With a long keel, canoe stern, abundant wood trim, and classic lines, the Sunrise 35 resembles a small ship inside and out. She displaces 22,000 pounds and carries 8,500 pounds of iron ballast, placing her squarely among heavy cruisers. Her proportions suit a voyaging boat designed for steadiness rather than speed.
Design and Construction
Young Sun built the Sunrise 35 in the Far East using skilled craftspeople. The solid-fiberglass hull has a long keel and attached rudder. Owners report that the hull is 1-3/8 inches thick around the turn of the bilge.
The ballast ratio is 39 percent, higher than 46 percent of comparable designs, and the displacement-length ratio of 319 confirms her heavy-cruiser classification. Her 1.68 capsize screening value and Motion Comfort Ratio of 39.1 place her among the more reassuring offshore candidates; the comfort figure exceeds that of 97 percent of similar sailboats. A length-to-beam ratio of 2.98 also indicates that she is roomier than 73 percent of her peers.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The cutter rig has a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.28. That’s modest for lively performance but consistent with the boat’s 22,000-pound displacement and 409 square feet of wetted surface. Period observations cite a calculated top speed of about 4.9 knots, compared with a theoretical displacement-hull maximum of 7.5 knots.
Owners describe the Sunrise 35 as slow, safe, and steady under sail. She’s never a racer, but she is considered very able when conditions get rough. The standing rigging is reported to be sound.
One owner identifies the wood mast and boom as the single caveat. The spars are beautiful and strong, but timber calls for different upkeep than aluminum. Design data specifies 14 mm sheets for the jib, genoa, mainsheet, and spinnaker, with the mainsheet the longest at 87.5 feet.
Accommodations
The interior is finished entirely in teak. The extensive, finely worked timber can surprise visitors and gives the cabin the feeling of a home rather than a bare fiberglass shell.
Deep settees flank a low table that raises and lowers easily. In its upright position, the table is easy to pass; when lowered, it matches the height of the seats. A full navigation table adjoins a quarter berth that owners say is roomier than expected. Headroom is a generous 6 feet 4 inches, and gull-wing windows open for ventilation.
Overall, the interior feels tidy and finely lined—a proper cruising cabin rather than an open-plan racer’s saloon.
Layout and Known Issues
The same interior layout can create real friction in daily use. The table blocks access to the settee, with no way around it, so anyone taking a seat must step over. Near the navigation station, a corner sits roughly 10 inches from the engine cover, leaving a tight squeeze for service access.
Several doorways also sit close together: one leads from the head to the berth, while another connects the passageway with the berth. Moving through them in such a small space can feel almost claustrophobic. These compromises come from fitting a home-like teak interior, full navigation station, and quarter berth into a 35-foot boat.
The Verdict
The Sunrise 35 is a heavily built cruiser with seakindly motion and a richly finished interior that feels like a house afloat. She isn’t quick, and her layout trades easy movement for interior volume and cabinetry. For a buyer who wants a steady, well-found voyager with classic lines and a protected cockpit, however, she makes a coherent case.
Pros
- Heavy-displacement, solid-fiberglass hull, with a 1-3/8-inch thickness around the turn of the bilge reported by owners
- Motion Comfort Ratio exceeding that of 97 percent of similar designs
- Full teak interior with deep settees, a quarter berth, and 6-foot-4-inch headroom
- Cutter rig with reportedly sound standing rigging and 14 mm sheet specifications throughout
Cons
- Table blocks access to the settee and must be stepped over
- Tight 10-inch gap between the navigation-station corner and engine cover
- Several closely spaced doorways make the passage feel cramped
- Wood mast and boom require different maintenance from aluminum spars
