Viko S 35 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The S 35 is built by Viko Yachts in Poland to a design from Sergio Lupoli's Italian studio, and the hull reflects a deliberate sporting brief. The hull itself is a full laminate using hand lay-up, while the deck is a foam sandwich; bulkheads are laminated to both hull and deck, and Yachting Monthly's reviewer found them bonded directly, which is reassuring for structural continuity anchor. Deep chines run most of the length of the hull and extend up to the mast, joined by a vertical stem and a concave transom in the stern area. A raised foot rail continues the freeboard and acts as a small bulwark, and moulded bulwarks run the length of the boat for outboard security. Stanchions slot into broad bases atop those bulwarks, spreading load nicely. The interior is finished in imitation wood-coated marine plywood considered very durable, though on the test boats Yacht's testers noted quite large differences in the wood finish between individual examples, with some surfaces appearing rough in places anchor.

Rig and Handling

The S 35 carries a double-spreader, high-fractional rig on a standard 13.5-metre mast, with around 51 square metres of standard sail area and customizable sail plans that allow an optional 1.5-metre taller mast and roughly twelve square metres more canvas, lifting the sail carrying capacity from 3.9 to 4.3. A full-width mainsheet traveller is set into the cockpit sole forward of the wheel pedestals, but the standard 4:1 purchase direct from traveller to boom is too weak to tension the main when the breeze builds, a shortfall testers on the Yacht test boat addressed with a charged extra tackle anchor. Under sail in 3 to 4 Beaufort, testers logged 5.5 knots and a 90-degree tacking angle, values identifying her as a pure cruising yacht; in weaker air she drops under five knots and tends to lean, though she otherwise steers neutrally. With the optional 30 hp Yanmar she reaches a 7-knot cruising speed, but noise in the aft cabin and cockpit then exceeds 80 decibels, which testers judged loud.

Accommodations

Below, the S 35 sleeps six. The saloon berths are straight, parallel and 1.88 metres long regardless of layout, and the aft-cabin berths run 1.85 metres. The two-cabin version places a large but flat aft berth under the deep cockpit floor that extends to starboard into otherwise unused space. Viko used no interior mouldings apart from the headlining and the heads, which maximizes stowage and allows access to the outer hull, though the solid moulded headlining leaves 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. The cockpit itself is deep and sheltered by high coamings, with twin 80-centimetre wheels and thwarts 1.55 metres long set 40 centimetres above the floor, the coaming another 44 centimetres above that.

Known Issues

Beyond the weak standard mainsheet, several detail shortcomings appeared in period testing. The coachroof non-slip finish left sizeable smooth areas, and some stanchion bases on the test boat already showed rust. The mast gate would not stay in place, the rudder bearings were stiff, and the rigging was under-tensioned with the leeward lower shroud waving in the breeze. Below, there were no catches to hold doors open, the companionway steps were smooth and flat (tricky when wet), nothing held those steps up for engine access, the galley lacked a crash bar, and testers found a total absence of engine insulation.

Ownership Notes

Standard equipment includes a compass, refrigerator, holding tank, bowsprit, hull windows and four small plus two large deck hatches, while the cockpit table, furling system and bathing platform are extras; the optional hinge-down bathing platform and moulded bowsprit for asymmetric spinnakers are available. Tankage is modest: about 140 litres of water in a bag and 60 litres of diesel, with a single 60 amp-hour battery in the standard spec. The yard offers a 2-year warranty against osmosis.

The Verdict

The Viko S 35 is a thoughtfully modern Polish-built cruiser with Italian sporting DNA. Her chined hull, customizable rig and genuinely sheltered deep cockpit make her an able coastal and offshore candidate in the CE A/B class, but buyers should budget for mainsheet and rigging upgrades and accept rough interior finish on some examples.

Pros