Swift Trawler 35

Swift Trawler 35

- Simon Murray

Generally speaking, there are two ways an idea is brought to life on the drafting table: from scratch or with a previous iteration in mind. For Beneteau Power and Andreani Design, the Swift Trawler 35 was a practice in the latter, a reimagining of the highly successful Swift Trawler 34, of which more than 350 have been sold. Think of the 35 as the culmination of years of feedback from cruising couples and families that have completed countless Great Loops. Myriad observations have been addressed by this model, which features the same semi-planing hull design and let’s-have-an-adventure cruising ethos.

At the Newport International Boat Show, the nowretired 34 and 35 shared sideby-side slips, which made comparisons downright obligatory, if not inevitable. But it would take a careful eye, as the nuanced differences between the boats are not so obvious. So I kicked my shoes off and climbed aboard the 35.