Design and Construction
Stephens' drawing gives the Impala 35 a semi-long fin keel trailing into a skeg-hung rudder, a combination that pairs directional security with the ability to carry sail in a seaway. The hull shows fairly pronounced waterlines and a more pronounced deckhouse profile than the S&S 34 it derives from, the visual cue to its enlarged cabin volume. As the first fiberglass hull from its builder, the Impala established the yard's production idiom in solid glass rather than a cored laminate, with lead ballast of 2.59 tonnes set against a 6.34-tonne displacement — a 40-percent ballast ratio that explains much of its steadiness. The engine sits under the hatch with the shaft exiting half a length between the keel and skeg, a layout shift from the S&S 34's mast-foot placement that frees the saloon centerline.
Rig and Handling
Rigged as a masthead sloop with 47.94 square meters of sail area, the Impala 35 carries enough canvas for its 7.80-meter waterline to feel alive without being overcanvased for short-handed offshore passages. Its large displacement is the source of marked course stability, the kind of trait that lets a watch-keeper trust the boat to hold a heading through a confused cross-sea. The 1.83-meter draft and 3.08-meter beam give it a planted footprint, and the skeg-supported rudder keeps steering authority when the hull is pressed. These are the bones of a design described from the start as built for the high seas rather than the buoy course.
Accommodations
Below, the Impala 35 follows the classic late-1960s and 1970s arrangement: a quarter berth occupies the port side aft of the companionway, immediately forward of a dedicated charting station so the navigator works close to the helm track. To starboard sits the galley, leaving the central dinette with settees and a center table that convert to extra berths. Forward, a V-berth closes out sleeping for three plus the dinette in two cabins. The layout is compact but purposeful — every station earns its footprint, and the chart table's proximity to the quarter berth suits a boat intended for passage-making rather than dockside lounging.
The Verdict
The Impala 35 is a Stephens-designed offshore sloop that translated the proven S&S 34 into a roomier, fiberglass-built 10-meter with a steadier motion and a more usable interior. Its Ostar result and market reception confirm a design that punched above its length. The trade-offs are those of its era: a snug cabin count and a profile that favors function over the open-plan volumes later buyers came to expect.
Pros
- Olin Stephens pedigree with documented single-handed ocean-race competence
- High course stability from a 40-percent lead-ballast displacement
- Skeg-hung rudder and semi-long fin for offshore steering security
- Purpose-built passage layout with aft quarter berth and adjacent chart table
Cons
- Only two cabins and three berths plus dinette limit guest capacity
- Enlarged deckhouse profile is a departure some may read as less sleek than the S&S 34
