Her waterline-rich, 35-foot hull has a distinctive blue sheer stripe and a profile often compared with Baltic, Swan, and Sweden yachts of the period.
Design and Construction
The Pretorien 35 has a solid fiberglass hull, hand-laid in several layers of bi-directional cloth. Six longitudinal stiffeners run the full length of the hull and tie into athwartship fiberglass beams. Bulkheads are bonded to the hull and deck, then reinforced with fiberglass strips passed through drilled holes. Practical Sailor
The deck is balsa-cored in strips, with resin-coated gaps intended to limit water migration. It is solid only where hardware is attached. The flanged hull-deck joint is glassed over and secured with stainless fasteners, which also pass through the toe rail and stanchion bases. Before leaving the factory, every boat underwent a 24-hour hose-down in a pond to prove leakproofness.
The modified fin keel carries 6,000 pounds of lead on a stub and is secured with 3/4-inch stainless bolts. A deep, skeg-hung rudder extends aft from the skeg on a stainless assembly. This arrangement provides solid steering authority in heavy seas.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The rig reflects the priorities of its era: a high-aspect mainsail and large foretriangle in a masthead configuration. Double spreaders are supported by four pairs of shrouds, along with a baby stay and running backstays. One owner said the baby stay was necessary to keep the mast from pumping in a breeze. All running rigging is concealed inside the mast and booms.
With a 46 percent ballast ratio and a displacement-length ratio of 225, the Pretorien has a stiff, seakindly motion that owners prize. She points higher than comparable 35-foot cruisers and steers with less effort than other boats of her size. She is dry to weather in 30 knots.
In lighter air, she needs 6 to 8 knots of breeze to move well. Racers report that she sails to her handicap with a 150 percent genoa in 8 knots, but performance with a sail inventory limited to a 135 percent genoa is dismal below 10 to 12 knots.
Accommodations
Below, cherry surfaces and three windows on each side help keep the saloon bright. Standing headroom is 6 foot 3 inches, and a large table sits on the centerline. Practical Sailor
The U-shaped settee to starboard converts into a 78-by-48-inch double berth. The port settee provides a sea berth with a lee cloth. Opposite the U-shaped galley, the navigation station has room for charts and instruments. The galley’s ceramic-tile counter is a Wauquiez signature.
The aft port cabin closes with a hard door and contains a 76-by-50-inch berth. Forward, the enclosed V-berth measures 81 by 80 inches, with 6 foot 2 inches of headroom in the peak. Two 33-gallon water tanks are installed beneath the settees, and a wine locker with a wicker door runs along the hull.
Ventilation and Deck Layout
Ventilation is marginal despite three opening hatches, two forward “UFO” vents, and saloon cowls. Under Lloyd’s Rules at the time, the boat was certified without opening portlights, though several owners later added ports. Cruising World
The placement of the winches and bridgedeck traveler makes it difficult to fit a useful dodger. Once a dodger is installed, the forward Lewmar 46 primary winches further complicate sheeting.
Below, neither the galley nor the navigation station has handholds. Only overhead rails are fitted, which can make fore-and-aft movement dicey in rough weather.
Engine, Systems, and Refit Concerns
Most Pretorien 35s left the factory with Volvo saildrives rated at either 23 or 28 horsepower. Many engines have since been rebuilt or replaced. The 28-horsepower version drives the boat at 6.5 knots. Cruising World
Several owners have experienced electrolysis in the saildrive’s aluminum unit, and lapses in grounding have been noted. Some imported boats instead had a conventional shaft installation, but this arrangement used badly angled, inefficient propellers.
Battery placement beneath the port quarterberth takes up storage and sits too far aft, offset by starboard lazarette gear.
The icebox has only 2 to 3 inches of insulation and sits close to the engine, prompting some owners to rebuild it. One owner also reported minor blistering.
Ownership
Owners keep their boats for an average of nine years. Several moved up from smaller Wauquiez models, a quiet testament to the marque’s pull.
The Verdict
The Pretorien 35 is a thoughtfully engineered French cruiser that rewards careful ownership. Her structure is conservative and robust, her motion is kind, and her accommodations are clever, though period ventilation and the lack of well-placed handholds introduce some compromises.
She suits a sailor who values a seakindly hull and is willing to address the saildrive and icebox weaknesses.
Pros
- Stiff, seakindly ride from a 46 percent ballast ratio and 225 displacement-length ratio
- Strong, well-stiffened solid hull with a leak-tested factory finish
- Deep, skeg-hung rudder with predictable steering in heavy weather
- Bright cherry interior, generous berths, and Wauquiez’s signature tile galley
Cons
- Marginal ventilation because factory portlights don’t open
- Dodger installation conflicts with the primary winches and traveler arrangement
- Aluminum saildrive is prone to electrolysis, with some grounding faults noted
- Thin icebox insulation close to the engine
- No lower handholds at the galley or navigation station
