Cruisers Yachts 35 Express Review and Used Buying Guide

The 35 Express Cruisers built for a crowd

Cruisers Yachts has been building boats in Oconto, Wisconsin, since 1953, and for most of the last three decades its bread and butter has been the express cruiser. The 35 Express is the clearest expression of how the company thinks about that type. Instead of chasing the lightest hull or the most berths, it built a heavy, solid 35 footer with an open, social layout above and below deck.

BoatTest's captain greeted the boat with a single word, whoa, and it is easy to see why. The low profile, the swept windshield and the optional radar arch with a hardtop give it a look that has aged well. The review noted that the 35 Express is ruggedly built and heavier than most of its peers, which pays off when the bay turns sloppy on the way home.

Today it is a used-only boat, and a sensible alternative to a Sea Ray Sundancer or Formula sport cruiser of the same era for buyers who value a big engine room and a ride that does not rattle.

350 Express, 35 Express, and not the Cabo

The boat was launched as the Cruisers 350 Express. Cruisers' own website carried a 350 Express model page from the autumn of 2011, which points to a 2012 model year debut, and BoatTest later filed its listing under 2014. The page switched to the 35 Express name in 2015, at the same time the 380 Express became the 38 Express and the 390 Express Coupe the 39 Express Coupe, as Cruisers moved to simpler two-digit model names. The hull and layout carried over, so a 350 Express and a later 35 Express should be compared on equipment, engines and condition, not on the badge.

Searches for a 35 Express also turn up the Cabo 35 Express, a sportfishing boat with diesel inboards built by a different company. It has nothing in common with the Cruisers boat beyond the number. If you are shopping listings, filter by builder.

No side decks, a walk-through windshield and seats for nine

Cruisers gave up side decks on the 35 Express to widen the cockpit, and moved foredeck access to a walk-through windshield, a signature of the brand. The latches are interconnected and gasketed so the glass does not rattle under way. At anchor the opening becomes a path from the cockpit to the bow sunpad, and BoatTest pointed out that kids will happily loop from the bow, into the water and back through the cockpit all afternoon.

The cockpit seats about nine people comfortably. A curved lounge to port has sculpted headrests, an entertainment center with optional refrigerator or icemaker sits opposite, and dual tables with filler cushions turn the area into a sun lounge. An optional aft sun lounge has a flip-back seat, with fender storage to starboard and a four-step boarding ladder to port.

On the bow, a Maxwell windlass sits under a hatch with foot controls, and a remote spotlight is standard. One weak point: BoatTest found no access to the underside of the anchor locker for clearing tangled rode.

An open-plan cabin instead of bulkheads

Below, Cruisers did something many rivals avoid. The mid-cabin has no bulkhead and is designed to function as a conversation area beside the saloon, and the forward island queen is also open to the main cabin. With 6 feet 5 inches of headroom, the result feels far bigger than a typical 35 foot express, and a group can spend a rainy afternoon below without anyone feeling shut in.

The trade-off is privacy. Two couples can sleep aboard, but there is no door between them, so this is a boat for families or one couple with occasional guests. The saloon bench is unusually comfortable and doubles as an emergency berth. A 22 inch television on a cabinet door can swing to face either the saloon or the forward bed.

The galley has a Corian counter of about 30 by 25 inches, a large work surface for this size, plus sea rails on the stove that meet the ABYC standard. Three opening ports ventilate the galley, and options included Amtico, walnut or light maple flooring.

Helm ergonomics, the good and the irritating

Sightlines from the helm are excellent all around, and the stitched leather wheel is the same unit Cruisers fits to its larger express boats, part of a deliberate policy of sharing high quality hardware across the range. The test boat's dash had a widescreen chartplotter as part of the base electronics, with an upgrade adding radar.

BoatTest was less kind about the double helm seat. The flip-up bolster had no padding on top, a structural bar dug into the driver's backside, and the adjustment bar hit the back of the leg when standing. Throttles were mounted at a 45 degree angle rather than horizontally. None of this is a deal breaker, but it is worth sitting at the helm for a while during a sea trial, and many owners have since re-upholstered the seat.

Test numbers with twin 320 hp 377 MAG sterndrives

BoatTest's boat weighed 16,500 pounds empty and about 17,546 pounds with half fuel, two people and gear. With twin 320 hp MerCruiser 6.2L 377 MAG engines on Bravo Three drives, it reached 41.9 mph, or 36.4 knots, at 4,700 rpm while burning 47.7 gph.

Best cruise was 3,500 rpm, where the boat made 23.7 knots on 23.1 gph, roughly 1.0 nautical mile per gallon, for a range of around 215 nautical miles. At 4,000 rpm it ran 29.2 knots on 32.4 gph. The boat planed in 6.3 seconds, the bow rose only about 10 degrees, and at around 20 mph it settled to a 5 degree running angle. The reviewer's advice was to leave the drives down and the tabs up and let speed bring the bow down, rather than forcing it with tabs.

One of the biggest engine rooms in its class

A hatch in the cockpit sole opens to an engine compartment BoatTest called one of the roomiest it had seen in the class, with every daily check point within easy reach. The electric or hydraulic hatch lift was optional and is worth having, because you will open it often.

Buyers had a wide choice of power. MerCruiser boats could be specified with Axius joystick, SeaCore and freshwater cooling, or with 320 hp 6.2L or 375 hp 8.2L V-drive inboards. Volvo Penta offered its 8.1 GIC DP at 400 hp with the joystick, the most powerful option and our pick for salt water use, and BoatTest's option list even included a pair of 260 hp Volvo Penta D4 diesels on V-drives, a rare find on the used market.

Owning a 35 Express today

Budget roughly $18,000 to $34,000 a year to run a 35 Express, before depreciation. Slip, insurance, haul out and bottom paint, winterization, drive service and fuel make up most of it. At 23 gph at a 24 knot cruise, a 60 hour season costs around $6,000 to $8,000 in fuel.

Used prices run from about $140,000 for early 350 Express boats to the mid $200,000s for the last model years. Cruisers boats hold value reasonably well thanks to a dealer network now backed by MarineMax, which owns the company.