Design and Construction
The Pretorien 35 is built around a solid fiberglass hull laid up by hand in several layers of bi-directional cloth, with six longitudinal stiffeners running the full length and tied into athwartship fiberglass beams for structural integrity anchor. Bulkheads are bonded to hull and deck, and reinforced by fiberglass strips passed through drilled holes. The deck is balsa-cored in strips with gaps between them, coated in resin to limit water migration, and left solid only where hardware attaches. A flanged hull-deck joint is glassed over and secured with stainless fasteners, through which the toe rail and stanchion bases also pass. Every boat left the factory after a 24-hour hose-down in a pond to prove leakproofness. The modified fin keel carries 6,000 pounds of lead on a stub, bolted with 3/4-inch stainless bolts, and the deep skeg-hung rudder runs aft from that skeg on a stainless assembly — a layout that gives solid steering authority in heavy seas.
Rig and Handling
Her rig shows the era's priorities: a high-aspect mainsail under a large-foretriangle masthead configuration, with double-spreader support from four pairs of shrouds plus a baby stay and running backstays anchor. One owner noted the baby stay was needed to stop the mast pumping in a breeze. All running rigging is concealed in mast and booms. On the water, the 46 percent ballast ratio and 225 displacement-length ratio produce a stiff, seakindly motion that owners prize, and she points higher than comparable 35-foot cruisers. She needs 6 to 8 knots of breeze to move well, and racers report she sails to handicap with a 150 percent genoa at 8 knots, though a 135 percent-only inventory is dismal under 10 to 12. She is dry to weather in 30 knots and steers with less effort than other boats her size.
Accommodations
Below, cherry wood surfaces and three windows per side keep the saloon bright, with 6 foot 3 inches of standing headroom and a large centerline table anchor. The U-shaped starboard settee converts to a 78-by-48-inch double, while the port settee has a lee-clothed sea berth. A nav station opposite the U-shaped galley holds charts and instruments; the galley's ceramic-tile counter is a Wauquiez signature. The aft port cabin has a hard door and a 76-by-50-inch berth, and the enclosed forepeak V-berth is 81 by 80 inches. Headroom runs 6 foot 2 in the peak. Two 33-gallon water tanks sit under the settees, and a wine locker with wicker door lines the hull.
Known Issues
Ventilation is marginal despite three opening hatches, two forward "UFO" vents, and saloon cowls, because Lloyd's Rules at the time had certified no opening portlights anchor. Several owners added ports. The winch and bridgedeck-traveler placement makes a useful dodger hard to fit, and the forward Lewmar 46 primaries complicate sheeting once one is added. The icebox insulation is only 2 to 3 inches and sits close to the engine, prompting some to rebuild it. Galley and nav station lack handholds; only overhead rails exist, making fore-aft movement dicey in rough weather. One owner reported minor blistering, and the saildrive's aluminum unit has suffered electrolysis for several owners, with grounding lapses noted.
Refits and Ownership
Most boats left with Volvo saildrives — 23 or 28 horsepower — and many engines have since been rebuilt or replaced; the 28 pushes her at 6.5 knots anchor. The conventional shaft option imported on some boats gave badly angled, inefficient props. Battery placement under the port quarterberth eats storage and sits too far aft, offset by starboard lazarette gear. Owners average nine years of stewardship, and 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 kind, and her accommodations clever if occasionally compromised by period ventilation and handhold gaps. She suits a sailor who values a seakindly hull and is willing to address saildrive and icebox weaknesses.
Pros
- Stiff, seakindly ride from 46% ballast and 225 D/L ratio
- Strong, well-stiffened solid hull with leak-tested factory finish
- Deep skeg rudder with predictable heavy-weather steering
- Bright cherry interior with generous berths and Wauquiez tile galley
Cons
- Marginal ventilation from no factory opening portlights
- Dodger and primary winch placement conflict
- Saildrive aluminum prone to electrolysis; some grounding faults
- Thin icebox insulation near engine; no lower handholds
