O'Day 35

Description

The O'Day 35 is an American-built racer-cruiser sailboat designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates and first produced in 1984 by O'Day Corp. in Fall River, Massachusetts, as a refined evolution of the O'Day 34 with a slightly extended transom for improved aesthetics and cockpit space while emphasizing balanced coastal performance, generous liveaboard accommodations, and forgiving seaworthiness for couples or small families on weekend passages or club racing with an average PHRF handicap around 150. Constructed from balsa-cored fiberglass with a fin keel and spade rudder for responsive handling (standard 5.58-foot draft or optional shoal 4.3-foot wing keel), it displaces 11,500 pounds with 4,600 pounds of iron ballast, measures 35 feet LOA, 28.75 feet LWL, and 11.25 feet beam, achieving a hull speed of 7.18 knots and 524 square feet of sail area under a masthead sloop rig (I=43 ft, J=14 ft, P=38 ft, E=11.8 ft) powered by a reliable 21 HP Yanmar or Westerbeke diesel inboard with 30 gallons of fuel and 50 gallons of water capacity. Renowned for its moderate displacement/length ratio of 216 and sail area/displacement ratio of 16.45 enabling respectable upwind ability in moderate winds despite the shoal keel's trade-offs, bright teak-trimmed interior boasting 6'2" headroom across two private cabins (V-berth forward and aft double), U-shaped galley, nav station, enclosed head with shower, and convertible saloon sleeping up to six, plus wheel steering and a walkthrough transom for cockpit ease, the O'Day 35 was produced through 1989 with around 60 units built before the yard's closure, enduring as an affordable, low-maintenance classic for sailors valuing Hunt's elegant lines, surprising volume, and solid stability in a mid-30s package over bluewater extremes.