Design and Construction
The Raider 35 has an overall length of 35 feet and a waterline of just over 24 feet. Beam is 10.5 feet, and the fin keel draws roughly five feet when loaded. Displacement is about 14,300 pounds, with the lead ballast bolted to that fin.
What defines the boat as a cruiser is not any one number, but the way those numbers come together. A displacement-to-length ratio of 443 puts it firmly in the ultra-heavy cruiser class. Combined with a length-to-beam ratio of 3.33, that describes a beamy, voluminous hull rather than a lean racer.
A motion comfort ratio of 34.9 and an immersion rate near 890 pounds per inch point to a boat that carries its load soberly and rides steadily in a seaway. The capsize screening value of 1.73 is within the range where, by that formula alone, the boat could be considered for offshore passage work. Its theoretical hull speed is 6.6 knots.
The bottom has about 26 square meters of wetted surface—a figure that will matter more to an owner facing a bottom job than to a sailor at the helm.
Rig, Sailing, and Handling
The Raider 35 has a masthead rig. Period recommendations for the running rigging are precise enough to remain useful decades later. Jib and genoa sheets are specified at 10.7 meters long and 14 mm in diameter. The mainsheet is 26.6 meters, and the spinnaker sheet is 23.4 meters, both using 14 mm line.
Those lengths say something about the cockpit geometry and the sweep of the sail plan: the mainsheet is long enough to lead comfortably, while the genoa sheet is sized for a deep foretriangle. The masthead rig and heavy displacement limit light-air performance, and this is not a boat intended to win buoy races.
Under power, performance depends on the engine. With a Yanmar 3GM30 and shaft drive, the calculated maximum speed is about five knots. With a Universal M35 using the same shaft-drive arrangement, the figure rises to 5.7 knots. Either way, the Raider 35 is happiest near its displacement hull speed rather than above it.
Accommodations
Below, the Raider 35 has a toilet facility and headroom described as above average for the type. On a 35-foot hull with this beam, that translates into a main saloon where the crew doesn’t have to stoop.
The sources don’t specify berth numbers or provide a galley layout. Still, the beamy hull and above-average headroom suggest livable interior volume rather than the sparse accommodations of a weekend racer. For a cruising couple or small family, that space is part of what the boat’s ultra-heavy-cruiser classification promises.
Refit and Ownership Considerations
The Raider 35’s mass and wetted area shape the ownership experience. A 14,300-pound solid-fiberglass hull with a 26-square-meter bottom brings recurring antifouling costs and the need for blister vigilance.
The shaft-drive Yanmar or Universal installations are mechanically straightforward, though they benefit from routine driveline inspection. The skeg-hung rudder is a robust arrangement for a cruiser of this weight, while the lead fin keel is a simple, repairable form.
Verdict
The Raider 35 is a deliberately old-fashioned cruiser: heavy, beamy, and built in solid fiberglass to late-1960s Dutch production standards. It won’t win a buoy race, but its comfort ratio, capsize screening value, and above-average headroom make it a sensible candidate for coastal—and potentially offshore—cruising, provided the crew has more patience than need for speed.
Pros
- Ultra-heavy displacement and a 1.73 capsize screening value suit loaded cruising
- Above-average headroom and a beamy hull provide substantial interior volume
- Solid-fiberglass hull and deck, with a skeg-hung rudder and lead fin keel
Cons
- Engine calculations limit maximum speed to about 5 to 5.7 knots
- The large wetted surface increases bottom-maintenance work
- The masthead rig and heavy displacement limit light-air performance
