# Express 37 Mk2



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I have a Alsberg Brothers Express 37 mk2 and would like to finded other owners. I would also welcome express 37 mk1 owners as well.
thanks


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

I have currently have a Laser 28 but I have wanted to move up to the express for some time. If you run into one for sale at a fair price please let me know. 

Jeff


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I do not know of any for sale in the country it this time. When they pop up they do not last long.I may move on to something else in a year or two the Farr 39.5 or the J120 look like interesting choices.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

How long have you owned your boat and what is her name? I may know her. There were very few Mk2 (or ''C'' models as the Mk2''s were called at first). 

Jeff


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I purchased the Boat in Westport Conn 3 years ago,It that time the name was named Scorpion. Their is a dark green stripe about 18'' wide down the side. I was told it was the last one build hull number #42061 with a 1988 manufactors date. I have up dated the boat some since then.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Hi Express

I had always heard that the last two Express 37''s were ordered out of Annapolis. One of these two boats was "Pirate Twin" which was heavily customized including a custom laminate, custom open transom cockpit with winch islands and a custom Keel and rudder. The other was on the Bay for a long time but I have not seen her around. Both boats raced in the SORC and did pretty well with Pirate Twin getting beaten on corrected time by her less cusomized sister. I understand that Pirate twin has been further customized into a single-handed distance racer. 

Nice boats just the same.
Regards
Jeff


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Hi Jeff
I did know of Pirate Twin It was on lake Michigan for while and is now on lake Carile
near St Louis. There is custom single hander in new england but I don"t anything about it other than it has a draft of 8.5''. There Is a custom Express 37 in Detroit called Burden IV with web site . Go to the Bayveiw Yacht club boat links page to find. They have ordered a new carbon fiber mast for burden IV


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Jeff H in a bigger boat! I knew it. 

I rafted with a Express 35 in Block Island a few years ago. What a beautiful boat. It looks like it''s going 8 knots all the time.

I think they draw quite a bit. But heck it sails.

There may be 2 different 35''s I rafted with the best one of course.

The Express 37 is covered in Marshall''s Guide to Production Sailboats. I see it has a tiller. It displaces 9,500 lbs, draws 7''3" has a ballast/displ ratio of 47.4% and a sailarea/displ ratio of 22.77 WOW.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Actually the Express 35 is a Canadian boat designed by Steve Killing and is not especially fast with a rating of PHRF rating of 114.

The Express 37 is a California built boat designed by Carl Schumacher design with a rating of 72 which is not too bad for a 37 footer. 

The Express 35 is reasonably well built. The Express 37 demonstates a quality of glass work that I have never seen anywhere. It may not be as glitzy as a Hinckley but Hinckley could learn something from the Alsberg Brothers when it comes to quality glasswork. 

Cheers
Jeff


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

If I find a ex 37-2 I will tell you about it.

There may have been 2 Express 35''s. One was very light. 

I sure wish J boat''s would hire an artist. A functional thing does not have to be ugly.

Good luck


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

There is only one Express 35 that I know of which was Goman Express''s (the Canadian Express) attempt at a competitor to the J-35. Both boats weight 10,500 lbs which was quite light in its day. The original literature listed a mk 1 Express 37 as 8500 lbs. The keel was increased when the Tall rig bringing the weight of a Mk 1 up to 9500 lbs. The ''C''s'' and Mk 2''s were generally listed at 10,500 but supposedly actually weighed in at less. The wheel steering added over 200 lbs with the cockpit changes required so most of the Mk2''s that went to the Chesapeake did not have wheels nor the cockpit lockers. 

Jeff


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The express 37 mk2 did have 18" taller rig and 9" on the the boom to off set the added weight. The boat was still tender in over 8kt of wind 15 degrees of heel. I added to the keel 360lb and 9 in of draft a big change. I''m still fighting the weight I have removed about 300 more lbs to date. I would like some ideas of what to do next.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The express 37 mk2 did have 18" taller rig and 9" on the the boom to off set the added weight. The boat was still tender in over 8kt of wind 15 degrees of heel. I added to the keel 360lb and 9 in of draft a big change. I''m still fighting the weight I have removed about 300 more lbs to date. I would like some ideas of what to do next.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

You should not be heeling that much in 8 knots of wind. These are not especially tender boats. If you are getting that much heel you have to be doing something really wrong. My first guess is not enough backstay tension. You may need more checkstay tension as well. Unless you use a lot of backstay tension you get quite a bit of headstay sag which powers up the jib. If you put too much backstay without any checkstay, you get too much mast bend and so ease the forestay and halyards powering up. Masthead rigs are tricky to power up and down. Mast bend is good for depowering the main but tough on depowering the jib. 

The other thing is that these are reasonably easily driven hulls. For racing they take a lot of weight on the rail. But for cruising you don''t need to carry big genoas and you don''t have the weight on board to carry big genoas. 

Good luck 
Jeff


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I agree with what are you are telling me. I also found new sails helped a lot they are flater and lighter.I have also taken as much weight out of rig as I can. Going to smaller sails early has also helped keep the boat stay flat.I do not want to sail with a big crew 8 max so the keel was a good choice for me.We have an active fleet of S.C 70s here and have learned some things from them about sailing light boats.Each season I learn a little more about the boat and how to sail it better. I''m surprised there is not more interest in the Express


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Express:
Where do you sail? 
Jeff


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I sail on lake Michigan out Of Muskegon Mi.We have an active racing fleet here.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

I now know the location of the "Express 39" that was formerly offered for sale in New England. This weekend I went out frostbite racing and what should show up in the the PHRF A fleet but the so called "Express 39" in all of its tricked out Baby-blueness. Color aside this is one neat boat. The boat is so heavily modified its hard to recognise as an elongated Express 37. In addition to extending the transom the boat also has winch islands, an open transom, and no coamings. The funny part is now that I have seen the boat, I realized that the picture that I have on my computer desktop at the house is actually a picture of that boat. 

Who''d a thunk it?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Jeff
Did you take a look it the web site for Burden in Detroit. That was a stock Express 37 befor he changed it. He added 18" to the transon with a scoop and then opened up the cockpit. He also put a new Keel from Mars with 8''4"of draft. He has order a Carbon Fiber mast for next Year. I Like the mast idea and may look into for my Express.
Bill S


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

I was not able to find Bayview Yacht Club in a search so I did not find Burden. You asked about the lack of interest in the Express 37. I actually think there is a lot of interest in them for a boat that had a three or four year production run and then went out of production over 10 years ago. There is a real niche interest in the boats because they are good PHRF boats and also have several strong one-design fleets. 

I don''t think there is more interest because these are boats, like my Laser 28, that take a fair amount of skill to sail well and which are neither out and out race boats like a Mumm 36 say or out and out cruisers. I worked the Annapolis boat show one year on the Laser 28 and helped out in the Express 37 so that they could grab some lunch. I was stunned at the kind of questions that were asked and at the type of people who came aboard both boats. It was really the same crowd. Racers seemed to walk on by seeing both boats as "cruisers". Cruisers came aboard and just plain did not get all of the lines running back to the cockpit, the tiller steering, or the simple interiors. The first comment by cruisers getting on both boats was that they were "tippy" or tender. Actually, for their weight both boats are quite stabile and stand to very large sail plans but have comparatively little form stability and lacked the inertia of heavier cruising boats. 

I actually was at the east coast introduction of the Express 37 and have always been very fond of the boats but have also come to realize that they are not a boat for everybody. I personally don''t see the sense in making the kind of changes that you are proposing. It would be hard to recover the rating penalty and frankly for the money you can buy a used IMS racer and come out ahead. 

I would think that you could buy an early 1990''s Farr 39 or Tripp 38 or 40/41 and have a much easier boat to race competitively and for less money that a cost of carbon rig and new keel turbo''d Express 37 Mk2. Besides you''d actually hurt the value of the boat since its value has been held up by its one design status in a number of areas of the country. 

Jeff


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Oh Yeah- I live and sail out of Annapolis, Maryland but have sailed on much of the U.S Atlantic Coast. 

Jeff


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Jeff
I went out to Annapolis to look it an Express 37 for sale (beep beep)In the fall of 97 what a great place to live.Try www.byc.com for Bayveiw Y.C. and look for boat links.I think you are right about alot of people overlooked the Express for cruising and the racers did the same. Jim Tailor the designer told me when he was designing my keel shoe ,He wished he had designed the Express 37.
My wife and I chose the express because we wanted the fastest boat under 40ft" with a comforable interior and 2 people could sail with ease. This boat is so much fun to sail. That I only want to make it better.To replace it would cost 200k or more and so I don''t spending money for upgrades.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

I visited the Burden site. Very interesting indeed. I can''t imagine that the extended transom and open transom is worth the money or rating hit but I think the rest is an interesting upgrade to a very nice boat. One thing that I think I would do if I were having a carbon mast made is to leave the jib and spinacker hoists as the are but go to a fractional rig to allow more precise de-powering than the masthead rig permits. That way you would pick up more sail area without changing all of your foresail inventory and if you go to a carbon spar you''ll have to build a new mainsail anyway. You may actually pick up the sail area for free since some PHRF regions look at Fractional rigs as being inherently less efficient and so allow more sail area in a frac than a masthead rig. Of course, IMS has reversed that in recent years recognising that the frac''s ability to quickly depower allows it to carry a bit more drive most of the time. 

Jeff


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

That is what Burt is doing to burden is making it a factional rig. By adding the keel he staffened up the and now needs more sail. His rating is 63 PHRF and it sails to the rating. For my boat a carbon mast is not in the near future. I want to try some other things frist like a carbon spinnaker pole and a redesign of the cabin top. My main competion is J35s and C&C 41s we all rate 69 here. I also want to try some different sail.

Happy Holidays
Bill S


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

An Update
I was over in Detroit picking up my New carbon Spinnaker pole. When I happened to get talking about Burdens new Carbon Fiber Mast It is 36" taller then stock and will now be a factional rig . He will be using much of the orginal Rod rigging and there th will be 3 spreaders and jumipers.With the opion of a full host or factional host spinnakers. Total cost about 20k plus sails.An interesting project I throught you would like to keep up with.
Bill S


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Does anyone have any experience with the Alsberg 34 Express? I intend to buy one.
Thank you

For the records: There is a Express 35 built by Gonan CAN and it''s raring depends on the keel and mast. With the deep keel and tall mast it rates PHRF 99. But it is a heavier boat and therefore needs more sail area than a comparable Alsberg.

The reason why the Alsberg are light and strong is because they are balsa cored (hull and deck) with modified epoxy resins and vacuum bagged.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I have not seen an express 34. But i would like to. Where do you live ?
Bill S


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

There was an Express 34 in Annapolis about 10 years ago and I think the boat did quite well. Its funny I had jsut about forgotten about these boats until you mentioned them. I don''t even have literature on them. 

The Alsberg Brother expresses were beautifully built. The workmanship was amazing. I think that was as much a part of the weight savings as anything else. They claimed that the 37''s left the factory with less than a 50 lb variation in weight. That is really remarkable as most production boats,including one design boats like the J''s can have very big variations in weight.

The Goman Expresses were wildly different boats and were intended to be lower cost J35 competitors. Obviously they were not as fast and never really achived the popularity around here that the J-35''s achieved. 

Jeff


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The Express 34 is currently in Jacksonville FL If I buy here, here homeport will be Hilton Head S.C. Her rating is PHRF 96.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I have only seen one Express 34 in Southern California over the last 15 years. Always a favorite of mine I believe she now berthed in Northern California. In fact I was just telling someone what a great find one of these would be. Great all around boat!


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