Viko S 35 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Viko Yachts builds the S 35 in Poland. Its Sergio Lupoli-designed hull reflects a deliberate sporting brief, with deep chines running for most of its length and extending forward to the mast. A vertical stem and concave transom complete the profile.

The hull is a hand-laid full laminate, while the deck uses foam-sandwich construction. The bulkheads are laminated to both hull and deck. Yachting Monthly’s reviewer found them bonded directly to the structure, which is reassuring for structural continuity.

A raised foot rail continues the freeboard and forms a small bulwark. Moulded bulwarks run the length of the boat, adding security outboard, while the stanchions slot into broad bases on top of them to spread their loads.

Inside, the joinery is imitation wood-coated marine plywood, considered very durable. However, Yacht’s testers found quite large differences in the wood finish between individual test boats, with some surfaces appearing rough in places.

Rig, Sailing Performance, and Handling

The standard rig has two sets of spreaders and a 13.5-metre, high-fractional mast. Standard sail area is around 51 square metres. The sail plan can be customized with an optional mast that is 1.5 metres taller and carries roughly twelve square metres more canvas, increasing the sail-carrying capacity from 3.9 to 4.3.

A full-width mainsheet traveller is recessed into the cockpit sole ahead of the wheel pedestals. However, the standard 4:1 purchase running directly from traveller to boom is too weak to tension the mainsail as the breeze builds. Testers aboard the Yacht test boat addressed this shortcoming with a charged extra tackle.

In 3 to 4 Beaufort, testers recorded 5.5 knots and a 90-degree tacking angle—figures that identified the S 35 as a pure cruising yacht. In lighter air, speed falls below five knots and the boat tends to lean, although the helm otherwise remains neutral.

With the optional 30 hp Yanmar, the S 35 reaches a cruising speed of 7 knots. At that speed, however, noise in the aft cabin and cockpit exceeds 80 decibels, which testers considered loud.

Cockpit and Accommodation

The cockpit is deep and well sheltered by high coamings. It has twin 80-centimetre wheels and thwarts measuring 1.55 metres long. The thwarts sit 40 centimetres above the cockpit floor, with the coamings rising another 44 centimetres above them.

Below, the S 35 sleeps six. In either layout, the saloon has straight, parallel berths measuring 1.88 metres long, while the aft-cabin berths are 1.85 metres long. In the two-cabin version, a large but flat aft berth lies beneath the deep cockpit floor and extends to starboard into otherwise unused space.

Viko avoided interior mouldings apart from the headlining and the heads. This maximizes stowage and leaves the outer hull accessible. The solid moulded headlining is more restrictive: there is only one removable panel around the compression post and no access to the deckhead.

The forecabin is fairly basic, with a V-berth set noticeably low in the hull.

Equipment and Options

Standard equipment includes:

Compass
Refrigerator
Holding tank
Bowsprit
Hull windows
Four small and two large deck hatches

The cockpit table, furling system, and bathing platform are optional. Viko also offers a hinge-down bathing platform and a moulded bowsprit for asymmetric spinnakers.

Tankage is modest, with about 140 litres of water carried in a bag and 60 litres of diesel. The standard specification includes a single 60 amp-hour battery. The yard offers a 2-year warranty against osmosis.

Known Issues

Period testing identified several shortcomings beyond the weak standard mainsheet. The coachroof’s non-slip finish left sizeable smooth areas, and some stanchion bases on the test boat were already showing rust. The mast gate wouldn’t stay in place, the rudder bearings were stiff, and the rigging was under-tensioned—the leeward lower shroud waved in the breeze.

Below deck, there were no catches to hold the doors open. The companionway steps were smooth and flat, making them tricky when wet, and nothing held them up during engine access. The galley had no crash bar, and testers found a complete absence of engine insulation.

The Verdict

The Viko S 35 is a modern Polish-built cruiser shaped by an Italian sporting brief. Its chined hull, customizable rig, and genuinely sheltered deep cockpit make it a candidate for coastal and offshore sailing in the CE A/B class. Buyers should, however, budget for mainsheet and rigging upgrades and be prepared for rough interior finishing on some examples.

Pros