# Islander 37 info?



## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

Anyone familiar with the Bruce King designed Islander 37 from the late 1960's? Any thoughts on build quality, design, sailing characteristics, problem areas, etc.? Given that they are getting very old, I'm well aware that condition and maintenance are key.

I've read most of what's available online about the I37, but it's very limited. I'm quite familiar with the later Alan Gurney designed Islander 36, but other than being a successor to the I37, they don't have much in common.

There's an I37 at my marina that may becoming on the market in the near future and I think I might be interested, if for no other reason than she's a very pretty boat. My initial concerns from just eyeballing the design on the docks is that I don't care for the lack of a proper anchoring platform (why is this so common on 1960's/1970's boats?) and the very low boom which makes a dodger/bimini difficult. I also have concerns about the prop placement _behind_ the rudder. Will this severly limit low speed (docking) control? Will cavitation be an issue?


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

I have looked at one. I agree it is a very pretty boat. I have read that reverse is a bit of a challenge and it has some strange handling under power in general. If you like the boat, and like the way it sails I don't think it would not be a deal breaker. I think I remember reading that the boat had a strange shaped rudder and it effected handling under sail as well, but I may have my boats confused, I have looked at so many. I actually was going to call the guy back to see if they had sold the boat I was looking at. Big issue I saw that concerned me on the boat I looked at was that the front base of the cabin trunk had a really nasty crack and it looked as though it would be hard to keep it from cracking again. It was a very pretty boat. Looking for a liveaboard, it did not have much room for a 37 foot boat, but I keep looking at the photos.


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## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

I agree, not very roomy for a 37 footer compared to more modern boats, but that's the tradeoff with those nice looking overhangs and pinched bow/transom. I've also read about awkward handling, partially due to the rudder but mostly attributable to the placement of the prop.


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## patrscoe (May 9, 2011)

When I was looking for a upgrade from our P35, I looked into the Islander 37. They are a nice One Design sailboat and Bruce King was a very good designer and when he left Islander, he started designing for Ericson. The cockpit is large for a offshore sailboat but you still see cruisers in I37 throughout the world.

There are some good information online:
Islander 37 Sailboat Association | Information and Resources for Islander 37 Sailboat Owners and Friends
Islander Sailboats - History by Skipper Wall
Islander Sailboats

There are owners on the islander37 site. Perhaps contacting some of them and getting their reviews.


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## stormrider27 (Nov 11, 2011)

Thanks for the info as well. I just found an islander and wanted more info about them.

Storm


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## misfits (Dec 9, 2011)

kwaltersmi said:


> if for no other reason than she's a very pretty boat.
> 
> 
> > You can level with us. You just want a bigger boat so you can head off into the sunset :laugher


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## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

misfits said:


> You can level with us. You just want a bigger boat so you can head off into the sunset :laugher


Guilty! I won't even try to deny that one.


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## HighFly_27 (Oct 4, 2012)

Hello All,

I just bought a -- Islander 37, Motor Sailer (MS) on Saturday (20 Oct.).

The boat needs a new rudder, about 2 ft. is busted off. The boat broke free from it's moring or flopped over on it side when the tide went out, a couple different stories. I talked with the boat yard mgr. and he said it's a good boat and worth fixing, so I bought it. 

Now, on this thread, I read that the boat handles weird and not great when backing up. My rudder needs repaired or a new rudder made up.

My Question -- to You Islander 37 owners .. that replaced your rudder, did You make it slightly bigger in size to make it more effective ? 

If so, can you give me the increase size in demensions 

______in. length ______ width. Also, perhaps, someone has installed a factory

made rudder from a similar sized ______________________ ? sailboat and had

good results on the Islander 37, if so, what boat _______ name _____ size 

______ year.

I ask this .. because Islander went out of business and rudders are not available, & only a few ( I-37) boats were made as well (in salvage yards for parts).

I'm a Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) by trade and capable.. meaning I could make a rudder myself. I was sent a great clip.. about making a rudder and I'm good to go now. I have built a home built airplane but used the plans and just followed the plans, no problem. If I get some feed back here... I could make a improved rudder for my I-37 and perhaps, improve the handling of my I-37. good to go.


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## BlueSkySailing (Jan 13, 2013)

I just recently purchased a Bruce King designed Islander 37' in St. Petersburg, Florida and I'm getting ready to sail her to Mobile, Alabama next week and then to Houston in March. So far I'm extremely happy with the boat. In fact, I would say that I love this boat! She's really a good fit for me because I was looking for a Coastal Cruiser/Racer and the I-37 certainly fills the bill. The boat is very well built, sails well in medium high winds as well as very light air. I've met several people in the marina who sailed the boat with the previous owner and they have all said that she's one of the best sailing boats that they've been on. The fact that they told me this AFTER I bought the boat is a good testamonial to the way she handles! One of the drawbacks is that she's not quite as beamy as some other boats but is still very comfortable. I plan on living aboard although I'm a bachelor but the boat is roomy enough for two. Keep in mind that you have to decide what kind of boat you want and what fits your needs. If you're looking for a heavy displacement boat to cross oceans you probably wouldn't be happy with the I-37 although they're certainly capable blue water sailors. Good luck with your search if you haven't found a boat already. You can go to You Tube and search for Islander 37' sailing Tampa Bay if you would like to see a short clip of "Blue Sky" under sail.

Regards,
Gary


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## HighFly_27 (Oct 4, 2012)

Blue Sky,

I'm Smiling for You and Reviewed tour Video on UTube.

I (above) bought my I-37 in October and it's a labor of love to fix it up or keep up a older boat but that's just fine with me. 

It's going to be hard to find a Real Deal Manual for your boat. I have asked & searched and nothing. I have come up with seperate manuals for - Perkins diesel, B & W Velvet Drive, and other equipment on my boat. 

It's going to cost xtra for my nuts or not doctor secession this month. I just bought another sail boat (project). It's a 1971 Tradewind 32, and not that bad. The TW 32 was very nice boat in it's day, came with a lot of nice equipment. I don't have it home yet and it may be a keeper. 

The Best to You and Lot's of Sailing Smiles at the helm of your I-37.

Avery


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## BlueSkySailing (Jan 13, 2013)

HighFly 27,

It sounds like you're going to be doing some great sailing! Just curious, was the Tradewind 32 made by the company that succeded Wayfarer or by the Tradewind company in the UK? Also, how are renovations going on your I-37? I was fortunate in the fact that I bought a boat that had a lot of things done to it prior to buying her but as you know there always a lot of things to work on (teak work, etc.). Do you have any pictures of your boat online that I can look at? It's always nice to see other boats similar to yours especially since there aren't a lot of I-37's around. The '67's thru '69's all seem to be pretty much the same, but at the same time they're all a little bit different which is cool. I'm attaching a couple other pictures of "Blue Sky" for the sake of comparisons. Smooth sailing to you ...

Gary


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## HighFly_27 (Oct 4, 2012)

Gary,

I have another post that was just posted about the -- Tradewind 32. No One has said a thing. I'm guessing, this Tradewind is Not connected to the Tradewind from the UK. I was told by the seller, this was 1 of 7 boats made. The Tradewind 32 was made in Long Beach, CA in 1971. This is the time period that a lot of change was going on with various boat manufactors in that area. I'm guessing that it's one of the Company's that was trying to make it but just a wild guess. I posted all the data on the boat - LOA - 31' 6", Beam - 9' 10", Draft 5' 10", weight 14,000 < I think I have them right. I spent 5 hours searching all thge 31 & 32 sized boats and nothing came up that matched the T 32 spec's., so Go Re-Figure. I thought that Islander or a spin off company had their hand in this T 32 but sizes do not match. The seller told me that this T 32 was Custom Built and I think he was Right. It had top of the line gear in it for the 70'a. had Oven/ Burner range, 2 tub sinks, was really nice in (1971) it's day. However, the head liner is gone and some of the wood is stained from water. The one good thing, was not exposed to water damage other then some isolated leakage and does not smell inside.

I will try to send you some pic's of my I 37 to your email address that you (may) provide to me, it will be a lot easier. My email address will be a open channel between us >> -- arbakerjr at hotmail dot com.

I'm in the process of having a 46 W X 84 H X 20 building going in to work on my boats and other stuff. Yes, all my stuff is Old (like me @ 64) but worth my effort's (I hope so).

My Islander 37 MS is a little different than yours with the M S Set Up. It's been taken care of... most of it's a life. The Perkins with B & W Velvet Drive was just redone, has new thru hull fittings, 5 new batt's., electrial wiring. All in all... , about $ 20K in last 3 years by previous owner. Also, had A/C & Heat Sys. Up Grades (23 K Cool/ 18K heat), with new thermostat. I see that most of the I 37's windows (I've seen) have leaked over time, my inside wood is stained. They were fixed five years ago but the stain remains in the wood. I need to spend about -- $10 to $ 20 K to have my boat in A OK Shape. I'd like to start sailing in May. I'd be ready to sail for about $ 4K. I must have -- new rudder, patching a small 4 x 4 inch hole (high in stern) and need two anchors, chain, line & did not come with boat. The other $ 16 K goes in -- Electronics (mostly good used } Nav./ GPS {combo pack ?}, auto pilot ?). I need a boat radio & hand held, new paint top & bottom, some (small)interior replacement wood, some up-grades to rigging, emer. gear. I have priced everything out and fairly close to the $ 15 to 20 K mark and No Used Junk. I don't want to be upside down in the boat with a $ 25/ 30 K boat and $ 35 K more in it.

Take care,

Avery


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## HighFly_27 (Oct 4, 2012)

Gary,

If You Replied to my email address.. arbakerjr at hotmail dot com I did not see it, also, I saw your screen name at by BIO Info and I had some pics there too.

Take Care,

Avery


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## souljour2000 (Jul 8, 2008)

Thanks for postings pics of the I-37's...Would this Bruce King design be shortly after he left pacific seacraft to start his own company? You can really tell it's a Bruce King design...shaped very much like his later Ericsson 27's and E-29's...just longer and leaner but similar rake and flares at bow and stern. Seems King always had great interiors installed on anything he did..the woodwork on the I-37 seems typical Bruce King top-end cabintery...enjoy her...his boats have a great rep for being good sailors on top of the other attributes as it should be...


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

souljour2000 said:


> Thanks for postings pics of the I-37's...Would this Bruce King design be shortly after he left pacific seacraft to start his own company? You can really tell it's a Bruce King design...shaped very much like his later Ericsson 27's and E-29's...just longer and leaner but similar rake and flares at bow and stern. Seems King always had great interiors installed on anything he did..the woodwork on the I-37 seems typical Bruce King top-end cabintery...enjoy her...his boats have a great rep for being good sailors on top of the other attributes as it should be...


That precedes the *existence* of Pacific Seacraft. King designed for Islander in the 60's and then became the designer for Ericson. P.S. came after that.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

SloopJonB said:


> That precedes the *existence* of Pacific Seacraft. King designed for Islander in the 60's and then became the designer for Ericson. P.S. came after that.


Don't think Bruce king ever design for Pacific Seacraft..I thought pretty well everything from them was by Crealock, Bingham or Morschadt.

I think the only connection would be that PSC built Ericsons for a time...


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## HighFly_27 (Oct 4, 2012)

Hello All,

About 3 weeks ago, I asked if anyone knew anything about --


1971 Tradewind 32

The Sailboat Spec's. (provided by seller)

Build by -- Tradewind Yard, Long Beach, CA

9' 10" Beam

31' 6 " long

14,000 Disp. 

Only (7) Tradewind 32's were built

I was thinking that .. someone started to build the Tradewind and then failed to build or develop other sailboats. I think tht the Tradewind 32 is a well constructed boat (inside & out). The boat that I have had a lot of money spent on it and has the top of the line componets inside (in 1971). 

I spent about six hours on the net ... researching the Tradewind 32 and sailboats with the same spec's., found nothing. I checked - Islander, Irwin and others and found nothing in the 31' or 32' size with my spec's or close to it. I posted on Sailnet and nothing has come up. I was surprised that No One had heard of the T-32 or had data on the T-32 but maybe it's a truely a ... rare boat (only 7 made). 

Thank You,

Avery


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

HighFly_27 said:


> I was thinking that .. someone started to build the Tradewind and then failed to build or develop other sailboats. Avery


There was a LOT of that in the 70's. It is an easy business to get into and an extremely difficult one to make a profit in. They may have simply gone bigger too - see attached.

Offshore Proven Sail Boat - Tradewinds T40 - $49000 (Vancouver/Gulf Islands)


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Nice!


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## tyler en cavale (Mar 18, 2015)

Hi people. I just read a few of the comments on this post. I've had a few boats, all a bit larger. I've sailed this i37 since about 06 roughly 20k nm.. Overall it's is my favorite boat. 37 is not big enoug for a " large" cabin. Too much of the deck and performance would need compromised. I have made some changes. Ditched the stbd sete for a nav station/ library and work bench. Pulled the motor and left it out. I did build an outboard well in the spacious laz but glassed it back together before splashing. Maybe going to put it back in. I do have a small electric outboard on the transom that goes through a battery switch that when on 1 gets the boat off the dock and when on two hits a rectafier diod and charges the batteries. As for sail handling. The rudder is great. As for prop placement , it's not bad in reverse the only issue is that it is high. When pounding in about 8ft seas you will see it out of the water. I also put a bigger mast on. About 7ft taller.


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## Olyeller (Sep 17, 2016)

Yeah, I'm an old school I-37 fan and previous owner of Southern Bound, who was ex- Dawn Treader back in Chesapeake Bay when I found her with the original owner many years ago. I've been in the boat building business for decades, and known her good and bad. 
She is a true "sailboat" more than a "motorsailer". All she needs to solve the motoring trouble is a " saildrive" unit bolted to the motor. This would locate the prop correctly in front of the rudder where it could provide the proper steerage when motoring forward or backing. This would solve her biggest deficit in performance and make her a true high performance sailing-motorsailer.
The day I had to sell her remains to this day my saddest.


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## Fred (Aug 17, 2018)

Still own your Islander 37? If so, and interested in chatting & sharing experiences with new owner of Islander 37 sloop, purchased from original owner/builder. This boat mostly refit, 8yr old Volvo Penta/sail drive/max prop, 100 hrs, sails less than 10 yrs, completing refit, intend to spash in Jan 2019. located Ft Pierce Fl. Power Plant Mechanical Engineer, original owner retired NASA Asst chief Engr for space shuttle!


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## Olyeller (Sep 17, 2016)

Short answer, no. After 40 years, I retired a while back as Electrical Supervisor for Hinckley Yachts Savannah yard. Sadly I was forced to sell her and settle for a Com-Pac 25 trailer boat that I could store at home. All the years that I had my Islander 37, she stayed in the water at the yard where I worked. I took her out daily, logging thousands of miles under the full range of conditions. After sailing just about every brand/type/year model of sailboat out there, other than the factory prop location(which has been corrected on yours), and the mast step issue, I think she will stand up to any classic boat out there. Don't know what your plans are, but you have made a great choice. Not only beautiful lines, but a steady craft.


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## Fred (Aug 17, 2018)

Thanks for sharing your experiences! Learned to sail at age 14, have only owned a few, a Sunfish, a Flying Scot and now my Islander! All swift boats! Previous owner very strong on electrical and mechanical, boat is equipped with two alternators, and separated fuel storage, still has original but oversized mast rigging. This Coast Guard documented boat was in the water, but no longer used regularly, due to owners health (bad knees) . Thats why a few issues left undone. Was able to demonstrate sail, so I got an inkling as to its excellent handling and sailing attributes. Boat was near Houston, Tx, had trucked overland to Ft Pierce. (the better choice to attempting sailing an unfamiliar vessel with outstanding needs) Sanded off most of the deck gelcoat that was heavily checked in March, (never painted) and applied 2 coats of hi-build epoxy primer, 1 coat so far of finish. Thinking of removing teak "eyebrows" to reduce finish maintenance. (headliner was removed for re-wiring by original owner). Also removed 2" from mast at bottom, re-working and raising the step. My principal residence is in PA, age 67, became a snow bird last fall to support my boat dream. Plan to complete topside refinish, replace standing rigging and mast lighting and instrumentation this fall, hope to put her in the water by mid January. Plan to keep on the hard 7 months, sail over winter out of Ft Pierce, Fl. After getting her in shape and getting experienced with a boat of this size and complexity, hope to bum about the Carribean a bit. Sails replaced 10 yrs ago as well, (Main and 135% Genoa) so remaining heavy work will be repairing hull blisters and painting above the waterline. Not expecting to restore to original condition, but sufficient to show above average, to avoid the work cutting into the fun. Will probably have to give "Bold Venture" (ref Bogie and Bacall) away in 8-10 yrs anyway! Please share email if you wouldn't mind continuing as an additional experienced resource person. As you know, not many 37's were built, no longer an active sharing organization. Site won't allow posting email, can you text to 724-713-0338?


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