Camper Nicholson 35
Description
The Camper & Nicholsons 35 (commonly known as the Nicholson 35 or Nic 35) is a highly respected British bluewater cruising sailboat, designed in-house by Camper & Nicholsons (Gosport, UK) and introduced in 1971. Production ran until around 1990, with over 200 hulls built (some sources cite 228). It evolved through minor variants (e.g., early vs. later marks with tweaks to sail area, interior, or details), but all share a robust, moderate, and sea-kindly design optimized for safe, comfortable offshore and long-distance cruising—often praised as one of the best "go-anywhere" 35-footers of its era. This is a true cruising boat: heavy displacement, fin keel with skeg-hung rudder for excellent tracking and protection, stiff and stable in heavy weather, with a gentle, predictable motion that reduces fatigue on passages. It's not a lightweight racer (high wetted surface and displacement limit light-air speed), but it performs solidly in moderate-to-strong winds, points well, and handles rough seas dry and confidently. Many have completed ocean voyages, including Atlantic crossings and circumnavigations, with a reputation for indestructibility and low maintenance.
Construction Details
| Designer | In House Design |
|---|---|
| Builder | Camper and Nicholsons |
| Length | 35.250 ft |
| LOA | 35.250 ft |
| LWL | 26.750 ft |
| Beam | 10.500 ft |
| Displacement | 17630 lb |
| Ballast | 7390 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.670 ft |
| Year Built | 1971 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 45.30 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 14.20 ft |
| p | 40.30 ft |
| e | 12.70 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.30 ft | 14.20 ft | 40.30 ft | 12.70 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Camper Nicholson 35 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 40.3 ft - (12283 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 12.7 ft - (3871 mm) |
| Leech | * 41.56 ft - (12667 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 41.83 ft - (12750 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 264.52 ft² |
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Camper Nicholson 35 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 37.98 ft - (11576 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 18.74 ft - (5712 mm) |
| Leech | * 33.1 ft - (10089 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 16.33 ft - (4977 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.96 ° |
| Area | * 310.15 ft² |
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Camper Nicholson 35 - GENOA
| Luff | 41.25 ft - (12573 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 20.167 ft - (6147 mm) |
| Leech | 37.5 ft - (11430 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 128.73 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 18.28 ft - (5572 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 7.55 ° |
| Area | * 377.1 ft² |
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Camper Nicholson 35 - GENOA
| Luff | 44 ft - (13411 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 19.75 ft - (6020 mm) |
| Leech | 41.33 ft - (12597 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 130 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 18.46 ft - (5627 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.42 ° |
| Area | * 406.11 ft² |
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Camper Nicholson 35 - GENOA
| Luff | * 45.1 ft - (13746 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 22.88 ft - (6974 mm) |
| Leech | * 42.47 ft - (12945 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.3 ft - (6492 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.02 ° |
| Area | * 480.3 ft² |
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Camper Nicholson 35 - DRIFTER
| Luff | * 45.1 ft - (13746 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 23.78 ft - (7248 mm) |
| Leech | * 40.57 ft - (12366 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perp | * 21.3 ft - (6492 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 8.99 ° |
| Area | * 480.33 ft² |
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Camper Nicholson 35 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 45.1 ft - (13746 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 23.43 ft - (7141 mm) |
| Leech | * 41.49 ft - (12646 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 793 ft² |
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Camper Nicholson 35 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 45.1 ft - (13746 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 25.56 ft - (7791 mm) |
| Foot | * 25.56 ft - (7791 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 980 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.