peterson 37 sailboat review

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Peterson 37

Peterson 37 is a 37 ′ 0 ″ / 11.3 m monohull sailboat designed by Doug Peterson and built by Wiggers Custom Yachts Ltd. starting in 1981.

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)

aka WIGGERS 37.

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Peterson 37

The peterson 37 is a 37.0ft masthead sloop designed by doug peterson and built in fiberglass by wiggers custom yachts ltd. since 1981..

The Peterson 37 is a light sailboat which is a high performer. It is very stable / stiff and has a low righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a fast cruiser. There is a short water supply range.

Peterson 37 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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A Peterson 37 of the 80’s is a classic built by Wiggers Custom Yachts and designed by Doug Peterson. If you are into racing you’ll already know that “Black Magic”, New Zealand’s America’s Cup winner in 2002 was a Doug Peterson design.   Built by Wiggers Custom Yachts in Canada she is solidly built in the tradition of a racer cruiser, light enough to be fast and heavy enough to be comfortable. Wiggers has been building boats for over 40 years with an impressive success with some famous race boats for Doug Peterson, Bruce Farr, and Brendon Dobroth, as well as building some solid cruisers including Mark Ellis’ Nonsuch 33. Wiggers was Doug Peterson’s choice for his Peterson 37 series based on their proven track record. The Peterson 37 definately looks like a classic racer cruiser of IOR lines. She looks like a real fast sailing boat should look with a sharp entry, full belly and tapered reverse transom for more waterline. With with a fin keel and deep spade rudder, she sails fast and responsively. You’ll appreciate her from every angle. Whiskers is an exceptional example of the Peterson 37. She if fully race equipped with an impressive sail inventory. She is optimized for IMS and her PHRF rating of 90. Her race record speaks for itself. In light air, under 10 knots, she walks away from the fleet. As conditions get windy, she remains well mannered and responsive. She has given her owner years of successful racing fun. As a family vessel, with cruising sails, she is comfortable and loads of fun.  Second place in her division at this year’s Screwplile regatta.   This vessel is special in that her owners have cared for her without regard to cost. She has been dry stored each winter under her winter cover and she has been professionally maintained. Whatever she needed, she got! If you want a beautiful fast race boat that is a timeless classic that you can also cruise successfully, give Whiskers your consideration.  

Contact Information

Peterson 37 Boats for Sale Craigslist & Peterson 37 Specs & Pictures

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Pearson Yachts Portal

The Pearson 37 : 1982–1986

Race first class in a boat that embodies the absolute latest in hydrodynamics. Cruise first class, as well, with a luxurious varnished interior.

Designed To Perform

If the design parameters of your next boat include the absolute latest thinking in high performance aero and hydrodynamics, the Pearson 37 deserves your immediate evaluation. Her estimated IOR rating is 28.5 and extremes have been avoided to help secure your investment against rule changes.

Belowdecks, a stunning contemporary wood interior, and an elegantly comfortable 7-berth layout makes the Pearson 37 a versatile performer. We see no reason why you shouldn't race and cruise first class.

The new, state of the art Pearson 37 can be seen at most major shows this fall.

Come Sail With Us...

Pearson Yachts Inc. 1982

The boat design by Bill Shaw was built by the American company, Pearson Yachts, at their Rhode Island, United States plant between 1982 and 1986. Although Pearson Yachts is no longer in business, 43 of these boats were completed during their years of production.

The Pearson 37 is one of several transitional Bill Shaw designs that stands apart from the others. This particular 37 was designed to meet the IOR rule, and double as a family cruiser.

This is the first version of the Pearson 37, not to be confused with the P37-2 which was a new design that ran from 1988-1991.

The Pearson 37 was designed to IOR racing rules, by a designer who also recognizes cruising attributes. It has the distinction of having twice won the Boat of the Year in the Gulf of Maine series. As a solid, well-built boat, the P37’s racing orientation does not preclude its ability to handle offshore seas. What constitutes a cruising over a racing boat is very often a personal decision. Can this boat handle blue water? Most assuredly. However, the IOR did impose design restrictions that might make the boat less attractive to those looking for a more traditional or dedicated cruising design. Only you can make that decision which typically turns out to be based on comfort - however that factor might be defined by you and your crew.

I designed the boat for sailors who wanted to race their boats in IOR and PHRF fleets, then jettison the crew, pick up the wife and children, and go cruising. The hull design was state-of-the-art, if you will, and she was furnished with a comfortable, though lightweight, interior. - Bill Shaw

Specifications*

Technical data.

To design a boat that rates favorably under most rules, that performs well over a variety of conditions, and still provides comfortable accommodations, thereby meeting the requirements of both racing and cruising crews... this is a most difficult challenge for the yacht designer. The racing instinct directs us toward the very latest in aerodynamic and hydrodynamic design parameters, while the cruising instinct leads us towards pleasing accommodations, privacy, and comfort. Catch 22.

A racing yacht is controlled by the rating rules and designed with performance as the ultimate goal. Cruising yachts on the other hand answer to no rule other than those imposed by the desire of their owners for luxury and efficiency. In the new Pearson 37 our design team has done an outstanding job of maximizing her racing potential by taking her to the limit of what is fast by today's standards. State-of-the-art, if you will. Realizing, however, that the market for stripped-out machines is limited, we have here a comfortable-yet-lightweight interior so that she will appeal equally to the racing enthusiast and the serious cruiser. The latest rule trends have placed high penalties on extreme configurations. With this in mind, we have purposely avoided shapes that ultimately would be taxed unfairly. The new Pearson 37 was designed to perform, to be fast, responsive, quick-out-of-the-tacks, and a joy to sail by those of us whose sailing pleasure comes from a boat that gets there in a hurry. And when there, she will certainly accomodate our crews in comfort.

Come Sail With Us.. .

Boat Reviews

Motor boating and sailing (march 1982).

The latest yacht from Pearson proves that top-level performance and cruising comfort can be a winning combination. By Roger Marshall .

The concept of a cruising/racing boat is catching on fast and many manufacturers are stepping up their production schedules to meet the demand for boats that not only perform well but offer the comfort cruising sailors have come to expect. With the introductiono of their new 37-foot boat, Pearson has entered the competition with a combination that's sure to prove a winner. On deck the 37 looks like a no-nonsense racing machine but down below Pearson has set new standards in interior styling for production craft.

This styling is the work of an expert with a keen eye for color and finely finished wood. Rather than making the obvious choice of a teak interior, which tends to look dark and close on a boat this size, Pearson decided to do the plywood in hickory, with the corner posts, sea rails, and additionl trim in Sitka spruce.

The ceiling outboard of all the berths is Port Oxford cedar. This can be an excellent combination when the finished are carefully matched; and they are on the Pearson 37. The woods used tend to give the interior a light, airy look. Coupled with this sense of openness is a very cozy feeling created by the choice of accent colors. The warm reddish-brown counter and table tops are nicely offset by the gray-blue contoured cushions flecked also in a warm brown. Thus, the overall effect is spacious yet intimate—just what is wanted on a comfortable cruising/racing boat.

The interior arrangement is fairly traditional, but clean and well-thoughtout. There is a V-berth forward, with a head to starboard, two settee berths with a table between them, and pilot berths outboard. Aft of the dining area lies a U-shaped galley on the port side and a large quarter berth to starboard. The navigator sits on the end of this quarter berth to use the chart table. The navigation instruments (optional equipment) are attractively recessed into the front of the navigation locker.

Practical Sailor (March 2000)

A departure from most 1980-era Pearsons, this Bill Shaw design was sharply influenced by the IOR, yet retains decent cruising accommodations. More

PearsonInfo and SailboatData

• Pearson 37 Specifications - SailboatData.com
• Pearson-Info P37 - dan.pfeiffer.net

Pearson 37 Brochure

Click to enlarge

Image upload Peterson 37

• The boat as such
• The cockpit
• For sailboats: The keel
• For sailboats: The rig
• For trailable boats: The boat on a trailor

Pearson 365

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• Sailboat Reviews
• Pearson 32 Boat Review

Launched in 1979, the Bill Shaw-designed Pearson 32 still shines among the club racers and coastal cruisers. Its draw is that it more than meets the needs of a cruising couple without sacrificing performance

The Pearson 32 was launched in 1979, 20 years after the first Carl Alberg-designed Pearson Triton captured market interest at the New York Boat Show and promoted sailing as a middle-income activity. In the early 1960s, the company’s principals, Clint and Everett Pearson, Alberg, and marketing strategist Tom Potter developed a reputation for functional, well built, cost-effective production sailboats that had widespread mass appeal. By the end of the first decade of production, the company had evolved into the dominant East Coast production-sailboat builder, and was bought out by aerospace giant Grumman. During these formative years, a new genre of sailboat was spawned, and each of the founders of the fledgling Pearson Co. made a sizable contribution to production-boat building. Before each went his own way, the original Pearson crew successfully turned a garage-based boatbuilding dream into a reality that spawned a dynasty.

Phase 2 of the Pearson plan came with a new owner, new designer, and new line of boats. Grumman, well capitalized from its military aircraft successes, leaped into the fray with a thick checkbook and considerable manufacturing know-how. Before they left, the Pearson cousins had recruited Bill Shaw, an 11-year veteran of the S&S design office, to be the in-house designer. He ended the Alberg era of full-keel, long-overhang sloops in favor of the fin keel, skeg, or spade rudder, and split underbody that he felt improved performance. Shaw found the Grumman era a chance to improve Pearson’s production-boat building technology, and for 27 years, he acted as the chief designer and eventually general manager of the operation.

With a clear understanding of coastal weather conditions, inshore estuaries, and the cruiser-club racer mindset of potential buyers, Shaw began a campaign of designing boats of 30-plus feet that met the needs of local sailors. Pearson became a mature manufacturing company engaged in market research that showed that although customers may read stories about passages to Tahiti, in truth, they had just enough time in the summer to get to Martha’s Vineyard and back. They belonged to yacht clubs with Wednesday night race series, and they wanted sailboats that could be raced and cruised without much fuss. The research also showed that more often than not, it was the skipper’s wife who held a pivotal vote on which boat would eventually be bought.

Shaw’s challenge became one of designing sailboats that performed well under sail in light to moderate conditions, offered accommodations that made the summer cruise more comfortable, and garnered nods of approval as the boat bobbed on a mooring in front of a club house.

The Pearson 32 embraced all of these goals, and delivered on the challenge. Its waterline footprint was wider and longer than boats of the Alberg-era. With fine forward sections and an external-ballast, lead fin keel, the 32 offered better windward performance.

For the day, it had a fairly high-aspect-ratio spade rudder that worked in conjunction with the fin keel, guaranteeing turn-on-a-dime maneuverability. Added lift from the foil shapes improved its upwind ability. With a 10-foot, 7-inch beam and fairly flat sections, the boat’s righting moment derived a big boost from form stability, and consequently, it carried sail well and showed less of a heeling tendency than earlier, lean, full-keel models.

Even with a 40-percent ballast ratio, the displacement of the boat was only 9,400 pounds, a number that when taken in context with 474 square feet of working sail area added up to decent light-air sailing ability. In short, Bill Shaw had looked closely at what New England sailors and those on Long Island Sound and the Chesapeake Bay were doing with their boats and designed the Pearson 32 to be the cruiser-racer that they were looking for.

In the years to come, other manufacturers would build competitors in this size range that were faster, but each of these iterations seemed to eat away at the cruising side of the compromise. The Pearson 32 was intentionally a 60/40 cruiser-racer, a boat that was easy to sail solo, luxurious for a couple, and quite user-friendly for a young family on a two-week summer cruise. It had some wood trim, but the extruded alloy toe rail, fiberglass coamings, and nonskid gelcoat decks were an effort to lessen maintenance through the use of more durable trim and finishes.

Another Shaw trait, seen on this design, was a sensible balance between the competing influence of accommodations and hull and deck configuration. Conceived first as a sailboat rather than a sailing houseboat, the relationship between side-deck space, cabin-house shape, and cockpit size achieved a harmony that works well underway and at anchor. Extremes were avoided, and the logic of the fin keel and spade rudder underbody proved its value. The era of canoe body hulls and independent foils did improve performance, but also made running aground a bit more of a concern. A hefty well-reinforced keel stub provided a rugged garboard seam for the lead-ballast keel of the P32, and lessened worries about running aground.

There’s been an ongoing debate about the Alberg era versus the Shaw era in the Pearson dynasty, and neither group seems to accept the validity of the others’ claims. Alberg’s boats had an aesthetic appeal, a lovely shear line, a kind motion off the wind, and their tough hulls were built as thick as a plank. Shaw brought more modern design and construction ideas to Pearson, and his boats definitely sailed faster. They were lighter, the foils added more lift, and if getting from here to there a half-knot faster is important, the Shaw design definitely trumped its predecessor.

The Pearson 32’s conventional cabin profile and narrow but adequate side decks lead to an aft cockpit protected by sizable coamings and a deep self-draining cockpit well. The sloop’s user-friendly deck layout came standard with an Edson wheel and a mainsheet traveler set at the forward end of the companionway hatch, just aft of a short bridge deck. This arrangement allows the mainsail trimmer to remain separated from the helmsman and jib trimmer when racing, but by the same token, it causes a short-handed crew to have jobs to do at either end of the cockpit. Because it’s a relatively small cockpit, this separation of mainsheet and helm isn’t as problematic as it would be aboard a larger vessel.

But there is another concern with this mainsheet arrangement that does need to be addressed: the danger of an unintentional jibe. If it occurs just as a groggy crew member makes his or her way up the companionway ladder and onto the deck, it can result in injury or even a crew-overboard incident.

Shaw always sailed and owned the boats he designed, and having been schooled by the dean of deck layout, Rod Stephens, he clearly understood the importance of optimum line leads and the efficient location of winches, tracks, and other deck hardware.

By the time the Pearson 32 was being designed and manufactured, there were enough predecessors afloat for the Pearson team to have worked out a simple and efficient sense of sail handling. Halyards were handled at the mast with the mainsail cleated in traditional fashion to the starboard side, and the jib to port. A deck-mounted winch was provided to tension the luff of the headsail, and when reliable roller furling systems stole the show, the P32 was a natural candidate for the headsail makeover.

The inboard shrouds improve the sheeting angle but cause those moving forward and aft to take an outboard route. The lifelines and the grab point provided by the shrouds themselves make it a safe enough transition for those going forward. There are handholds on the cabin house both forward and aft of the shrouds. The original gelcoat nonskid is good, and when the time comes to renew the nonskid, it can be done easily with epoxy primer and LPU top coat laden with a nonskid additive or through the use of new single-part paint products.

Accommodations

The four-step stainless tube and teak companionway ladder leads below to a cabin with 6 feet of head room, which seems large for a 32-footer. Immediately to port is the nav-station and to starboard is the galley. As an option, Pearson offered a quarter berth on the port side aft of the nav-station, which added a berth but eliminated the spacious port-side cockpit locker. Many of the 113 Pearson 32s built came with a two-burner alcohol stove, but there’s enough room in the in-line galley for a three-burner, gimballed stove with oven, plus a sink on one side and an ice box on the other. Serious cruisers can easily convert the ice box into a refrigerator. This small but utilitarian galley is usable at anchor and underway, another good test of a functional sailboat.

Forward of the partial bulkhead that separates the galley and nav-station from the rest of the main saloon are two settee berths and a table that folds up against the main bulkhead. The two settees are good sea berths and allow for comfortable meal time seating. A small forepeak V-berth and compact but functional head make up the accommodations forward of the mast. The sloop’s relatively wide beam (10 feet, 7 inches) contributes to the spacious feel in the main cabin. The bunks are a little short, and those over 6 feet, 3 inches will find themselves resisting the desire stretch out.

Shaw was careful to balance the performance needs with nice accommodations. During this era in the Pearson evolution, there was a feeling that efficiency under sail was a valuable part of cruising and that club racers were really cruising boats with newer sails and an efficient underbody.

Access to the engine is good, thanks to its location immediately under the companionway ladder. Two wooden engine bed stringers provide support for mount brackets and the original Yanmar 18 horsepower (2GM) can be easily replaced with a newer model or several other engine options. There’s room for a water heater in the bottom of the cockpit locker to port (non quarter-berth models), and a battery stowage box is located in the starboard locker. Even though the systems aboard this boat were intentionally kept simple, there is pressure water in the head and galley. With the addition of a slightly larger alternator, an owner can easily add a small evaporator-type sealed compressor refrigeration system, rounding out this boat’s credentials as a very capable summer cruiser.

Performance

The Pearson 32 is absolutely fun to sail. It’s small enough to easily singlehand, yet large enough for a couple or young family to summer cruise. With a 208-square-foot mainsail set up with a simple slab-reefing system, and a roller-furling, 120-percent genoa, the 8- to 20-knot wind range is covered. Top this two-sail inventory off with a reaching asymmetrical spinnaker for light-air fun and functional cruising, and a small working jib to replace the furling genoa during breezy spring and fall conditions, and you’re set to go sailing rather than motoring from one harbor to the next. The advantage to cruising a boat with light-air efficiency lies in the enjoyment of making good progress, even when 10 to 12 knots and shifty is the status quo.

A 5½-foot draft qualifies the P32 as a shoal water-capable cruiser that’s just right for coastal cruising and exploring the estuaries along the East Coast. But with this 32-footer, the shoal draft stats also come with an efficient foil shape and external lead ballast, providing enough lift and lateral plane to enhance sailing ability both on and off the wind. Add to the mix a respectable sail area-displacement ratio of 17, and it’s clear that this Pearson is more than an oversized pocket cruiser. Envisioned originally as both a club racer and a family cruiser, the boat lives up to both expectations. For those who prefer spending time sailing when they go cruising, it’s a boat worth a very close look, especially with current prices ranging from $18,000 to $30,000.

• Critic’s Corner: Pearson 32
• Interior Notes: Pearson 32
• Construction Details
• Pearson 32 In Context

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Hi Darrell, I’ve come across a 1978 Pearson 31-1. On paper its very similar to the P-32 except its 9 inches shorter. I’ve read your excellent review on the P-32 and wondered if performance wise they are similar or if the P31 has certain deficiencies (besides the funky rear of the cockpit). I notice they were in production at the same time. I haven’t been able to find a good review on the P-31 and they were not in production very long.

Thank You, Guy Lovejoy

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re Dickerson 37

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I'm considering a Dickerson 37. Is anyone familiar with the sailing characteristics of these shoal-draft boats- particularly to windward and offshore? Thanks, Ed  

Wood or fiberglas??? Ketch or sloop ???  

Edge-glued and nailed construction, originally. Do OK on the Bay. Not great to windward. Don't believe they're designed for offshore use but, of course, any boat afloat can make an offshore voyage, given determination, preparation, and a great deal of luck! There are occasionally some very good deals to be had on these boats.  

They came in several configurations. Generally the "good deals" are the older wooden versions. They later made fiberglass version that is considerable higher priced. Also came as center cockpit ketch or aft cockpit sloop options.  

fiberglas sloop  

All D37's are fiberglass. Some rigged as ketches others as sloops/cutters. Built in Trappe, Md between 1981 and 1987. Perfect boat for the Chesapeake Bay or coastal Florida. At least 25 of them still documented. I wouldn't have anything else (well maybe a pristine Bermuda 40). HiHoAg  

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