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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

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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

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