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Crealock 37/Pacific Seacraft 37

Posted by Gregg Nestor | Boat Reviews , Monohull , Reviews

An inspired, tough, seakindly cruiser

I n the mid-1970s, naval architect William “Bill” Ion Belton Crealock entered a sailboat magazine’s boat design contest. Though already a successful designer, he said the contest was, “the only chance I’ve ever had to design a boat that didn’t have to please anyone else but me.”

The 37-footer Bill drew leaned on his bluewater experience gained cruising the Atlantic Ocean in a 40-foot gaff-rigged cutter in his 20s. Aesthetically sophisticated and classically proportioned, it featured modest overhangs, a classic sheer, low freeboard, and an elegant deckhouse.

He paid special attention beneath the waterline, drawing a hull with a large moderate aspect fin keel and a rudder hung on a skeg. Bill honed his boat’s entry for windward performance and gave her an attractive canoe stern that theoretically helps to part a following sea—what designer Robert Perry humorously calls the “Moses Effect.”

“The 37 is an attempt to provide the cruiser with a boat which will travel fast between ports under complete control, and which will yet remind him that the passage itself should be one of the pleasures of the cruise,” Bill said. He didn’t win the contest. “The boat that won was a very modern design for the time, actually a rather hideous boat, I thought. It quickly disappeared.”

At the time, Bill was working with a California company called Clipper Marine, which was producing a series of Crealock-designed trailer-sailers. The company began tooling for Bill’s new 37-foot keelboat, to be called the Crealock 37. Then Clipper Marine went belly-up without building a single hull. With hardly a pause, Cruising Consultants (CC) of Newport Beach, California, acquired the molds and between 1977 and 1979 produced 16 Crealock 37s. Then they went out of business.

Fortunately, Pacific Seacraft ( PS), then in California also, in 1980 purchased the rights and molds. Working with Bill, Pacific Seacraft made some significant changes, and after about 15 years, in the mid-1990s changed the name from Crealock 37 to Pacific Seacraft 37, to be consistent with the names of other boats in their model line. To date, Pacific Seacraft has built several hundred examples.

In 2002, the boat Bill designed for himself was inducted into the American Sailboat Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, characterized as a boat that has “made boat ownership a love affair” for those lucky enough to sail one.

Martin Nelick and Sally Gardiner-Smith are among the lucky sailors. The couple own hull #7, a Cruising Consultants-built Crealock 37 named Shibumi . Sally and Martin are accomplished singlehanded sailors who have fairly aggressive sailing plans. After selling their respective singlehanding boats, they began searching for that “perfect” cruising boat. For them, their 1977 Crealock 37 is the one.

Bill Crealock was born 100 years ago next month and grew up sailing in waters near his home in the United Kingdom. He was educated at Scotland’s Glasgow University, authored several books chronicling his sailing adventures, and produced designs for several successful boatbuilders including Cabo Rico, Westsail, Columbia, and Pacific Seacraft.

The Crealock 37 is traditional with an abundance of character. The cruising fin keel offers quick tacking and responsive handling in tight quarters, and coupled with the generous rudder skeg provides excellent directional stability compared to a narrower fin keel. This configuration also reduces the tendency of the rudder to stall at extreme angles of heel.

The boat has a moderately heavy displacement-to-waterline length ratio of 341, but because its LWL is relatively short for its overall length, the ratio, and boat speed, will increase as the boat heels and the waterline lengthens.

Rod Rowan of Crusader Yacht Sales in Annapolis, Maryland, which has been a Pacific Seacraft dealer since 1986, knows nearly all modifications made to the design through the several changes in ownership, including the company’s move from California to Washington, North Carolina, about a dozen years ago. He says that while the design drafts of the two keels offered were listed as 4 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 6 inches, actual measurements taken on delivered boats were closer to 4 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches as reflected in the current specifications. (Sailboatdata.com lists the boat’s draft at 5 feet 3 inches.) Rowan adds that the shoal-draft keel is a Scheel keel, designed and patented at one time by Henry Scheel with a shaped bulb at the bottom to improve lift.

Construction

While the Crealock 37 and Pacific Seacraft 37 are essentially the same design, they are not the same boat. Construction of both is conservative and strong, with hulls and decks of hand-laid fiberglass. The hulls are solid, and the decks were sandwich-cored with marine-grade plywood through the mid-1990s. Then builders switched core material to end-grain balsa with plywood inserts at deck hardware. Beginning in the late 1980s, Pacific Seacraft adopted vinylester resin, which is less hydroscopic than polyester, providing better protection against blisters.

The CC hull-to-deck joint incorporates a molded bulwark forming a flanged box that’s sealed with an elastomeric-type compound, through bolted, and then glassed over. Strong and dry, the resulting joint is finished with a 4-inch-wide teak cap rail. Rowan says most current boats are fastened with 1/4 -inch x 20 stainless steel screws, 4 inches on center, plus 3M 5200 adhesive, with no leaks that he’s ever heard reported.

The differences in the two boats is most apparent in the interior. The CC interiors are stick-built, featuring teak-trimmed mahogany ceilings and an oak overhead. The sole is narrow oak planking with ebony polysulfide in the seams. Pacific Seacraft introduced molded fiberglass structural interior modules that retained most of the interior teak joinery while also brightening the spaces considerably. They use a longitudinal and transverse framing system, including mahogany-veneered plywood bulkheads tabbed with fiberglass to the hull and deck. For added stiffness, the main bulkheads are also attached via 5/16 -inch through bolts using an ingenious teak beam system.

The keels of both CC and PS versions are solid-lead castings external to the hull and fastened with stainless steel bolts. Rowan says the original CC keel was scrapped in favor of the two current Scheel and standard keel options. The CC boats feature a Volvo saildrive unit forward of the skeg, whereas the PS boats have an aperture for the propeller.

Over the years, incremental changes were made to the PS boats, such as offering optional chrome-plated bronze portlights and hardware instead of bare bronze, and several different treatments for the inside walls of the coachroof—teak veneer and an off-white Formica. All interior teak was oiled until ’96 or ’97, after which a varnished option became available.

With only 16 Crealock 37s built, there’s scant information as to what was standard and what was optional. It also appears that a few of the final hulls were sold bare and owner-finished. Consequently, most of the CC Crealock 37 information in this review is based on what I found aboard Shibumi .

The cabintop is a bit cluttered. Notable features include a pair of 19 x 19-inch teak-trimmed bronze hatches, one over the V-berth and the other over the saloon. Four Dorade vents provide additional ventilation into the head, saloon, galley, and navigation station. Also on the cabintop, just forward of the sea hood and mainsheet traveler, are a pair of 39-inch-long tracks and cars to handle the staysail sheets.

On the PS-built boats, engine access via the cockpit floor was modified and made smaller, about 2 x 2 feet.

The surprisingly roomy forward cabin is home to a V-berth that measures just over 7 feet 6 inches long at its head and narrows to 3 feet at its foot. On PS boats it’s offset to starboard. Besides an unusual overhead drawer, stowage for larger, bulkier items is available beneath the berth. Also beneath the V-berth is a 40-gallon aluminum potable water tank (an additional 60-gallon fiberglass tank is beneath the saloon sole).

Aft and to port of the V-berth is a hanging locker with bureau top. Three opening portlights and the overhead hatch provide this compartment with excellent illumination and ventilation.

Access to the head is directly across from the hanging locker. On Shibumi , the owners replaced the original marine toilet with an Air Head composting toilet in part to eliminate the need for a holding tank. In addition to hot-and-cold pressurized potable water, there’s also a saltwater hand pump. A solid mahogany door swings to close off the head as well as add privacy and a small changing area to the forward cabin.

The saloon is well ventilated with one opening portlight, two large fixed portlights, a single Dorade vent, and an overhead hatch. A pair of overhead grabrails makes for safe fore-and-aft maneuvering. Headroom is over 6 feet.

The L-shaped galley is immediately aft of the starboard settee. A series of drawers, a half-dozen cane-fronted lockers, and a clever dish stowage unit provide storage.

Shibumi is a yawl with double headsails. All spars are aluminum extrusions painted white with polyurethane. The mainmast and the mizzen are deck-stepped. Aluminum compression posts below support both; the mainmast post is incorporated into the main bulkhead, which in turn is glassed and bolted into place.

Mainmast rigging is a single set of spreaders, forestay, split backstay, a pair of cap shrouds, and double lower shrouds. Rigged with a staysail, Shibumi also has a pair of running backstays. The mizzenmast is supported by cap shrouds, intermediates, and lowers.

All standing rigging is stainless steel wire with bronze turnbuckles (stainless steel on PS boats). The stainless steel chainplates are outboard and bolted to the hull. When in port, the main boom rests on boom gallows. Both main and mizzen are sheeted mid-boom, the main to a traveler on the coachroof and the mizzen to a traveler mounted on the stern pulpit.

Headsail sheets lead aft through cars and tracks mounted on the caprails. These sheets terminate at Lewmar 27 self-tailing winches mounted on the cockpit coamings. Aft on the coachroof is a pair of Lewmar 10s to handle the staysail sheets and a #18 to service the mainsheet.

Initially, PS offered the 37 as a sloop, cutter, and yawl, though the latter was seldom ordered, and today most are sold as cutters and some sloops.

With a long sailing history and an excellent reputation for handling heavy weather, the Crealock 37 and Pacific Seacraft 37 are well balanced and easily managed by a short-handed crew.

With a bit of wind, the boat heels quickly to around 15 degrees. Once there, it’s rock solid. Rolling in the headsail a bit before tacking precludes it from hanging up on the staysail. With fairly quick acceleration and a responsive helm, the boat’s best point of sail appears to be a broad or beam reach.

While the boat is a bit narrow and heels early (less form stability, excellent ultimate stability), its seakindly nature makes long passages comfortable. The split rig adds versatility and easily adapts to self-steering. Under the right conditions and properly trimmed, the boat can eat up the miles. Over the years in the Singlehanded Transpac Race, two Crealock 37s, Coaster and Intrepid , have recorded corrected times that put them among the fastest 10 percent of all finishers.

Conclusions

This design is a Hall of Fame beauty. The boat is strongly built, well rigged, and has a documented reputation for sailing comfortably and fast. It has an abundance of stowage and is a good choice for a small crew. While a new 2020 Pacific Seacraft 37 will cost nearly $500,000, many clean examples from the 1980s and 1990s are available in a range of five-digit asking prices.

Gregg Nestor is a contributing editor with Good Old Boat . He has authored four books on sailing: Twenty Affordable Sailboats to Take You Anywhere, Twenty Comfortable Sailboats to Take You Cruising, The Trailer Sailer Owner’s Manual, and All Hands on Deck . He became a snowbird a few years back, after relocating his boat from the Great Lakes to Florida.

Comments from an owner of the CC-built Crealock 37

The Cruising Consultants version has larger windows, more light, and a nice, wide V-berth. Also, the yawl rig and external chainplates give it a swashbuckling appeal. The entire cockpit sole comes out for great engine access. Our 1978 Crealock 37 was converted from saildrive to direct drive, a plus I think. There is plenty of room in the cockpit as the tiller folds up; and, as there is no sub-cockpit steering binnacle apparatus, space remains below for water heater and watermaker. The lead keel is a major plus. It has a battle-ax stainless steel double bow roller.

Panels rather than vinyl in the ceiling make it easy to run wire and add LED lighting—a major improvement. A large propane locker fits three 5-gallon tanks. The deck glass is thick so it does not perceptibly flex even when coring was removed during repair. No major leaks.

It ghosts along in a light breeze but performs in 12-22 knots. With a 12- to 14-knot breeze on the beam I have put the tiller down and it tracks on its own. The mizzen staysail is a fun and easy sail that really does move the boat under the right conditions. When it gets to 28-30, I can put up just a working jib on the Solent stay and mizzen, and it moves along nicely under control.

The Dorade vent holes were not sealed—so I had to dig out soaked balsa, dry, and repair. The aluminum backing plates for the pulpit bars were corroding and compressing, so I replaced with G10. Original backing plates for the traveler were pieces of thick leather—replaced with G10. The gooseneck was secured to mast by one 3/8-inch bolt that had worked and loosened and been re-tapped repeatedly over the years. The fixed table takes up too much space, so I will be building a fold-away.

—Tim Lamarre, San Francisco, California

Comments from owners of the Pacific Seacraft-built Crealock 37

This 1989 boat sails nicely in light winds, but as I have aged I find myself motor sailing if I can’t get at least 4 knots of speed on wind alone. This is a relatively narrow boat so sails can really be pulled in and sailed close to the wind. You are almost always going to have a heeling motion, and it sails best that way. It sails confidently in rougher weather, is easily reefed, and handles waves better than most boats. Some say it hobbyhorses more than other cruisers, but I don’t think it does. With its canoe stern you can sure tell the difference sailing with the wind behind you; it is so easy to control, and the waves don’t grab the stern and push it around so much.

—Tom Eisele, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

After a 2019 passage aboard a 1993 model from Bodega Bay, California, to Brisbane, Australia, I can comment about these things: With a crew of two or singlehanding, she is in her groove at 12-25 knots wind speed. Above 25 knots, when singlehanding, I have wished that I had a third reef available for the mainsail. During the harshest of weather systems, while using the trysail as the main and the staysail as the storm jib, the 37 sailed rock solid and on course through the tossed seas, allowing me to get rest below.

—Mark Tolbert, Redwood Valley, California

About The Author

Gregg Nestor

Gregg Nestor is a contributing editor with Good Old Boat. He has authored four books on sailing: Twenty Affordable Sailboats to Take You Anywhere, Twenty Comfortable Sailboats to Take You Cruising, The Trailer Sailer Owner's Manual, and All Hands on Deck. He became a snowbird a few years back, after relocating his boat from the Great Lakes to Florida.

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Pacific seacraft 37

The pacific seacraft 37 is a 36.92ft cutter designed by w.i.b. crealock and built in fiberglass by pacific seacraft since 1980..

The Pacific seacraft 37 is a heavy sailboat which is slightly under powered. It is stable / stiff and has an excellent righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a bluewater cruising boat. The fuel capacity is originally small. There is a short water supply range.

Pacific seacraft 37 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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• Sailboat Guide

Pacific Seacraft 37

Pacific Seacraft 37 is a 36 ′ 10 ″ / 11.3 m monohull sailboat designed by William Crealock and built by Pacific Seacraft starting in 1980.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

First built and sold (1979?) as the CREALOCK 37. Earlier models were fitted with Volvo diesels.

Shallow draft version: 4.42’ Ballast: 6400 lbs. Available as a sloop, yawl or cutter.

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• Sailboat Reviews

Pacific Seacraft 34 and 37

These bill crealock-designed voyagemakers have a reasonable turn of speed thanks to moderate displacement and a split underbody. relatively narrow beam makes for a seakindly motion, but reduces interior accommodations..

Originally known as the Crealock 34 and 37, this duo can be thought of as performance cruisers plotted somewhere on the continuum between heavy displacement cruisers and light displacement racers. Both have a seakindly motion and a good turn of speed. Now known as Pacific Seacraft Voyagemakers, they are part of a five-boat line ranging in size from 34 to 44 feet. The 37, introduced in 1980, was followed in 1984 by the 34. In this review we wanted to see how the 34 stacks up against its larger stable mate; for more specific information on the 37 see our earlier review of it.

The Company Pacific Seacraft was founded in 1976 by Henry Morschladt and Mike Howarth, who first produced 25-foot daysailers. Like many boatbuilders, the company suffered during the industry downturn of the 1980s, and the business was sold to Singmarine Industries, Ltd., of Hong Kong. It has been owned by an individual investor since 1998.

The company now is managed by Don Kohlmann, a veteran Americas Cup racer and former owner of Ericson Yachts. He said that 1,850 boats have been built and that the current annual production level is 40 to 50 boats. In addition to Pacific Seacraft models, the company also builds the Flicka and Dana, seaworthy 20- and 24-foot sailboats, and the 38T Fast Trawler.

Design Designer Bill Crealocks knowledge of sailing goes well beyond the theoretical. Following graduation with a degree in naval architecture from Glasgow University in Scotland, he spent eight years cruising the Atlantic and Pacific oceans aboard sailing yachts. He also served as sailing master on a 105-foot schooner undertaking a scientific expedition for the US Navy.

Eventually settling down on the California coast in 1958, he has since designed boats ranging in size from dinghies to a 100-foot catamaran. His clients have included Excalibur, Islander, Columbia, Westsail and Cabo Rico.

I estimate that about 8,000 boats have been built to these designs, he said.

The Pacific Seacraft 34 and 37 are notable for their clean lines, traditional, ocean cruiser appearance, and canoe sterns. In profile, both have gentle sheer lines and fairly low freeboard. The coachroofs are flat and the bronze opening portlights dominate the cabin sides. Both designs are very soft on the eyes.

In the 37, I had the luxury of drawing a boat not for a client but to represent what I would like for myself, Crealock said. It had to be nimble for local sailing but able to make reasonably fast ocean passages in safety and comfort. That meant that, above all, it had to be well balanced, and we devoted more time to that than any other aspect of the plan.

I have been studying balance, which I consider to be the most important element of design, since I began my career. The [early 1970s] Excalibur 26 was the first production boat in which I was able to attempt to produce an easily sailed boat.

I believe that there is a great difference between speed round the buoys and speed on an ocean passage with a crew consisting, perhaps, of an undersized, emaciated skipper and a mildly mutinous spouse. Thats when the boat must take care of the crew.

The keels are long cruising fins integrated with a skeg on which the rudder is hung. This makes for a more maneuverable boat than a full keel or a full keel boat with cutaway forefoot and Brewer bite, that is, a chunk removed from the keel forward of the rudder.

The canoe stern figures prominently in the design scheme, and is more pointed than the wider, more rounded sterns found on many Taiwan-built double-enders.

A canoe stern, if carefully designed and given sufficient overhang, said Crealock, can be efficient and attractive. When the going gets really tough your stern will probably have to serve as your bow. The combination of a canoe stern, which presents less area to the sea, and high-lift skeg reduces the chance of a broach when sailing downwind in heavy seas.

The 34 aimed at the same overall qualities as the 37, but proportionally was given a little more volume to take care of the extra gear which has become standard. Both were aimed at the sailor who knew that if one day he dreamed of cruising afar he had a boat to take him anywhere.

The boats displacement/length (D/L) and sail area/displacement (SA/D) ratios are nearly identical. The 37s D/L is 334.13; the 34s 333.19. The 37s SA/D is 15.66; the 34s 15.12.

Our boats look heavy on the D/Ls for two reasons, Kohlmann said. The overhangs are fairly long so the waterline appears to be short, but each pick up waterline quickly as they begin to move through the water. If we add the staysail areas the SA/D on the 34 becomes 18.38; the 37, 19.18.

A second point is that our displacement is calculated to be half load-half fuel and water, sails and store for a crew of four.

Crealock and Kohlmann take pride in an award made some years ago by Fortune magazine that, along with the F-15 fighter plane, listed the Crealock 37 as considered one of the 100 best products made in the US. It was the only sailboat on the list.

The most recent models to come off the production line are referred to as Voyagemakers. Standard equipment now includes Harken roller furling, a singlehanders package, B&G instruments, refrigeration, Ullman sails, Corian countertops and a Force 10 stove with oven and broiler.

Construction The 34 and 37 have similar laminate schedules. Hulls are solid fiberglass. Following application of an ISO-NPG gelcoat, a 3-ounce layer of chopped strand mat is wetted out with vinylester resin to prevent blistering. Kohlmann said that chopped strand eliminates the binder in rolled mat that has been identified as a contributor of water-solubles to the gelcoat/skin interface, a potential cause of blisters.

This layer is followed by 2415 bi-axial roving (24-ounce roving attached to 1.5-ounce mat) laminated with isopthalic polyester resin. Extra layers are added to the chainplate and keel attachment areas, at the rudderstock, and on the centerline. Hull thickness at the bottom is 7/8″.

A full-length interior pan is bonded to the hull with bi-axial roving. This structure provides stiffness to the hull and incorporates foundations for berths and other interior furniture. There are recesses molded in to accept bulkheads. Bulkheads, cabinetry and shelving are all bonded to the hull so, there are no floating interior components, Kohlmann said.

Weve never been keen on molded pan interiors because they tend to condense moisture, make access to parts of the hull difficult, make for a noisier boat, and severely limit customization, but Pacific Seacraft does a better job with pans than most production builders. Indeed, Pacific Sea-craft boats are probably the most expensive boats one can buy with a molded pan interior.

The tops of the bulkheads are bonded to the underside of the deck with bi-axial roving. To further strengthen the bulkheads, a teak beam is installed along the top of the bulkhead; it is secured with carriage bolts through the beams, tabbing, and the deck. The construction method results in a unitized structure that is unlikely to flex under heavy load.

The hull-deck joint is at the 4″ tall bulwark. The 3/8″ deck flange overlays the inward oriented 5/16″ hull flange and the two are bedded in 3M 5200 and secured with 1/4″ stainless steel bolts and backing plates located on 4″ centers. Additional structural support is provided by a 13/16″ teak caprail bedded in polyurethane and fastened with #10 stainless steel screws on 8″ centers. We doubt this joint will leak or deteriorate except in the event of a heavy collision.

The deck is laminated with mat and bi-axial roving and cored with Baltek AL600 balsa core. Areas in which hardware will be mounted are cored with marine grade plywood in place of balsa. Winches, the 31″ tall stanchions and other deck hardware are installed over predrilled holes that are sealed with epoxy before the bolts are pushed through; this helps prevent water from penetrating the lamination. All hardware is installed with stainless steel backing plates.

The chainplates are mounted outside the hull for easy inspection. The exterior plates are made of 1/4″ x 2″ type 304 stainless steel fastened with carriage bolts to 1/8″ thick stainless steel plates bedded on the hull interior. Their placement outboard makes for a wider staying base, which is stronger but makes for wider sheeting angles that affect pointing ability. But because most other modern boats of this size generally have a foot or so more beam, the Crealocks end up with about the same sheeting angles as a beamier boat with inboard chainplates.

The lead keel is fastened to a solid fiberglass stub and bedded in epoxy. Stainless steel backing plates bedded in epoxy are placed over each keel bolt, which is secured with nuts locked in epoxy.

The skeg extends below the rudder to protect against damage incurred during grounding or collision with a submerged object. Protection for the propeller and rudder is provided by a steel plate molded into the leading edge of the solid fiberglass skeg. The bottom of the stainless steel rudderstock is secured by a manganese bronze gudgeon through-bolted to the skeg.

Though expensive, we think the companys production process yields some of the strongest boats in the industry.

On Deck The deck layout and hardware also reflect the boats bluewater heritage.

The decks 18″-wide walkways are easily navigable because the shrouds are attached to outboard chainplates. Combined with long handrails and high lifelines, it is easy to have one hand on the boat in heavy seas.

The cockpit on the 37-footer is significantly larger and more comfortable than its little sister. The cockpit on the 34 is a near oval, and seats are 6′ 5″ long; seats on the 37 are 8′ 10″. Seats are 16″ wide and have ergonomic, outward-angled, 12″ backrests; however, space for legs and feet is at a premium because the footwell is only 28″ wide. We found the arched helm seat on the 34 more comfortable than the flat seat on the 37.

Both boats have storage in the stern for two propane tanks and a small compartment for a stern anchor and rode. Lazarettes add storage for fenders, dock gear and small sails.

Single-spreader LeFiell aluminum masts are finished with linear polyurethane paint rather than anodizing, which has become less popular due to EPA restrictions. The rig on the 37 is supported by 9/32″ 1 x 19 stainless steel wire, the 34 by 1/4″ 1 x 19 wire. Running backstays are standard, necessitated by the inner foretay.

The headstay and inner forestay are fitted with Harken furlers.

Six Harken two-speed self-tailing winches manage halyards and sheets led aft to Spinlock rope clutches. Early models had winches mounted on the mast; we prefer the single-handers package, with all running rigging led to the cockpit. This arrangement will be much appreciated when forced to reef in a heavy sea.

The mainsheet traveler is equipped with a Harken ball bearing traveler.

Accommodations The interior layouts are set up for offshore and are attractive. The common denominators are light flowing in through tempered glass to finely crafted and varnished teak woodwork accented by smooth white Formica and Corian surfaces. The feeling of openness is enhanced by 6′ 4″ inches of headroom in the saloon.

The 37 has significantly larger living spaces because interior volume increases exponentially with length.

The saloon on the 37 measures 14′ 9″ and is 8′ 8″ wide, compared to the narrower 10′ 10″ long saloon on the 34.

The comparatively narrow beams of these boats, plus their canoe sterns, make for interiors smaller than those on the floating condominiums marketed by the industry giants. Competitors offer boats 18″-24″ wider and with significantly more volume aft. This additional space allows them to build a second enclosed stateroom, and, in some cases, a second head. The tradeoff-and there are always tradeoffs-is a less seakindly motion.

The 37 sleeps six in comfort, the 34 four to six depending upon their size. Only the forward stateroom on either boat, however, is enclosed by a door.

Rather than a conventional V-berth, the 37 has a 6′ 6″ long by 5′ 11″ wide double berth offset to starboard, and a built-in chair with thick foam cushions to port. If one wishes, the chair can be eliminated and the size of the berth increased, an option wed consider since the 22″ wide seat is too narrow for the average adult. The 34 has a regular V-berth with an insert that creates a 78″ long by 84″ wide queen-size berth.

Quarterberths located in the stern of both boats are located aft of the chart tables. Though the space on the 34 is more than 7′ long, it is only 34″ wide and 20″ high. Though billed as a double berth, its really too tight for two adults. And, because the pillow area doubles as a seat for the navigator, this area may best be used for storage when not being used as a sea berth.

The quarterberth on the 37 is more spacious. In addition to being 8″ wider, it is taller and is located aft of the navigators fixed seat. Its still a tight fit for two adults. A privacy curtain would be an excellent addition on both boats.

The galleys are designed and equipped to cook a Christmas goose. Features include hot and cold pressure water and gimbaled Force 10 stainless steel two-burner propane stove with oven and broiler. Newer boats are equipped with an 8 cubic foot Seafrost BD3 12-volt refrigerator.

The optional $840 teak storage unit located over the sink interferes with sight lines but, especially on the 34, it adds significant storage space.

In the 37, the 6′ 4″ L-shaped dinette converts to a 50″-wide double berth. To port is a similarly sized 24″-wide settee that, if outfitted with lee cloths, could double as a sea berth.

By comparison, the 34 has 6′ 6″ settees to port and starboard; the port settee converts to a 48″-wide double berth. The dining table folds out of the way on the forward bulkhead.

Crealock located the water, fuel and waste tanks in the bow and stern, and amidships under the teak and holly cabin sole. While one normally doesn’t want excess weight in the ends, it hardly can be avoided in a smaller cruising boat.

The heads in each boat are nearly identical, though the larger boat has a compartment that measures 60″ on the diagonal. Neither boat has a shower stall, but the inconvenience will be of little consequence to cruisers in warm climates.

The engine compartment has 360-degree access to the Yanmar diesel-thats rarely seen. The companionway cover lifts to access the front of the engine; a removable panel in the cockpit sole provides access to the aft end of the engine and steering gear in a space large enough for a 6-footer.

Performance Our test boat was a 10-year-old 34 that we sailed on the north end of Puget Sound in relatively flat water and winds that varied from 8-12 knots. It was outfitted with its original Dacron sails; the quarter berth and lazarettes were filled with spare sails and gear.

While we expect most any boat to sail close to its designed speed in 10-15 knots of breeze, its always interesting to see how a boat performs in just 5-10 knots. If it has any performance in its blood, the boat will still move. In less than 5 knots of wind, odds are most of us will be motoring or listening to slatting sails.

The 34s dimensions and performance ratios are so close to the 37 that she appears to be proportionately faster than her big sister. Polar diagrams provided by US Sailing indicate that VMG (velocity made good) is 3.23 knots on a beat in 8 knots of wind, and 3.75 when wind speed increases to 10 knots. These predictions also indicate that the boat sails best on a broad reach at 116 of true wind in 8 knots of wind, and 140 in 10 knots.

We equaled or exceeded those predictions without a great deal of effort. The 34 easily sailed to weather within 50- 60 of the apparent wind, moving smoothly at 4.5-5 knots with a Yankee, staysail and full main. At approximately 70 to the apparent wind she buried her shoulder and surged forward at 5.2-5.5 knots. Footing off, she maintained the same speed until we sailed lower than 120, when she decelerated to 3.5 knots. A cruising spinnaker will improve performance.

The 34 powers smoothly and quietly. With the Yanmar 35-hp. diesel running between 1800-2400 RPM, she moves at 6-6.5. knots with an 11″ x 17″ three-blade propeller, consuming only 6/10 of a gallon of fuel per hour. Shes nimble under power, and turns more quickly in tight quarters than a traditional full-keel cruiser.

Pricing/Warranty The 37-foot Voyagemaker has a sticker price of $228,000; the 34 is priced at $199,000. Well-maintained used boats tend to maintain high resale values. At this writing, a 10-year-old 37 is on the market at $174,900; a 1992 34-footer for $142,500.

Pacific Seacraft warrants that it will repair or replace any part it manufactures, as well as associated labor costs, for a period of two years from date of sale. It extends coverage for the repair of gelcoat damage caused by osmotic blisters for 10 years, based on a depreciation schedule.

Conclusion These boats record 150-mile days in comfort in typical ocean conditions.

The reality of long-distance cruising is that one spends most of the time in the cockpit under sail, a large percentage of time belowdecks eating and sleeping, and a small percentage of time in the head. Considering those uses, either of these boats will meet the needs of the informed buyer.

The 34 is an excellent daysailer or distance cruiser suitable for four adults or a couple and two children. The cockpit is too small to seat more than four adults comfortably. However, as Crealock says, a small cockpit is a good thing if pooped.

The aft berth is most suitable as a single sea berth and storage area. The head is smallish.

By comparison, the 37s cockpit accommodates six, as will its sleeping quarters. The cook will appreciate the larger galley, and the navigator can perform his chores without fear of sitting on a sleeping crews head.

Any buyer considering purchase of a new Pacific Seacraft yacht will face a difficult decision because only $30,000 separates the price of the two. Considering an 8% interest rate on a 15-year loan, that translates to a monthly payment of $286.

A more difficult decision could be choosing between buying a four- to six-year-old 37 for $190,000-$200,000, or a new 34 for $200,000.

Its a tough choice, but wed take the used 37.

Also With This Article Click here to view “Used Boat Price History.” Click here to view “At A Glance.” Click here to view “Owners Comments.”

Contact- Pacific Seacraft, 1301 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton, CA, 92831, 714/879-1610, www.pacificseacraft.com .

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