Niagara 35

BoatsNiagara 35

See her sail

The Niagara 35, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Wicked Salty

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 29 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 29

CoastalBluewater

1.90 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.90

LightHeavy

329 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 329

EasygoingPowered-up

16.5 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 16.5

TenderStiff

39% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 39%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

What the fleet has seen

The Niagara 35, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Niagara 35 is a masthead sloop designed by Mark Ellis and built by Hinterhoeller Yachts Ltd. from 1978 to 1990, with approximately 260 hulls produced. It has a fin keel with a spade rudder, measures 10.7 meters LOA, 3.5 meters beam, 1.6 meters draft, and displaces 6350 kg.4:59 The model debuted at the 1978 Toronto International Boat Show. Early versions featured an interior with two quarterberths, a head and galley separating the companionway cabin from the main saloon, and a forepeak used for storage. The 1984 Encore interior variant introduced a large double berth forward, a U-shaped galley, and a dedicated nav station.8:34 The standard auxiliary engine was initially a 21-hp Volvo diesel, later updated to a 3-cylinder Volvo or 4-cylinder Westerbeke. In 1985, the bowsprit was extended.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Who's been looking

Market signal

Crews the fleet has filmed weighing this model up — no sale seen, and no asking price.

1channel looked into buying

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

39.3%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

16.5

Displacement / length

329.5

Comfort ratio

28.9

Capsize screening

1.90

Hull speed

6.9 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1088

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/spade rudder

Construction

Fiberglass

Ballast type

Lead

Production

Years built

1978–1990

Units built

260

Designer

Mark Ellis

Builder

Hinterhoeller Yachts Ltd

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Maxus 3510.68 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 2022 launch featuring a 1.95-metre deep-draft fin keel and bulb for offshore stability and upwind performance

Boot 2024, the Düsseldorf boat show.16:04 from SVN solovelanet

S2 Yachts 35C10.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-lived 1986-1987 masthead sloop with a shallow 1.3-meter draft and a balanced 43% ballast ratio

Best Sailboat For Solo Sailing {Budget Liveaboard Cruiser} [Capable & Affordable 35' $ailboat]from Adventureman Dan

Aragosa Yachts 3510.59 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn aluminum-hulled masthead sloop from 1989, built to a Ted Brewer design featuring a skeg-mounted rudder

Custom Ted Brewer 35 // Boat Shopping1:43 from 59° North Sailing

Hallberg-Rassy 35210.59 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA classic center-cockpit cruiser from Enderlein and Rassy, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff, stable hull

2] Survey, Sea Trial & Swedish Ladies | Abandon Comfort - Sailing The World10:21 from Abandon Comfort

Najad Yachts 36010.75 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 10.75-metre cruiser with a 43% ballast ratio, engineered for high-latitude stability and offshore comfort

Filling the ship's galley in Switzerland and returning to the sailboat in Tahiti. Ep.6911:08 from Vagabond Voyages

Dufour Yachts 3710.77 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA modern fractional sloop from Felci Yacht Design, balancing a performance-oriented hull with a stable, comfortable beam

Dufour 37 - a boat with exceptional volumes0:03 from SVN solovelanet

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Niagara 35 (Encore)A 1984 redesign of the Niagara 35 that retains the original masthead sloop rig and fin-keel hull while offering a completely new Niagara 42A stretched evolution of the Aurora 40, this cutter features a fin keel and spade rudder for balanced offshore handling Niagara 31A German Frers-designed masthead sloop featuring a performance-oriented sail area-to-displacement ratio of 19.73 Niagara 30A George Hinterhoeller-designed masthead sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance Niagara 26A George Hinterhoeller design featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance in a light hull Bruckmann Yachts 42 CruisingBuilt from the original Niagara 42 molds, this cutter offers a balanced fin-keel hull for offshore cruising

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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