Captain's Report

Captain's Report

Contents of Report

• Mission

• Distinguishing Features

• Performance

• Handling

• Close-Quarters Maneuvering

• Features Inspection

• Lower Helm

• Salon

• Engine-Room Access

• Galley

• Accommodations

• Master Stateroom

• Guest Stateroom

• Exterior Features Inspection

• Transom

• Cockpit

• Side Decks

• Foredeck

• Flying Bridge

• Noteworthy Options

• Price

• Warranty

• Observations

Mission

The Beneteau Swift Trawler 35 is a comfortable cruising boat for a couple. A flying bridge and cockpit offers al fresco dining, while a wide starboard side deck makes it easy for the crew to get around. With a two-stateroom, single-head layout and a convertible settee in the salon, she can accommodate guests or grandchildren for short hauls.

Distinguishing Features

• • Asymmetrical design optimizes interior space while creating a bulwarks-protected side deck for moving fore and aft.
• • Bow and stern thrusters make her easy to handle in close quarters and eliminate the fear of single diesel control.
• • Helm side door makes single-handed docking easy.
• • Fold-out transom optimizes the cockpit space and swim platform on the hook or at the dock.

Performance

The Beneteau Swift Trawler 35 has a LOA of 37’ (11.29 m), a beam of 13’ (3.96 m), and a draft of 3’10” (1.17 m). With an empty weight of 18,187 lbs. (8,249 kg), 85-percent fuel and four people onboard, we had an estimated test weight of 20,057 lbs. (9,098 kg).

With the 425-hp Cummins QSB 6.7 turning a 24" by 24” 5-bladed prop and spooled up to 3075 rpm, we reached our top speed of 17.9 knots (20.6 mph or 33.1 kph).

Best economic cruise came in at 2600 rpm and 12.8 knots (14.8 mph or 23.7 kph). It was at that speed that the 14.5 gph fuel burn translated into 1 mpg and a range of 194 statute miles, all while still holding back a 10-percent reserve of the boat’s 211-gallon (800 L) fuel capacity.

Since the Swift Trawler 35 is also a displacement cruiser, we also recorded numbers for 1000 rpm, where she came in at 5.2 knots (6.0 mph or 9.7 kph) burning 1.0 gph for a range of 1,000.8 nautical miles (1,852 km). At 1500 rpm, she hit 7.9 knots (9.1 mph or 13.0 kph), burning 3.1 gph for a range of 430.8 nautical miles (797 km). And at 2000 rpm, she had a speed of 8.2 knots (9.4 mph or 15.1 kph) with a fuel burn of 7.4 gph and a range of 210.5 nautical miles (390 km).

For acceleration, she came up on plane in an average 7.3 seconds and continued to 20 mph in 15.5… almost her top speed.

Handling

With flat-calm conditions we had no real way to test her handling characteristics, but we did find her to be responsive to the helm and steady crossing wakes. No matter how heavy-handed we tried to get she just wasn’t having any of it and remained comfortable throughout.

Nothing happened quickly so that anyone would be grabbing for support. It was also easy to just take the hands off the wheel and let her run as there was no wandering of the heading whatsoever. She’s clearly made for long runs and it seems the autopilot is more of a convenience than a necessity.

Close-Quarters Maneuvering

When we got underway, it immediately became apparent that this boat was easily handled. We put her through her slow-speed paces, backing her up in the marina fairway, rotating her on her axis with the bow thrusters, and trying every which way to find a maneuverability weak point. She just refused to be a challenge at all. Soon we were lined up and headed out the fairway for open water.

Coming back to the dock we had another chance to check out her docking capabilities, and it was without surprise. With the convenience of the helm door and bulwarks side door, she was easy to tie up single-handed. As we’ve seen, Beneteau designs Swift Trawlers to be run with a small crew and can be operated alone with little effort.

Features Inspection

Now let’s have a closer look at the Beneteau Swift Trawler 35, starting at the lower helm.

Lower Helm

The helm station is to starboard at the forward end of the salon, with easy access to the side deck through a door in the house side. It’s handy to the side deck and the cleats as well as the side door in the bulwarks, making docking short- or single-handed a much easier process.

On the helm console, the compass is mounted on centerline on the flat top. The helm has a dashboard with an angled panel where the instruments are mounted just forward of the steering wheel. Across the top of the center section of the angled panel on the helm dash is a 4” (10.14 cm) VesselView display for monitoring engine systems, and analog gauges showing the tachometer and rudder-angle indicator.

Bow and stern thruster controls are mounted atop a raised section on the starboard side. Lenco trim tab controls with LED tab indicators are just below that, on the angled panel of the helm dash. Next we have the single-lever engine throttle and shift control.

On the lower section of the center panel is a standard 9” (22.86 cm) Raymarine Axiom Pro multifunction display (a 12” unit is optional). A bank of 11 rocker switches on the port side of the dash control electrical functions. A dedicated Raymarine autopilot control head is positioned below that, on the dash where it’s easy to see and find, a good installation for a cruising boat. On the lower vertical surface beneath the dash, there’s a Raymarine instrument with a 4” (10.14 cm) display.

The vertically mounted destroyer-style wheel is wrapped for a better grip. To the starboard side of the wheel is a speaker for the VHF, as well as the full-control wired-remote mic for the VHF, a black-box-style installation that saves on helm dash space. Above are the ignition switch and an analog gauge showing the fuel level.

The entire angled panel of the helm dash is on hinges at the top and held in place with two bolts that have knurled heads, making it simple to access the backside of the electronics.

The helm seat is 34” (86.36 cm) wide and has a single flip-up bolster. The seat is adjustable fore and aft, and has a tubular stainless steel armrest on the inboard side.

A wooden footrest is built into the cabinet of the helm console, useful for when the driver is seated. That footrest is mounted on a hinged panel, and that folds out to serve as a wooden helm platform. This setup works well for use with the seat bolster in the up or the down position depending on the height of the operator.

The three-panel windshield offers excellent sightlines thanks to narrow mullions, which are reinforced with aluminum to support the weight of the flying bridge. There’s also a brow over the windshield that reduces glare, a nice touch, and there’s a mounting point for a remote-control spotlight, though it wasn’t installed on our test boat.

Salon

The aft bulkhead of the salon has a double sliding glass door that opens to a 5’4” (1.62 m) width, opening up the salon to the outdoors. It’s a 6” (.15 m) step up at the entry of the salon. The salon has a 6’4” (1.93 m) overhead with long grabrails on centerline – a feature that confirms she’s a cruising yacht. The large windows have low sills to improve the lines of sight from the starboard seating area, and also reach very high up to the overhead to admit lots of natural light.

On the port side is a credenza with joinery made of Alpi manufactured wood. Our test boat had a new teak finish. There’s a cabinet above that houses the main electrical panel, including the generator start controls. In light of the large windows, the Swift Trawler 35 has three zones of air-conditioning.

The couch comes in 30 different upholstery choices and converts into a double berth to accommodate overnight guests. Where are we eating tonight? The movable pedestal table can be placed in the salon or the cockpit, and it is expandable to add surface area once it’s in position.

Engine-Room Access

Access to the engine room is through a hatch in the salon sole. The hatch lid is equipped with ¾” (1.91 cm) soundproofing foam. The engine is positioned on the centerline and some service points can be reached from the salon without stepping into the engine room. The all-aluminum 211-gallon (799 L) fuel tank is positioned just ahead of the engine.

The thru-hull for the engine cooling water is easily accessible and equipped with a clear hose so it’s easy to see at a glance if water is flowing. Abaft the engine is the ZF transmission with a 1:1 gear ratio.

Galley

The galley is to port opposite the helm and has a U-shaped counter on two levels. There’s a two-burner electric cooktop and an electric convection microwave built into the cabinet below. Propane appliances are available as an option, and the propane tank stowage is amidships on the port side deck in a locker vented for the purpose. The sink is positioned forward, as is additional stowage.

A refrigerator is in the cabinet beneath the helm seat, handy to the galley, and there’s a freezer drawer in the salon’s port side credenza abaft the galley that can do double duty as an icemaker, or do both jobs simultaneously. A slide-open section of the port window above the counter helps create cross-ventilation.

An aft section of the counter is positioned lower than the rest, and is a useful spot for serving or food prep. A cushion turns this seat into a companion seat when cruising takes precedence over cooking.

Accommodations

To port of the helm station forward is the companionway, which brings us to the accommodations.

Master Stateroom

The master stateroom of the Swift Trawler 35 is in the bow, and it makes good use of the hull’s volume that carries far forward in the beam, and has a 6’6” (1.98 m) overhead. Entry to the stateroom is through a double door, which makes sense as each folds to its respective side and gets out of the way – this is a 35-footer after all, and smart design makes the most of the space with solutions such as this. The door jamb is gasketed to quiet any rattles while underway.

Inside the stateroom itself, there are large windows to both port and starboard admitting natural light, as well as an overhead hatch. The berth is 32” (81 cm) high, so it’s not too much of a climb to get in and out in the middle of the night.

Hanging lockers to port and starboard have louvred doors. Additional stowage is located underneath the berth where a hinged lid opens with the aid of a gas-assist ram.

To either side at the head of the berth are reading lights, stereo speakers, a lipped shelf where the occupants of the berth can stow their devices.

Head Compartment

The head on this model has evolved from the previous Swift Trawler 34 – it’s no longer a wet head, and instead there is a walk-in shower with a glass door and a bench for sitting. The MSD is positioned in the shower stall, beneath the bench, which folds up. The compartment has a basin sink and lockers to stow toiletries, and there’s a large mirror. Two opening portlights offer ventilation.

Guest Stateroom

Down the companionway into a passageway, we find the guest double stateroom to port. It features over-under berths. Two opening portlights provide natural light and ventilation. There is LED lighting in the overhead. Stowage for odds and ends are in upper and lower lipped shelves that are easy to reach from the respective berths.

The door on the guest stateroom has some innovative hardware. When the door is open, the latch is flush inside the door, with no sharp metal part to bump and either injure someone or leave a smudge of lubricant on one’s clothing. As the door is closed, a magnet in the jamb pulls the latch into position.

Exterior Features Inspection

Transom

The swim platform extends 34” (86.36 cm) from the transom, and it’s covered in teak decking. The transom has two hinged sections that fold open aft, adding the deck space of the swim platform to the cockpit. Each swinging section has a folding seat in it that makes for a pair of inboard facing seats. A table on a base can move to the salon or aft to be served by these transom seats for a dining spot on deck, a cool effect.

The transom to either side has a 12” (30.5 cm) cleat with chafing gear as well as an 8” (20.3 cm) cleat for securing the dinghy to a foldout davit system. To the port side of the swim platform there’s a single 50-amp shore power connection.

Davit System

On the transom are two telescoping, foldaway, tubular Besenzoni davits ($4,170) that extend upward and then hinge aft to support a max load of 440 lbs. (200 kg). The davit system is not available as an aftermarket add-on. It must be specified when the boat is ordered, because the layup schedule in that section of the boat must be reinforced to accommodate it.

We recommend that all buyers of this boat opt for it, unless a Weber-type tender bracket system is planned for the aftermarket.

Cockpit

The cockpit has a single seat with backrest to port served by a pair of beverage holders. An extended overhang from the flying bridge shelters much of the cockpit and has a 7’ (2.13 m) overhead height. The overhead has a grabrail on centerline, and speakers and LED lights set into its underside.

A cockpit enclosure is available as an option. A tinted air dam closes off the side deck at the aft end, blocking the wind from the cockpit. The teak sole for the cockpit, swim platform, and starboard side deck is an option ($7,560).

Lazarette

In the center of the cockpit deck, there’s a hatch with two turn-and-lock latches that’s held open by gas-assist rams. The lid is gasketed all around. There’s a diamond-plate aluminum step that makes access easy.

Here we find the 7.5-kilowatt Cummins Onan genset. Other equipment in this space includes the battery for the genset, which charges off the generator itself, a water pickup for the air conditioner, additional batteries that power the stern thruster, and there’s dedicated stowage for an emergency steering tiller, which inserts in a receiver accessed through a pie plate lid in the cockpit sole aft.

Side Decks

Getting around the Swift Trawler 35 is a simple proposition thanks to her asymmetrical design. Her house is shifted to one side, so the side decks measure 13” (33 cm) to port and 21” (53.3 cm) to starboard. The side rails are 29” (73.7 cm) high on the port side. The decks are treated with nonskid all the way forward for safe stepping and a channel directs water overboard to reduce the risk of flooding in the cockpit.

The starboard side deck is on the same deck level as the cockpit and is protected by the bulwarks. There’s a 12” (30.5 cm) cleat atop the caprail amidships. The deck is sheltered alongside the pilothouse by a hardtop overhang with LED lighting.

Decking on this side deck is teak from the cockpit to a section forward of the helm side door, where three steps lead up to the foredeck. The second step is hinged and beneath it are the concealed fuel fill and dockside pumpout.

Foredeck

The foredeck has a 3” toerail and a 29” (73.7 cm) bowrail, and it can serve as another social area. A recessed area atop the trunk cabin can accommodate a cushion measuring 5’7” by 7’4” (1.70 m by 2.23 m) to create a sun pad.

There’s a vertical Lewmar windlass that leads through a roller to a 35 lb. (15.8 kg) Delta plow-style anchor in a roller on a stainless pulpit. The chain locker below has 90’ (27 m) of 10 mm chain and 130’ (40 m) of rope. The chain is secured by a lanyard, and there’s good access to the locker to either side, to clear tangles.

The upper bowrail has a gap at the bow and is secured by a length of cable and there’s a wooden step installed across the space on the lower bowrail.

Flying Bridge

The flying bridge is accessed from a ladder in the cockpit, and is a gathering area for guests to enjoy the ride on pleasant days. There is open space astern, and was set up with a pair of deck chairs that come with the boat. It can also be used for much-needed storage.

Forward of that, U-shaped seating wraps around the pedestal table and serves as companion seating for the helm station which is opposite. The teak table has a hinged leaf that is folded on top of the main surface. Unfold it and turn the helm pedestal seat around and the skipper can join the crew for lunch (at the dock or at anchor). The deck chairs can be moved over to the table as well.

The PVC-upholstered cushions are weather-resistant and they’re available in three different colors. There’s a Bimini top that provides a little shade to the top deck and it’s secured by a couple of cables forward that don’t really cause any problems for lines of sight. It can be folded back against a fixed arch aft. There’s also a fixed Bimini available as an option. Both tops have LED lighting.

We recommend getting one or the other type of Bimini top.

The flying bridge helm is to starboard and is protected by a venturi windscreen of tinted acrylic. The compass is mounted to the top of the helm console, in line with the steering wheel. The upper panel of the helm dashboard has a 9” (22.86 cm) multifunction display (a 12” display is available).

Analog gauges are located to starboard on this same upper panel and include a large tachometer with an additional digital readout, a steering indicator, and a fuel gauge. On the lower dashboard panel are a dedicated autopilot control to port, and banks of rocker switches to either side of the steering wheel on its fixed base.

Thrusters. To starboard of the wheel are bow and stern thruster joysticks and Lenco trim tab controls with LED tab indicators. There’s a single-lever engine control binnacle and a Fusion stereo control head.

Noteworthy Options

• • Mooring/Anchoring Kit includes Delta anchor, 91’10” (28 m) 10 mm chain, 131’3” (40 m) 18 mm mooring line, six fenders ($1,460)
• • Electronics Pack includes IP aft camera with inverted image, Raymarine Quantum digital radar, 650 AIS receiver, windvane/anemometer ($8,640)
• • Air Conditioning Pack includes 7.5-kW generator (230 V, 50 Hz), 34,000-BTU reverse-cycle air conditioning ($21,610)

Price

Pricing starts at $416,700.

Warranty

7-year structural, 3-year parts and labor.

Observations

Obviously, this boat is not designed for world cruising or long offshore passages. Rather, she is intended for the couple who have had a lifelong dream of serious coastal cruising, but who do not need to pay several million dollars for a boat designed to go around Cape Horn.

By making the boat affordable, yet packing in everything needed for coastal work, Beneteau has created a vessel that has utility and is remarkably comfortable given her price and size. By including both bow and stern thrusters as standard, virtually anyone can dock this boat like a pro.

Finally, the Swift Trawler 35 is a big improvement over her ancestor, the Swift Trawler 34. Feedback from owners over the last few years has led to many changes that have fixed some minor, but annoying, problems of the 34 and added to the boat’s overall functionality.

Standard and Optional Features