Corsair C37 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Corsair builds the C37 with a vacuum-bag laminate using vinylester resin and foam in all three hulls, with Kevlar reinforcing at key points, and the foam fill gives positive buoyancy if the boat is ever submerged or inverted anchor. The U-shaped main hull profile yields volume and headroom below, while flared topsides melt into a chine near the gunwales and the keel carries rocker that aids maneuvering in close quarters. Big amas are there for directional stability rather than sheer buoyancy, and they are tied to the centre hull by four stainless arms anchored with nine bolts and a backing plate, plus a stainless cable at each corner for lateral support. A 14.33 metre pre-preg carbon rig replaces the alloy mast of the older C36 and was built in-house at the company's Ho Chi Minh yard, held up by synthetic shrouds that ease ama folding.

Rig and Deck Layout

Both the C37CR and C37RS carry a carbon rotating wing mast, a carbon boom with internal outhaul and slab-reefing hardware, and a retractable carbon bowsprit for the screacher. The deck plan puts halyards, topping lift, reefing and outhaul at the mast, while every other control line runs aft to the cockpit for straightforward short-handed sail handling. A transom-mounted mainsheet track leads forward to a cockpit winch, and the comprehensive winch set includes Harken self-tailing primaries on the cabin top, halyard winches on the mast with rope clutches, plus coaming and mainsheet winches. A fully-battened North Sails taffeta/carbon mainsail is reefed from the mast foot, where a pair of Harken 40s does the heavy work.

Cockpit and Helm

The centre-cockpit arrangement uses the narrow hull well, with a poop-deck helm position and a wooden tiller and extension that testers found a comfortable perch. A simple, functional steering layout runs an exposed stainless linkage across the swim platform to the carbon dagger rudder, and the deep cockpit sole carries open lockers to either side and drains itself. The transom area is larger and easier to reach the water than on the C36, with a shower nozzle beside the enlarged swim platform and a boarding ladder for recovery. A sufficiently large, self-draining anchor locker forward could house a manual windlass.

Accommodations

Below, the small saloon places the dinette to port with a drop-down carbon table that becomes a bunk, while a comfortable curved U-settee seats six around an FRP table. The bow holds a spacious V-berth for two, the aft cabin a double that is private once a blind is fitted to its deck hatch and forward bulkhead and is reached through the companionway steps. A simple galley pairs a two-burner stove with sink and slide-open cupboards, and the moulded shower is roomy; a manual head finishes the functional area. Most bulkheads wear a beige carpeted finish and exposed fibreglass is smooth. An obligatory hull escape hatch sits to starboard near the galley, and the amas' volume gives plenty of storage.

Power and Known Limitations

The review boat carried a 9.9 hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard linked to the rudder, with a 20 hp four-stroke listed as the longer-cruising option. Electrical power is limited by the small 8 amp alternator on that outboard, which could charge the fitted pair of deep-cycle batteries to a maximum of 14.5 volts; a flip-out plotter near the companionway shares navigation data with cockpit and cabin. The all-carbon race model sheds 200 kg and costs more, but the standard cruiser's energy budget remains the boat's clear weak point for extended off-grid use.

The Verdict

The Corsair 37 is a technologically advanced folding trimaran that trades some creature-comfort energy autonomy for a genuinely beachable, trailerable, and directionally steady offshore platform with a serious carbon rig and a thoughtful cockpit. She suits sailors who want performance and shallow-water access without surrendering a private aft cabin and a real shower.

Pros

Folds to 3.0 m beam for trailering yet opens to 7.8 m with stability-giving amas
Carbon rotating wing mast and bowsprit on a vacuum-bag vinylester/Kevlar hull with positive buoyancy
Centre-cockpit with self-draining sole, enlarged swim transom, and protected bulkhead
Private aft double, bow V-berth, and convertible dinette for six; spacious moulded shower

Cons