When one first steps aboard the new Tim Kernan-designed Santa Cruz 37 and takes a glimpse at the expansive cockpit, low-slung twin wheels, and nifty retractable bowsprit, the initial reaction is summed up in one word: raceboat. But below, there’s the quite fetching bamboo interior, with its twin double bunks aft, very livable central saloon with basic but useful spaces for cooking and navigating, and the V-berth/head arrangement forward.
From its earliest origins, the company motto has been “Fast is fun,” and Kernan kept that in mind when crafting the lines of this 37-footer. Displacing less than 10,000 pounds, the boat is a testament to contemporary boatbuilding, with a carbon hull and deck sandwiching a Divinycell foam core, carbon spars, and a hydraulically controlled lifting keel. The only feature that gave us pause was the location of the 29-horsepower Yanmar; it’s accessed through a big hatch right in the cockpit, which seems an odd and potentially vulnerable space if you ever needed to access it quickly in a seaway.
All was forgiven and forgotten once the sails were hoisted, however, and the SC 37 coursed along sweetly to weather at 7.5 knots in 9 knots of true wind, then broke the 8-knot mark under its big asymmetric as the breeze filled in to 12 knots. There may well be better sailing 37-footers around, but at the moment, it’s hard to think of one.
Herb McCormick
Specs
LOA 37′ 0″
LWL 34′ 9″
Beam 10′ 8″
Draft (standard/shallow) 7′ 6″/6′ 0″
Sail Area 717 sq. ft.
Displacement 8,662 lb.
Water 27 gal.
Fuel 19 gal.
Engine Yanmar 29-hp. diesel
Designer Tim Kernan
Price $345,000
Santa Cruz Yachts
(904) 284-0181
www.santacruzyachts.com
