Fuji Yachts

The following is a reprint of a review of the FUJI 35 by Robert H Perry in SAIL Magazine . I don't have the exact date but it must have been somewhere between 1974 and 1977. Of course the dealers and addresses shown at the end of the article are no longer valid but this review is a good reinforcement of the value of not only the Fuji 35 but the entire Fuji line.

Fuji 35:

Capable Alden cruiser

By now the Fuji 35 is a very successful stock yacht. Upon her introduction I was quite surprised that there was a market for a yacht with very little of the current stock boat trappings. In fact, the Fuji 35 seemed a little anachronistic. It is, I'm sure, this feature that has brought her to the popularity she is now enjoying.

The John G. Alden office has been known for years for producing fine performing yachts. The Fuji follows in this tradition. She is of a hull form that traces its model back to the well-known Alden schooners. Compared to most of the current production yachts, the Fuji is a bit narrow. I don't think it's narrow, I feel it's about right for good windward performance. While the Fuji won't point like an IOR racing yacht, she will move to weather well, to cruising boat standards.

The sheer and other aesthetic treatments on the hull are done with impeccable taste, and the Fuji doesn't convey the "toy boat" image of some of the other character type designs. In fact, to call the Fuji a character yacht would be wrong. She is a traditional yacht.

The beam on deck is generous. This makes for a very dry boat and has the bonus of affording large side decks and a huge cockpit area. The keel is long but cut away slightly forward to improve maneuverability. There is a slight drag angle to the keel also. This, I think, is also to improve maneuverability. There should be no question as to the Fuji's ability to track or steer herself. The large transom and the minimum overhang of the mizzen boom would be ideal for attaching a self-steering device. The displacement / length ratio of the Fuji 35 is 413. This indicates the Fuji is in the heavy displacement area.

The Fuji is available in two rigs, the standard ketch and optional cutter. Aesthetically both rigs look great on the yacht, but my preference is for the ketch. It's true that you possibly could go to weather a little bit better with the cutter; however, I think the improvement would be negligible due to the hull form of the Fuji. The largest sail in the ketch rig is only 220 square feet. This would make the Fuji very easy to handle short handed. The ketch rig is very hard to beat for leisurely husband and wife sailing. While I don't care for the shape of most club jibs, they do cut down the activity during a tack.

Very few people can go below a Fuji for the first time without some sort of pleasant exclamation. The woodwork is of a quality that is all but extinct and has to be one of the main selling points of the Fuji. Her builder is Fuji Yacht Builders, Japan. The molding details are the best I've seen on a production yacht. Wood lovers will feel right at home. The builder has gone to the trouble of matching all his grains, and the overall impression is beautiful.

The layout of the Fuji is quite simple and a time-proven winner. There is quite an expanse of teak and holly cabin sole, and I personally know of a number of people living aboard their Fujis in the Seattle area. This is the true test of an interior. If you can stand to live aboard the yacht, and even enjoy it, the layout is usually the prime factor. Standard cushions on the Fuji are five inches thick. Other nice standard features are hot and cold pressure water, 110 wiring, shower sump pump, 30 gallon holding tank and an unusual amount of lockers and drawers.

Standard tankage is 40 gallons of fuel and 60 gallons of water. Auxiliary power is Perkins 4.107M diesel with a 2.1 hydraulic reduction gear. This is much more than adequate horsepower, 36, and should drive the yacht at hull speed very comfortably. Speed under power should be about seven knots.

The hull of the Fuji is hand laid up fiberglass with polyurethane noise and sweat insulation. Anti-fouling paint is standard.

Yachts, being the romantic objects that they are, are, I'm sure sold on their looks more times than the owners would like to admit. I like this. This is a very valid criteria and one in which the Fuji 35 excels. Her styling insures that she will look good for years to come.

Fuji, 2125 Sherington Pl., Suite C-20?, Newport Beach, Ca. 92663. Great Lakes area dealer of the Fuji 35 and 45 Is Palmer Johnson, Inc., Dept. SG, 61 Michigan St., Sturgeon Bay, WI. 54235, or write John G. Alden, Inc., naval architects, yacht brokers, 89 Commercial Wharf, Boston, Ma. 02110.

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