Tradewind 35 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The Tradewind 35 carries a standard layout that varies little between hulls, a consequence of the tight production run and the designer's clear intentions. Below decks, the arrangement typically offers a forward V-berth cabin, a comfortable saloon with settees that double as sea berths, a navigation station to starboard, a galley to port, and an aft double cabin. Full standing headroom throughout the saloon is a notable attribute for a thirty-five-foot boat of this era. The head compartment sits aft of the nav station.

On deck, the cutter rig is the defining characteristic. The mast is keel-stepped — an important detail for offshore confidence — and the standard arrangement supports both a furling genoa on the outer forestay and a staysail on an inner forestay. The cockpit is broad and deep, offering substantial protection, with wide side decks and high bulwarks making deck work safer than on many contemporaries. Some examples carry a bowsprit for flying a reaching sail. The cockpit's depth and generous coaming were noted as genuine assets during extended passages, though the large well can be slow to drain — something prospective buyers should verify has been addressed on any candidate boat.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Tradewind 35s on the used market commonly arrive well equipped by previous owners who prepared them for offshore work. Autopilots are almost universally fitted, as are chartplotters, AIS transponders, and radar — a reflection of the passage-making profile of the typical owner. Life rafts are a frequent inclusion. Heating systems appear on most examples, appropriate given that the majority of the fleet has spent its working life in northern European waters. Wind generators and solar panels are widely fitted, often together, providing meaningful energy independence at anchor. Dodgers are essentially standard, and hot-water systems are common enough to be expected rather than treated as a bonus.

Teak decks appear on a meaningful portion of the fleet, usually as original equipment or an early owner addition. While attractive and comfortable underfoot, they require close attention during survey — see the inspection section below. Bow thrusters and inverters appear on a number of boats, reflecting the preferences of owners who used these as liveaboards or extended-passage vessels. Spinnakers and biminis are seen with some regularity among boats that have cruised warmer latitudes. Gennakers turn up occasionally as an owner addition for off-wind performance in light air.

Rigging upgrades are a common thread through the ownership histories of well-prepared examples. Kopar's documented reinforcement of the bowsprit, bobstay, and chainplates on his race-prepared boat reflects a broader pattern worth noting: the original chainplates were deck-mounted with only a backing plate and no further load distribution to the hull structure, a design detail that many careful owners have addressed over the years by adding supplementary tie-rods or load-spreading hardware.

What to Inspect

The Tradewind 35's hull is solid fiberglass with encapsulated internal ballast — a meaningful advantage over keel-bolted designs, eliminating a common source of structural concern. However, several areas deserve focused attention during survey.

The deck is balsa- and ply-cored sandwich construction, and any deck fitting that has lost its bedding compound is a potential ingress point for moisture into the core. On older examples, teak decks can mask underlying core degradation. A thorough survey should include moisture readings across the entire deck, with particular attention around chainplate exit points, mast base, and any heavily loaded hardware. The mast is deck-stepped on at least some versions, and compression of the deck structure forward of the mast is a documented finding — Kopar discovered during his refit that the deck was compressed in this area, requiring a custom aluminum bracket to restore structural integrity. Any candidate boat should be checked for signs of compression or distortion around the mast partners and head doorframe.

The original chainplate installation was a deck-through arrangement with only a backing plate below, and the integrity of the current chainplate attachment — whether original or upgraded — is a priority inspection item. Check for movement at the deck penetration, staining on the interior headliner, and the condition of any load-distribution hardware that previous owners may have added.

The bowsprit, if fitted, and its associated bobstay and chainplate deserve close examination. Freeze damage to stainless tubing is a documented failure mode in northern climates, and the stainless components here carry significant rig loads.

The rudder is a skeg-hung design attached to the long keel — robust by nature, but worth confirming for play in the bearings and integrity at the skeg-to-keel joint. The running backstay system, which tensions the inner forestay, should be confirmed to be fully functional with all blocks, lines, and chainplates in sound condition. Engine access on full-keel boats of this era can be tight; verify that routine service can actually be carried out.

Cockpit drain capacity should be assessed. As observed during at least one delivery passage, the large cockpit can drain slowly, and in a heavy-weather scenario this is a genuine safety consideration. Confirm that drain hose sizes are adequate and that any modifications previous owners made to improve drainage are properly executed.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Tradewind 35 is predominantly a British and Dutch boat, and the used market reflects this strongly. The largest concentration of examples available at any given time will be found in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, with scattered examples turning up elsewhere in northern Europe and occasionally in the Caribbean or Atlantic Islands among boats that have already made offshore passages. North American buyers should expect to look to European brokers and plan for an Atlantic delivery or a container shipment; the design is simply not common in American waters.

Given the small production run, patience is a virtue. These boats do not turn over frequently, and the best-prepared examples tend to sell quickly among buyers who have been waiting for one. A well-surveyed, properly equipped Tradewind 35 represents a compelling proposition for the serious offshore sailor.

Pre-purchase checklist:

• Moisture survey of the entire cored deck, especially around chainplates, mast base, and any teak deck areas
• Chainplate inspection — verify whether original deck-mount arrangement has been supplemented with hull-tied load distribution
• Deck compression check forward of the mast and at the mast partners
• Bowsprit, bobstay, and associated stainless hardware for freeze damage or fatigue
• Keel-stepped mast confirmed to be in alignment and compression post intact
• Running backstay system fully operational
• Cockpit drain diameter and hose condition
• Rudder bearing play and skeg attachment integrity
• Engine service access and recent maintenance history
• Life raft certification, EPIRB registration, and offshore safety equipment serviceability