its size—more spacious than 54 percent of comparable designs
- Owners report that it is strong, seaworthy, and easy to sail double-handed
Cons
- Draft of 5.91 to 6.21 feet limits access to shallow anchorages and smaller marinas
