dickerson 37 sailboat review

Dickerson 37 cc

The dickerson 37 cc is a 37.0ft cutter designed by george hazen and built in fiberglass by dickerson boatbuilders (usa) since 1981..

The Dickerson 37 cc is a heavy sailboat which is a reasonably good performer. It is stable / stiff and has a good righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a bluewater cruising boat. The fuel capacity is average. There is a short water supply range.

Dickerson 37 cc for sale elsewhere on the web:

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Dickerson Farr 37. I have questions

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I have some questions for anyone who has experience sailing the Dickerson Farr 37. I have read through all of the previous posts on the matter but had some specific questions. 1. It has been said that the boat can be "alot to handle downwind". Is this to the point where it is a round up machine or can you take her with diligent helm? 2. Does she have any characteristics that would specifically make her a poor boat for short handed racing (The running back stays don't intimidate me and I plan on a bow sprit for assyms) 3. what do I not know that I need to from your experience? My previous Boats have been C&C 33mk2, C&C 41custom and C&C 35mk3. All routinely single handed. Regards, Gary  

gedaggett said: I have some questions for anyone who has experience sailing the Dickerson Farr 37. I have read through all of the previous posts on the matter but had some specific questions. 1. It has been said that the boat can be "alot to handle downwind". Is this to the point where it is a round up machine or can you take her with diligent helm? 2. Does she have any characteristics that would specifically make her a poor boat for short handed racing (The running back stays don't intimidate me and I plan on a bow sprit for assyms) 3. what do I not know that I need to from your experience? My previous Boats have been C&C 33mk2, C&C 41custom and C&C 35mk3. All routinely single handed. Regards, Gary Click to expand...

All of your previous boats are IOR designs so you are probably familiar with the challenges of carrying a masthead chute on a boat that is prone to excitation rolling and roll steer. My short tenure on a Farr 37 suggested that it is no worse than the boats (i.e. the C&C 41) that you already know, except that it has a little more SA/D, a little more stability, and reaches and runs with a bit more control and speed. If you were to race a Farr 37 short-handed you would want to develop a sail inventory for short-handed sailing and look at how to rearrange the cockpit to make it easier to sail short-handed. It can be done but like most IOR era boats, there may be better choices out there. I have a Farr 11.6 (Farr 38) which was designed slightly before the Farr 37. The 11.6 was not designed to the IOR rule. It makes a great short-handed boat and would be a better short-hander than the 37 if you can find one at a similar price. When I bought my boat I was told it was generally raced with 7-8 people and needed at least 4 to sail with spinnaker. I race her single-handed. Here are some of the items which might be worth considering. 1) Get a reliable below deck autopilot. These boats do not track at deep reach angles and you can't jibe or douse the chute without a good autopilot. 2) Add twings rather that using lazy sheets and guys. 3) Set the boat up for end for end jibing. If the pole and mast have a bell fitting, that will need to be swapped for a conventional pole end and ring. You cannot dip pole jibe short-handed without going through wild modifications. I considered experimenting with being able to dip pole jibe and decided it was too complex. (I can talk you through the system for that if you are interested.) Avoid spinnaker socks or furlers since they can really get you messed up. Never raise or lower the chute without the jib mostly deployed. 4) Add roller furling. I would not plan to sail with the sail partially furled but its important to be able to deploy and furl the jib once the spinnaker is up. 5)Develop a minimally overlapping AP headsail that can be powered up and flattened with backstay adjustments. It will probably be roughly a 125% on that boat and will need be a heavier than usual reinforced high modulus sail with battens and lots of roach. The idea is to keep the sail light but with low stretch. Ideally you end up with the equivalent of an SA/D of around 24 upwind. The sail should be cut for lots of headstay sag in light air and to be bladed out by reducing headstay sag in a breeze. While these boats were designed for 155% genoas, they were also designed for 1,500 lbs of crew weight on the rail and another couple hundred lbs of crew gear down below. The smaller sail plan should work across a broad wind range (2-3 knots to close to 20 knots but with a reefed mainsail once you can't blade the sails enough to keep heel angle below 20 degrees). 6) The winch islands are great when there is a crew, but it puts the jib winches a little too far forward to adjust from the tiller extension so you may need to be able to quickly engage the autopilot and then return to the helm. 7) Do not buy one with wheel steering. The wheel puts you too far aft to reach any of the control lines (except maybe the traveler and backstay adjuster). I would suggest that you try to get aboard and sail one. I like the Farr 37 a lot, but if you can find one at a good price in decent shape, boats like a J-36, Express 37, or Farr 11.6, are better choices as shorthanded racers. Jeff  

Great info guys! That is exactly the info I was looking for. the boat under consideration has dealt with some of those single handed concerns but there is no substitute for weight I the rail and I get that. It is part of my hesitation.  

So here's the thing, almost any racer-cruiser from the IOR era was designed to sail with a lot of weight on the rail. A 37-38 footer might have had 9-10 people onboard in heavy air with everyone perched on the rail upwind and reaching. But that also meant carrying a couple thousand pounds of people and gear. So while it meant that you could carry more sail area into higher wind speeds, it also meant that you also needed to carry more sail area to offset the greater weight. IOR era boats would carry very large sail inventories. They might have a light#1, Heavy#1, #2, #3,#4, and storm jib, and sail changes were very common. With modern high modulus sail cloth, the wind range of any of these sails is greatly increased. Because a high tech sail is much lighter than a Dacron sail with similar stretch characteristics, the high tech sail will maintain it's flying shape into much lighter winds. Because a high tech sail actually stretches less than a Dacron sail, the same sail can be carried into a much higher wind as well. What I did to develop my short-handed sail inventory was to develop a skewed SA/D for my boat. For displacement, I started with the published dry weight and I added 500 lbs for normal sailing gear, water in the tanks and consumables, and 1500 lbs for crew and their gear. I then calculated the sail area with the 155% Genoa, and calculated the SA/D in that configuration. I then took off the 1500 lbs of crew weight an calculated the sail area needed to achieve the same SA/D without the weight. By subtracting the mainsail, I came up with the smaller size Genoa that I wanted for the single handed Genoa. The reality is that there will be some performance loss due to the lack of added stability from crew on the rail, but it is no where near as bad as you might think. This is partially true because modern sails can be bladed out much more effectively than Dacron or the old Kevlar sails. It's partially true because less weight means less drag and less drag means that you don't need as much sail area. In real racing conditions, single-handing I often correct out over fully crewed boats in a broad range of conditions but particularly in lighter winds and heavy air. While high tech sails cost more initially, they have a much larger wind range replacing 2 or 3 sails. But also a good quality and properly spec's high tech sail will last longer than a lower tech sail in terms of holding it's shape which is why many one design classes which previously prohibited high tech sails to keep costs down, now permit high tech sails. By way of example, my prior AP high tech jib lasted 10 years and was only destroyed when I got caught in 40 knots of wind and could not furl it. Jeff  

Thanks Jeff great perspective here. I dim wittedly never even though about full water and fuel for ballast to offset missing crew weight. Good info on the SA/D consideration and sail inventory story with 3Di type materials. Sounds like by going from the 155 down to a new calculated optimal sail size and properly set up boat that single handed perfromance could.be achieved and would have quite the advantage in light air which is more than half of what we see in the great lakes anyhow. Most of out beercan races over the last 5 years have been in winds of 4-10 knots and the Mackinaw race has ussually had at least a day of a high preassure system and searching for breeze. I would imagine having this same SA/D thought process in mind for the Spinnalers would also help to tame the boat down a bit. Sounds like some good conversations with the sailmaker would be in order.  

I want to start by saying that before I ever bought my boat, I planned to own her for a very long time. I also figured that I would be sailing single-hand a lot and hoped to race single or short handed. With that in mind, I was purposely looked for a performance boat with a sail plan and hull form that would be forgiving and could be easily adapted to changing conditions. While I definitely considered a number of IOR boats, the issue with them tends to be that most were short on stability, had sail plans with small high aspect mainsails and were heavily dependent on large overlapping headsails. There were certainly better and worse designs to sail short-handed. For example, boats like the Farr 37, or the Soverel 33 were better than many IOR oriented designs. In the case of the Farr 37, after the Fastnet Disaster, the IOR Rule was amended so that stability was not so heavily penalized. Many of the Farr 37's were altered and had a lead bulb added which definitely improved stability. Ideally you are looking at one of those. But I also bought my boat planning to optimize the deck plan and develop a sail inventory that targeted towards more efficient short-handed sailing. In terms of the sail inventory I wanted to avoid having to do sail changes or sailing with partially furled sails, which meant developing sails that were designed for a very wide wind range. I am suggesting that you might want to talk with a sailmaker before you buy the boat but it can't just be any sailmaker. I is really important to find a sailmaker who understands what I was trying to accomplish and was willing to help me develop a proper inventory with the properly sized and shaped sails. That is not always easy.. I had a terrible experience with North Sails for example. But before I explain what happened I want to explain my thoughts on what makes a good short-handed headsail. In order to produce a headsail with a maximum wind range it will by necessity be smaller than an AP Genoa on a fully crewed boat. To maximize the performance of this smaller sail, it needs to have the maximum luff length that won't 2-block. It needs to be as light a weight as possible for light air. It needs to be cut slightly full like the leading edge of the full sized Genoa, but it needs to be designed for more than usual headsta sag. The headstay sag will hurt pointing ability very slightly but it allows you to tension the forestay (on the Farr 37 with the backstay and check stays) and flatten the Genoa in heavier air. The only way that works for heavy air is to have the sail designed with an exceptionally large amount of high modulus fiber to prevent the slightly fuller shape from stretching in stronger winds. While high modulus fiber is expensive it still represents a small portion of the overall cost of a high tech sail. (My understanding is that greatly increasing the amount of structural fiber in my sails added roughly 5% to the overall cost of the sail.) The added fiber also increases the durability of the sail. My experience with North was that since I was asking for a smaller sail with extra reinforcing fiber, they produced a standard racing #2 which was way too flat to use in lighter winds. When we tried with a second sail, it was cut pretty well but had much less reinforcing and so had a rediculously narrow wind range. I hardly ever used that sail and it delaminated very quickly. I ended up working Dave Flynn at Quantum in Annapolis, who got it immediately. That sail Quantum produced was miraculous. It was good down to 2- 3 or so knots up to 120 degs true and up to around 20 knots, After 10 years and a lot of abuse, I replaced it with a second version of this sail. The new sail uses fiber and technology that was not around back then and it has an even wider wind range than the first Quantum. To save cost, I typically figure out what I want in a sail and then buy it during the annual sale period with flexible delivery which makes it somewhat more affordable. I am not sure what to tell you on the spinnaker. IOR boats typically have problems carrying chutes once the apparent wind gets near 90 degrees. My gut reaction is that I think if I were designing a spinnaker for a Farr 37 I don't think I would make it smaller, but I would want it to be flatter cut to reduce excitation rolling and allow you to carry it at a hotter wind angle without weight on the rail. This is one that you should definitely discuss with your sailmaker and let us know what you find out. That's about it for tonight. Jeff  

Speaking of the impact of single-handing on performance, this is an article that was picked up by Scuttlebutt from the ORC Webpage. It does not say much since it only touches lightly on the impact of not having crw weight on the rail to be able to carry more sail area. It uses an Aerodyne 38 as the example, which is a boat that has all of the boxes checked as a pretty good platform for a short handed race-boat. Yet even in a boat that is well suited to short-hand racing the performance penalty is 10 seconds a mile under ORC. That is a pretty big hit. CHESSS (Chesapeake Sailing Society) had a member discussion on the difference in performance between single and double hand sailing, and the conclusion was that the difference over a race course was in the 6 to 12 seconds a mile range mainly due to impact of either making slower tacks and jibes or else losing the tactical advantages of a tack or jibe when single-handed. I only wish that the article had said more about the basis of the rating difference. Fair ratings for Double Handed racers An advantage to a science-based rating system is being able to produce ratings that more closely reflect how people actually sail their boats. Short-handed sailing is an example where substantially lower crew weight can have a significant effect on rated performance compared to racing with a full crew, yet this is rarely addressed by many rating systems. On ORC certificates there are two double-handed special scoring options: Time-on-Time and Time-on-Distance ratings for General Purpose Handicap (GPH) and the Offshore Single Number (OSN) course models. GPH is an average of the time allowances calculated for all wind angles in 8 to 12 knots of wind speed, while OSN is a weighted average of time allowances for wind speeds from 8 to 16 knots that are found in a typical offshore race. For Annapolis-based Ben Capuco's Aerodyne 38 Zuul, for example, the DH GPH rating is over 10 sec/mi slower than the full-crew GPH, and the DH OSN rating is over 12 sec/mi slower. This reflects the 570 kg (1250 lb) lower crew weight that affects their performance across the ranges of wind speed and wind angles in the two scoring models. Along with eight J/105s, Zuul and 9 other entries will compete in the first Annapolis YC Double Handed Distance Race over September 28-29 on a Chesapeake Bay course intended to last 24 hours. With ORC DH ratings, they can be assured of fair racing  

Where is this race being held? ( beginning mid and end points) . Do all of you carry AIS? We will be out on the Bay during that time somewhere to be determined but between Annapolis and Solomon's.  

Jeff, Most of the races I will be single handing in are distance races and in a single handed or double handed section. This will help to level the playing field as I will not be a stand alone single handed racer. I will have crew for the beer can series and many other races. interesting the the J105 was mentioned with that article as I considered them as an option, however, I need something that can be a somewhat comfortable family weekends. It sounds like with the right approach I can tame down the DF37 for single handed racing in the big stuff and still keep her quick with a crew. She has a good below deck autohelm and I can add a sprit fairly easily. I know there is a ballast adding option in the bilge that could assist with that further with the stability. Since 75 percent of my racing over the last 5 years has been in lighter air (under 10 - 12knts) I like the idea of the lighter taller rigged boat in those conditions but I know everything is a trade off. The C&C 41 Custom that I raced before my current C&C 35MK3 had a hard time finishing above a Wylie 39 and a Frers 30 in light conditions on corrected time but would destroy the field in winds over 18 knots. In 5-8 knots of wind we just could not compete with the super light boats even when we hit our polars with a flawless start and solid antics on the race course. Still lots to consider but your input and insight has been very helpful.  

gedaggett said: Jeff, Most of the races I will be single handing in are distance races and in a single handed or double handed section. This will help to level the playing field as I will not be a stand alone single handed racer. I will have crew for the beer can series and many other races. interesting the the J105 was mentioned with that article as I considered them as an option, however, I need something that can be a somewhat comfortable family weekends. It sounds like with the right approach I can tame down the DF37 for single handed racing in the big stuff and still keep her quick with a crew. She has a good below deck autohelm and I can add a sprit fairly easily. I know there is a ballast adding option in the bilge that could assist with that further with the stability. Since 75 percent of my racing over the last 5 years has been in lighter air (under 10 - 12knts) I like the idea of the lighter taller rigged boat in those conditions but I know everything is a trade off. The C&C 41 Custom that I raced before my current C&C 35MK3 had a hard time finishing above a Wylie 39 and a Frers 30 in light conditions on corrected time but would destroy the field in winds over 18 knots. In 5-8 knots of wind we just could not compete with the super light boats even when we hit our polars with a flawless start and solid antics on the race course. Still lots to consider but your input and insight has been very helpful. Click to expand...

Jeff H, I was wondering if you might elaborate a bit on why the D Farr 37 is not a good candidate for an assym. Gary  

Its a complex question to explain in a short reply, but here goes. In order to take advantage of an asymmetrical chute you need a boat with a hull form that will make very large gains by heating up and sailing comparatively hot angles. That normally implies a boat with a semi-displacement hull form (by way of comparison think Mumm 36 or Farr 40) (or even more so think of a planning hull), and with a lot of stability relative to drag. Neither characteristic is true for the Farr 37. Boats that best use asymmetrical spinnakers typically see 40%-50% increases in speed by heating up maybe 15-20 degrees in moderate winds (with bigger gains in speeds and VMG at hotter angles in really light winds). While the Farr 37 was one of the better reaching IOR era boats of its size (in terms of its hull form, weight and sail plan), compared to the IMS influenced designs, it really does not offer the same breakthrough speeds gained by sailing hotter angle. And while any boat will pick up a little VMG by heating up in light winds, the huge masthead symmetrical chute and marginally lower wetted-surface on the Farr 37 means that for any wind speed the maximum VMG will be sailing at a much deeper angle than is ideal for a typical AP asymmetrical spinnaker. Because the Farr 37 does not have the high stability of more modern designs, the asymmetrical chute would need to be cut very flat so the sail can be carried up onto a reach, and that flatness would prevent the sail from working well at the deep angles that the boat should be sailed at to make the best VMG. So in order to make this flatter cut asymmetric work, the boat will be sailing at a hotter angle but because of the hull form, the boat will not have a sufficient increase in speed to offset the added distance sailed. I am not sure how clear that really is, but at the heart of it, the deep canoe body, narrow waterline beam, and pinched stern, will limit the hull from being a really good reaching boat relative to the later designs which have hull forms that are better optimized for reaching speeds. Assyms only offer an advantage when reaching but only if the boat has the stability to carry an asymmetrical as the winds increase in speed. Jeff  

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If you have not already done it–renew your dickerson association membership or join now..

As new Dickerson Member Mark Fawcett of Ontario, Canada said. “ It is the Association that is so important about these Dickersons. Everyone was so helpful to me when I purchased my 41 Foot Dickerson Ketch CAVU ”

Get to know your Dickerson neighbor with our 100 Page Directory with contact information on all known Dickerson Owners, A Classified Section on where to obtain Dickerson Parts, Equipment and Services and much more. Join discussions on the Dickerson Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dickersonsailboats/

Join now or renew your Dickerson Association Membership for June 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Click on Membership on top of page. Contact us at [email protected] for Membership Form.

23 -24 Sept Dickerson Western Shore Round-Up Survey

Ahoy all Dickerson owners and crew! Have you been looking for a boating activity in September before the fall weather sets in? Then let us know of your interest in attending a Western Shore Round Up on 23 – 24 September on the West River, Maryland.

The fun begins on Friday 23 September at the West River Sailing Club followed by a Rabbit-start race on Saturday 24 September.

Please RSVP by 1 September to your Dickerson Newsletter Editor Chris Burry at [email protected] to let us know of your interest. We will only hold this event if there is enough interest by members.

Captain Randy Bruns of RHYTHMS IN BLUE is looking for a crew-mate to help him sail his boat from Magothy River and help set up the race on Saturday the 24 th . If you are available to assist Randy please contact him directly at [email protected] or via phone at 410-544-5571. 

Read the latest Dickerson news in the attached August 2022 newsletter.

Where have you been sailing your Dickerson this summer?

Chris Burry – SV PLOVER Anchored Lunenburg, Nova Scotia DOA Newsletter Editor

Fair Winds to our Dear Friend

Obituary of joseph william slavin.

Joseph Slavin 95 of Quincy, MA and Annandale, Va. died on March 6, 2022 after a brief illness. He was the husband of his high school sweetheart the late Arlene Harris Slavin to whom he was married for 70 years. He was born in Dorchester,MA on Feb.8, 1927 and was the son of the late Ambrose and Evelyn (Tuttle)Slavin.

Joe graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point in 1949 and later attended graduate studies at Tufts University in Boston, MA. He became an expert in Marine Fisheries where his career moved him from Massachusetts to

Washington, DC where he became an Associate Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service under NOAA. After retiring he became a global consultant in fisheries and traveled the world with his expertise.

Joe was one with the sea. At the age of 10 he taught himself to sail on a small boat. From that time on sailing became his passion. The boats became larger, sailing Ipswich Bay, Cape Cod Bay, and Chesapeake Bay. He sailed until the age of 90 on his beloved “Irish Mist” with family and friends. He was an active member of the Dickerson Boat Association and spent many happy days with his fellow Dickerson Boat buddies racing on the Eastern Shore of Maryland

At the age of 90 Joe and Arlene retired to The Crossings in Herndon, VA. They were warmly welcomed by residents and staff. Joe became very involved in updating the library and reading at daily Mass. He became President of the Residence Council and enjoyed contributing to the Crossings community.

Joe’s family was the most important thing in his life. He would drop everything and come if he was needed no matter what time day or night. He was always willing to listen, lend a hand and his advice is legendary ! He had a most inquisitive mind and was an avid reader. He loved life and was always the eternal optimist. Joe and Arlene spent many years of happy vacations at the Veranda Beach Club in Longboat Key, Florida

Joe was pre deceased by his siblings Bob Slavin, Mary May and John Slavin. He is survived by his daughters Elaine Stiles(Kevin) of Portsmouth, RI, Jo-Anne Riabouchinsky(Mike) of King George, VA and Patricia Stallings(Bill) of Fredericksburg, VA. JoJo also leaves his grandchildren Lauren Foley(Pete)of Marshfield, MA, Matt Stiles(Jess) of La Quinta, CA, Paul Riabouchinsky and Alek Riabouchinsky of King George, VA. and great grandchildren Peter Foley, Sarah Foley and Claire Foley of Marshfield, MA.

We would like to express a special thanks to all those who cared for Joe in his illness especially Kadie and Irene.

NOTICE OF RACE 2021 WESTERN SHORE ROUNDUP

Event has been cancelled..

I am delighted to announce we are holding the Western shore Roundup once again after a year of no racing.  It will be held at the West River Sailing Club September 24 and 25.  Sailors can meet at the West River Cookout on Friday evening where you can purchase food and drink and have a nice evening with all of us together again. 

Racing on Saturday is open to all Dickersons as well as other vintage single hull cruising boats whose first hull was laid down prior to 1990.  The race starts at High Noon at WR G1 and features a rabbit start type of race.  Rabbit starts make it easy for all competitors to get a good windward start.  The winner of the race is declared the Sheriff of the Western Shore with a perpetual trophy. We will have a dinner at Pirates Cove that evening. Some sailors continue on Sunday following the race to cruise around together.

There is plenty of water for anchoring off the Club for short dinghying to the Club docks. I am checking on the viability of the Club moorings so stay tuned.  If the docks are free of members two boats could tie up.

If you plan to attend let me know by 20 September and I will email you several pages of Race Instructions and suggestions on starting.  Also let me know if you and your crew plan to attend the cookout; helps the kitchen staff plan.

Of course all this is subject to virus restrictions. The Club has been very conservative on this issue.

Randy Bruns  [email protected] ; 443-994-8844

DICKERSON ASSOCIATION HOSTS CHESAPEAKE CLASSIC SAILBOAT REGATTA

For more than 50 consecutive years, owners of Dickerson yachts have gathered annually at Oxford or Cambridge, MD near the place where their vessels were built. The Dickerson Owners’ Association (DOA) hosts the event — usually on Fathers Day weekend when the owners gather to share their enthusiasm for these classic sailboats. The event receives such rave reviews from attendees that the DOA will soon share it among a larger group of similar classic boats.

Additional Events

We are looking into having some local meetings of Dickerson owners and Associates and encourage any suggestions you may have regarding any possible additions to this program.

Let’s Make Sure Dickersons are Forever

So what are we all about? Have you ever tied up at a dock and a passing sailor comes by and says

“Is that a Dickerson” and you proudly say yes built in 1969 like my wooden “Irish Mist” or yes my boat sailed around the world like D and Don Wogaman’s “Southern Cross”

We have a rich tradition where the sailors that sail these boats are in many ways just like their boats, solid and caring. In my 36 years as a Dickerson Association Member, when some finally had to give up the sailing, they said that “their Dickerson years made up their fondest memories”. Recently joining that group at 91, I know how important it is for all of us to do our bit to really make sure Dickersons are Forever. The Dickerson Owners Association appreciates your faithful and continuing membership over the years and your help in keeping our organization strong. We hope you can join us in this exciting program.

Treasure Chest – Nautical Apparel and Gifts .  See the details .

SURVEY ON WINTERIZING YOUR DICKERSON

Our survey is complete and the results are  available here . Thank you for your participation!

Membership Committee-Joe Slavin, Barry Creighton, John Freal

Find a lost Dickerson and share it with us

Did you know that there may be 150 or more Dickerson Sailboats that are not identified in the 2009 Dickerson Owners Association (DOA) Directory?

The DOA has initiated an ambitious “Find a Lost Dickerson Sailboat” contest and invites all Dickerson fans to participate in the fun. A “Lost Dickerson” is one that we have no record of and is not listed in the 2009 Dickerson Owners Directory.

When visiting ports, marinas and boat yards or sailing in local and “foreign” waters, keep your eyes peeled for a 30, 32, 35, 36, 37, 40 or 41 foot Dickerson sailboat. Get sailor’s name, boat name, length, port and other contact information i.e. telephone number and email. Take a picture if possible.

Send your name and particulars on your Dickerson Discovery to the Dickerson Owners Association Membership Committee at  [email protected] .

For your trouble you will be eligible to win a prize-yet to be decided. Contact us if you have any questions.

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A One-sided Defense of the Cruising Ketch

This week I had the opportunity to poke around a ketch-rigged Pearson 424 that was for sale in the neighborhood, and although they’ve generally fallen out of favor today, I was reminded of the many advantages of the ketch design. The Pearson 424 is an example of several decades-old production boats that were offered in a variety of rigs (sloop, cutter, or ketch), which has given longtime owners an opportunity to compare sail plans.

Judging from Pearson 424 list prices and bulletin board discussions about the Pearson 424, it appears that the scales are slightly tilted in favor of the sloop and cutter versions. However, the ketch owners are equally emphatic regarding their boats’ positive attributes. Having covered most of my cruising miles aboard a ketch, I’m an impartial party in this debate. So keep in mind, that much of what you read below (redacted from an earlier post of mine) is colored by personal experience.

My affinity for cruising ketches like the Allied Seawind II we feature in the January 2016 issue of Practical Sailor runs contrary to the view of their many detractors. Their criticism goes something like this: Ketches were popular in early days of cruising when undersized winches and friction-bound hardware conspired to make handling large sails a chore. With efficient winches and modern hardware, split rigs are obsolete on boats under 50 feet, they say.

Having wrestled down the main on more than a few 40-footers with state of-the-art everything, I don’t buy this argument, but I’ll let it stand. Nor will I quibble over complaints about a ketchs handicap to windward-which in my view is overstated, at least with regards to the better designs. Being the first boat to reach a windward watering hole is nice, but it’s hardly the first feature you look for in a good cruising boat.

You can explore the cruising blogosphere and find plenty of resident ketch-haters, and indeed, some of the complaints have merit; the added weight and expense of the ketchs extra rigging are irrefutable knocks. But having lived aboard and sailed a much-beloved, 32-foot William Atkin ketch for 10 years, I’m not interested in joining the chorus. Instead, I celebrate the rigs attractions, especially to the short-handed cruiser.

• Smaller sails are easier to handle. In squally weather, start with a reef tucked in the main, then just furl the mizzen or jib as needed without leaving the cockpit, upsetting helm, or wrestling more reefs into the main.
• Ride the invisible rail. The fore-and-aft distribution of sails simplifies the task of achieving a rock-steady helm.
• Impress your sloop-sailing friends with fancy ketch tricks. Sail backward through the mooring field (spin circles if you have a sharpie), nose casually up to anchor, hove-to with jig and jigger.
• Barrel westward on a reach. Turbo-charge off-wind sailing by setting a mizzen staysail.
• Don’t fear a dismasting. Having two independently stayed masts increases your odds of having at least one spar to use for jury rigging. (This advantage does not apply to ketches with triatic stays like the lovely Sea Witch.)
• Sail in good company. Some famous ketches to consider: Steinlager 2 (1990 Whitbread winner), Suhaili (Robin Knox Johnstons Golden Globe race winner), Joshua (Bernard Moitessiers beloved, steel globe-trotter), Wanderer IV (Eric and Susan Hiscocks storied cruiser), Colin Archers heroic little rescue boats . . . the list goes on.
• Draw longing sighs from those ashore. There is something about having a main and mizzen working together that kindles romantic visions of South Sea islands.

Another nice thing about ketches is that many have reached an age when they are true bargains. Here are just a few familiar ketches worth considering: L. Francis Herreshoffs classic H-28, Gary Hoyts unstayed Freedom 40, Charlie Morgans family-friendly Bahama-mama Out Island 41, Ted Brewers Whitby 42 (aka Brewer 12.8), the Cheoy Lee Offshore 41, any of William Gardens iconic ketches, the Swedish-built Hallberg-Rassy 42, Atkins Ingrid 38 (and her related offspring), John Hannas iconic Tahiti ketch, Holman & Pyes Bowman 57, and two S&S designs, the Swan 57 and Tartan TOCK.

These are just a few that come to mind. I’m sure PS readers have many other boats to add to the list as evidence that reports on the death of the cruising ketch have been greatly exaggerated.

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1985 Dickerson 37 Aft Cockpit Ketch

• Description

Seller's Description

The Dickerson 37 aft cockpit ketch is a handsome cruising vessel with many practical features; wide decks, safe bulwarks, nav station, large comfortable cockpit. New teak and holly sole with 7 coats of varnish. One of George Hazen’s best modern sailboat designs using state of the art computer technology with a modified full keel and skeg hung rudder provides exceptional sailing performance. Ideally designed for the shoals of the Chesapeake, the ICW, Florida and the Bahamas. A beautiful ketch at a reasonable price.

Equipment: Rebuilt Perkins Diesel (2020), new running rigging, new batteries, new cushions in cabin and cockpit, new SIMRAD NSS Evo 3 Nav System with autopilot w/9”touchscreen chart plotter on bulkhead, SIMRAD dome and SIMRAD wind speed and depth, rebuilt and restored overhead hatches in main cabin and V-berth, new aluminum 50 gallon fuel tank, new Raritan pressurized fresh water toilet with new 20 gallon holding tank, new Thurston/Quantum jib on Hood roller furler, new Thurston/Quantum canvas sail covers, Lewmar 44 2-speed self-tailing sheet winches, mast mounted halyard winches. U-shape galley, 3-burner propane stove w/ oven, refrigeration, hot/cold pressurized water, shore power connection. 120v outlets at nav station and galley, 30amp battery charger.

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)

Aft and center cockpit, ketch or cutter.

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