What This Boat Lacks in Performance Is Made Up in Comfort

If cost were never a concern, boaters undoubtedly would choose to own beautifully built, finely finished, fast, and perfectly balanced sailing vessels. In the real world, most of us don't have unlimited budgets, and cost remains a primary consideration when we decide what to buy. Irwin Yachts recognized this long ago and, quite frankly, compromised on the quality of fit and finish to offer boats that were carefully priced, well advertised and widely sold to a broad spectrum of customers. The Irwin 37, a roomy, appealing, center-cockpit cruising design introduced in 1971, is no exception to this generalization.

Between 1971 and 1982, Irwin sold more than 600 of these boats. The Irwin 37 was offered with three different sail plans – sloop, cutter and ketch – as well as three underwater configurations. The standard draft draws 5 feet, 6 inches; shoal draft is at four feet; and the keel centerboard version draws the same as the shoal-draft version but with a centerboard that extends to eight feet with the board fully down.

Early production 37s were built without bowsprits. The lack of this feature accentuates the high freeboard and expansive topsides of these models. While the addition of a bowsprit did wonders for the aesthetics, the fiberglass appendage caused minor gelcoat cracks and structural failures in the area of the attachment when the rig was stressed. The final version of the Irwin 37 used a welded aluminum bowsprit, which seemed to be less prone to problems than its fiberglass counterpart.

The hull is constructed of a solid laminate of various types of fiberglass cloth and polyester resin. Decks are constructed of fiberglass, resin and a balsa wood core. The deck-to-hull connection consists of overlapping flanges joined with a polyester bedding compound and self-tapping stainless steel screws on six- to eight-inch centers. The rigging chain plates are stainless steel webs laminated in place during hull lay-up. General industry practice would consider this construction on the light side for a boat of this size.

Common problems include deteriorated deck core from poorly bedded deck fittings, damage to the lightly constructed deck to hull joint from minor impacts with docks and pilings and bottom indentations from placing inadequately cured hulls on building cradle stands. Fiberglass print-through, a cosmetic condition where the pattern of the underlying fiberglass cloth is visible through the finish coat, is common on many older 37s. Later model boats used Cormat between the gelcoat surface finish and the fiberglass cloth material, which considerably reduced the problem.

Clearly, the layout, livability and considerable storage are this boat's strongest features. The layout of the 37 generally remained unchanged throughout its production. A spacious aft cabin is reached via a port side passageway from the mid-cabin main salon. A separate galley is to starboard and aft of the main salon and a V-berth stateroom forward. One head is next to the aft stateroom, and one is between the main salon and forward stateroom. Both have showers. The icebox's location along the port side in the passageway between the aft cabin and main salon is a minor annoyance because it is quite remote from the galley. The large size of the icebox, though, offsets the inconvenience.

Ideally, the boater looking at the Irwin 37 will consider sailing characteristics as secondary to others. With any of the underbody and rig configurations, this boat may be best suited to motorsailing. Standard auxiliary power for most 37s was a 40-horsepower Perkins 4-108 diesel. For optimum performance, consider the cutter rig and deep draft configuration. Even then, do not expect too much of the windward performance. Steering is generally slow to respond and quite spongy due to the long routing of the steering cables.

Though generally not recommended for bluewater cruising, the Irwin 37 is a lot of boat for the money. If upgraded to current standards for plumbing and electrical systems, the Irwin 37 should be suited for coastal and bay cruising.

What the 37 lacks in construction detail and sailing performance, it more than makes up at bedtime and at anchor. Large, comfortable berths and spacious cabins make this a comfortable boat.

Jack Hornor, NA is the principal surveyor and senior designer for the Annapolis-based Marine Survey & Design Co. Hornor writes for BoatU.S. Magazine and other marine publications.

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