Allied Princess 36 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Princess 36 carries a somewhat exaggerated sheer line rising to a high bow, moderate overhangs, and a shoal-draft cutaway full keel drawing 4 feet 6 inches, with a beam of 11 feet that reads as beamy for her vintage. The hull is solid hand-laid fiberglass using 24-ounce woven roving and mat with a cloth surface layer under the gelcoat, and laminate thickness grows at the turn of the bilge and again lower around the keel. Ballast is 6,000 pounds of lead, glassed over and encapsulated within the keel cavity so no external keel bolts are used. The deck is balsa-cored, and all bulkheads are tabbed directly to the hull. The hull-to-deck joint is an outward-turned flange bedded in sealant, through-bolted on five-inch centers, then glassed over and protected by an extruded aluminum rubrail, while the rudder stock is a substantial 1-1/2-inch bronze piece riding on a 32-pound bronze heel casting.

Rig and Handling

As a standard ketch the Princess is slow to windward, a consequence of her beam, shallow keel, and modest rig, and owners responding to surveys rate her upwind speed as average to below average; Practical Sailor also notes the mizzen may induce weather helm close-hauled and is often struck. She sails best on a reach, particularly with a mizzen staysail set between the masts. The long keel tracks well and the ketch rig is easy to balance with the right sail combination. A dozen boats were built with deeper 5-foot-1-inch keels, and a few were finished as sloops or cutters; those variants should prove faster and more close-winded. The non-reversing worm-gear steering found on most boats, later identified as an Edson system requiring three turns lock to lock, lets her hold a course unattended for long stretches, though it gives no helm feedback and some find quartering seas awkward to manage. Owners report she is unusually dry for a boat with her profile, and testers note she is initially tender but settles without burying her rail, with a comfortable motion in a seaway.

Accommodations

Inside, the Princess is genuinely roomy, with standing headroom over six feet and a wooden interior — teak sole and trim rather than molded fiberglass — though the bulkheads wear a simulated wood veneer. Every plan places a good-sized V-berth forward with a head to port and drawers and locker to starboard; all major variations fall aft of the main saloon bulkhead. Some boats use collapsible dinette tables to port or fold-down centerline tables, and the galley is always aft to starboard in L-shaped form, with size varying at the cost of the starboard settee berth. Aft to port, some have single quarterberths that testers say free room for a modest nav desk, while others substitute cramped enclosed quarter-cabins with double berths and bulkhead cut-outs. Earlier boats lack a main saloon deck hatch; later ones gained it. Pre-1979 interiors leaned on faux-wood Formica; natural wood came afterward and looks better but asks more upkeep. Three good sea berths are counted in the layout.

Known Issues

The outward-turned deck flange sits exposed and may suffer damage in even minor collisions, though the joint remains easy to reach for repair — the catch being that matching the original aluminum rubrail extrusion is likely impossible today. Cockpit drains are a bit small on some hulls. The original 25-horsepower Westerbeke diesel was not strong enough to drive the boat through head seas, a shortfall owners cite as a docking and powering complaint, and the engine was later upsized to 40 horsepower. Early electrical systems rested on a single 60-amp battery, later raised to 90. The under-cockpit fuel tank began as black iron that often corroded, with later Corten steel units preferable; large stainless water tanks sit buried in the bilge.

Refits and Ownership

Beyond the engine and battery upgrades already noted, the most consequential ownership items are tank and steering-related. The easy-access deck joint favors repair, but rubrail replacement is a dead end. Later-model upgrades such as the main saloon hatch and natural-wood interiors improve livability. The shoal keel makes her a near-perfect low-budget family cruiser for shallow venues, though she sails poorly in light air.

The Verdict

The Allied Princess 36 is a thoroughly practical shoal-draft cruiser with honest solid-fiberglass construction and a dry, comfortable hull, let down by an underpowered original engine and a few dated details. She rewards the buyer who values volume and simplicity over speed.

Pros