Perry Design Review: Nauticat 35

The Nauticat 35 is not an around-the-buoys racer. The sales brochure does not even mention racing despite the fact that I have seen a hard core fleet of Nauticats racing on Puget Sound. The Nauticats don't pretend to be anything but stalwart little motorsailers. One might row away from his Nauticat 35 not so much thinking "a thing of beauty is a joy forever," as with feelings of impregnability, comfort and individual expression.

A Nauticat 35 sailboat rests at its slip.

Obviously, you can't put the Nauticat 35 next to the Centurion 36 and judge them by the same standards. So, given the bulk requirements of the Nauticat, I think it's a good-looking boat. The deck has a clean, chiseled look to it. My ultimate criterion for judging a boat is: "Could I have done it better?" In this case I don't think I could improve upon this design.

Let's start with the general look of the 35. I think that Nauticat challenged themselves to do the 35 with a contemporary look. Usually a beamy little motorsailer will look like a wooden shoe with an umbrella over it. The Nauticat has a wedge-like profile that begins high all the way aft. The sheerline is kept quite flat and the raised quarterdeck automatically pulls your eye up. The big windows in the pilothouse appear even bigger because of the wonderful stainless window frame detail that Nauticat uses.

The low wedge trunk forward of the pilothouse is low enough to provide an essentially flush deck work area. I do not have any photos taken from behind. From the bow, the Nauticat looks good, with enough rake angle to the house sides to produce a clean and trim look. Note the careful use of a broad wale-stripe, cove-stripe and double boot-stripe. These stripes do an excellent job of drawing out the boat and down-playing the freeboard height.

When you look at this interior layout you should remind yourself that you are looking at a 35-footer. There are comfortable accommodations for two couples. I'm not so sure about the starboard V-berth. The galley counter cuts off the front of the starboard berth. The galley is nicely laid out. The refrigerator is both top- and front-loading. There are two small heads. The raised settee in the pilothouse seats four in comfort and six in a squeeze. The dinette is raised to give better visibility out of the pilothouse windows.

I searched the brochure for the name of a designer and it was conspicuously absent. I called my friend Jim, the local Nauticat dealer, and he told me that the new 35 was an in-house design. With a motorsailer product line that includes eight different models, it is easy to understand that Nauticat knows a thing or two about motorsailers. The 35 is a small version of the S&S-designed 43 with a very similar underwater profile. The hull is moderately beamy. The bow rake is set off by the lack of overhang aft and the near vertical transom. The keel is a moderate fin with external lead ballast. Two drafts are available, 4 feet 8 inches or 5 feet 6 inches. The rudder has a partial skeg with a pronounced leading-edge fillet. The D/L ratio is 282.

The Nauticat 35 is rigged as a sloop with a SA/D ratio of 15.3 using the number two genoa. The mast has double spreaders and fore and aft lowers. A rigid vang gives the mid-boom sheeting and assist keeping the boom down.

The auxiliary for this design is a 43-horsepower Volvo with a 2.4 to 1 reduction gear. The fuel tanks flank the engine and carry 106 gallons of fuel. There is tankage for 132 gallons of water. Speed under power is listed at eight knots with a solid three blade prop. The steering system is by Teleflex/Capilano and it is hydraulic. Despite "sailing valves," hydraulic steering on sailboats does take some getting used to as the feel is almost eliminated.

Nauticats are expensive on today's market. They are specialized vessels for owners who want something different. It's spring in Seattle and it has rained every day for the last three weeks. The Nauticat 35 might endear itself to you quickly in these conditions.

Boat Specifications

LOA	34'11"
LWL	29'8"
Beam	11'4"
Draft	4'8" or 5'6"
Displacement	16,500 lbs.
Ballast	6,000 lbs.
Sail Area	621 sq. ft.
SA/D ratio	15.3
D/L	282
Auxiliary	Volvo 2003
Fuel	106 gals.