The type has logged Pacific crossings, Antarctic expeditions, numerous round-the-world voyages, and a North West Passage transit by a Finnish-built, multi-chine boat. Its appeal doesn’t rest on one headline figure. Instead, its flexible construction brief, proven performance at sea, and roomy liveaboard interior complement one another.
Design and Construction
Part of the Roberts Spray series, the 370 was designed as a performance cruiser and has proved itself in both club racing and long-distance cruising. The hull can be built in radius-chine, multi-chine, or round-bilge form. A published review describes heavy-duty welded or hand-laid hulls with foam-core decks across versions with multi-chine steel, aluminum, or fiberglass hulls.
A Roberts 370E radius-chine aluminum boat was built in Australia, while a multi-chine version built in Finland completed the North West Passage. A custom safety skeg is available as a factory option. It is intended to combine the best traits of a long fin-and-skeg arrangement with an additional protective safety factor.
Because the 370 was designed expressly for owner-builders, the used fleet includes both professionally finished and amateur-completed boats. Examples also vary in construction material, hull form, rig, keel, and layout.
Dimensions, Keel, and Rig
The 370 measures 37 feet 4 inches overall, with a 31-foot-8-inch waterline and a beam of 12 feet 4 inches. Displacement is about 18,760 pounds, with 7,000 to 8,000 pounds of ballast.
Draft depends on the chosen keel: either a 4-foot-9-inch shoal option or a 6-foot-6-inch deep fin keel. Builder plans allow cutter, sloop, or ketch rigs, and the design performs well with any of those arrangements. The boat is a masthead-rigged sloop or cutter, with a standard sail plan of around 650 to 700 square feet across the mainsail, genoa, and staysail. The mainsail measures roughly 40 feet on the luff and 14 feet on the foot.
Performance Underway
Sailboat-data’s review credits the 370 with efficient performance in 15–35 knot winds, hull speeds of 7 to 8.5 knots, and a stable, sea-kindly motion.
Owner correspondence broadly supports that assessment without drifting into fantasy. One owner wrote that the boat sails very well. Another reported handling 35 to 40 knot winds on the port stern quarter with no vices, powering along and surfing 2.5 to 3 meter waves. That owner called the performance very impressive.
A Croatian-built example has a registered top speed of 12 knots. More broadly, the type has proved itself on Pacific crossings and Antarctic expeditions, while steel S370B variants have been used by circumnavigators.
Accommodations and Tankage
The 370’s interior is arranged for liveaboard cruising rather than weekend racing. Pilothouse and center-cockpit layouts are available alongside the baseline aft-cockpit arrangement. The voluminous interior offers 6-foot-6-inch headroom and 6 to 8 berths.
The accommodation plan includes a forward V-berth, a U-shaped saloon, an L-shaped galley, a double aft cabin, and two heads with showers. Tankage is generous, with 100 to 150 gallons of fuel and 150 to 200 gallons of water, supporting the design’s long-range cruising profile.
Propulsion and Ownership Context
Auxiliary power comes from a diesel engine in the 30- to 50-horsepower range, such as a Yanmar 4JH. Builder specifications suggest a minimum of 20 to 33 hp, depending on the configuration.
Individual boats illustrate the range of the design. HELIOS was launched on June 22, 1993, and her owner later wrote that the design is really great and would recommend it to anyone dreaming to sail. The aluminum 370E Soteria and the steel S370B boats used by circumnavigators show how far owners have taken the platform.
The Verdict
The Bruce Roberts 370 is a genuinely expedition-capable 37-footer. Its strengths lie in its configurable construction and a liveaboard interior that doesn’t compromise its seagoing brief.
This isn’t a mass-produced, one-spec boat. Prospective buyers need to understand the hull form, rig, build material, keel, layout, finish quality, and systems of each individual example. For a couple or small crew seeking adventure without compromise, the 370 remains a perennial choice.
Pros
- Flexible construction in steel, aluminum, or fiberglass, with radius-chine, multi-chine, and round-bilge hull options for owner or professional builds
- Proven offshore record, including Pacific crossings, Antarctic expeditions, a North West Passage transit, and circumnavigations
- Sea-kindly motion, efficient performance in 15–35 knot winds, and a 7–8.5 knot hull speed
- Voluminous 6–8-berth interior with two heads, 6-foot-6-inch headroom, and 150–200 gallons of water capacity
Cons
- Owner-builder origins mean finish quality and systems vary widely across the fleet
- The many possible combinations of rig, keel, layout, hull form, and construction material demand careful assessment of each boat
