Design and Construction
The U-shaped main hull provides volume and headroom below. Its flared topsides blend into a chine near the gunwales, while rocker in the keel helps with close-quarters maneuvering. The large amas provide directional stability rather than sheer buoyancy. Four stainless arms connect them to the centre hull, secured by nine bolts and a backing plate, with a stainless cable at each corner providing lateral support.
The 14.33 metre pre-preg carbon rig replaced the older C36’s alloy mast. It was built in-house at the company’s Ho Chi Minh yard and is supported by synthetic shrouds that make folding the amas easier.
Rig and Deck Layout
Both the C37CR and C37RS have a rotating carbon wing mast, a carbon boom with an internal outhaul and slab-reefing hardware, and a retractable carbon bowsprit for the screecher. Halyards, the topping lift, reefing lines, and the outhaul are handled at the mast. Every other control line runs aft to the cockpit, simplifying short-handed sail handling.
A transom-mounted mainsheet track leads forward to a cockpit winch, and a protected bulkhead forms part of the centre-cockpit arrangement. The extensive winch package includes Harken self-tailing primaries on the cabin top, mast-mounted halyard winches with rope clutches, and coaming and mainsheet winches. The fully battened North Sails taffeta/carbon mainsail is reefed from the mast foot, where a pair of Harken 40s handles the load.
Cockpit, Helm, and Deck Access
The centre cockpit makes good use of the narrow main hull. Its poop-deck helm has a wooden tiller and extension, creating a perch that testers found comfortable. The simple, functional steering system uses an exposed stainless-steel linkage running across the swim platform to the carbon dagger rudder.
The deep, self-draining cockpit sole has open lockers on both sides. Compared with the C36, the transom area is larger and offers easier access to the water. It includes an enlarged swim platform, a shower nozzle, and a boarding ladder for recovery. Forward, a sufficiently large self-draining anchor locker could accommodate a manual windlass.
Accommodations
The compact saloon has a dinette to port, with a drop-down carbon table that converts the space into a bunk. A comfortable, curved U-shaped settee seats six around an FRP table.
The bow contains a spacious V-berth for two. Aft, there’s a double cabin reached through the companionway steps. It becomes private once blinds are fitted to its deck hatch and forward bulkhead.
The simple galley has a two-burner stove, a sink, and sliding cupboards. The moulded shower is roomy, and a manual head completes the functional area. Most bulkheads have a beige carpeted finish, while the exposed fibreglass surfaces are smooth. An obligatory hull escape hatch is fitted to starboard near the galley. The volume of the amas also provides plenty of storage.
Power, Electronics, and Limitations
The review boat had a 9.9 hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard linked to the rudder. A 20 hp four-stroke was listed as the option for longer-range cruising.
Electrical generation is limited by the 9.9 hp outboard’s small 8 amp alternator. It 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 the cockpit and cabin.
The all-carbon race model weighs 200 kg less and costs more. On the standard cruising model, however, the limited energy budget is the boat’s clearest weakness for extended off-grid use.
Verdict
The Corsair 37 is a technologically advanced folding trimaran. It gives up some energy autonomy and cruising comfort in exchange for a genuinely beachable, trailerable, and directionally steady offshore platform, backed by a serious carbon rig and a thoughtfully arranged cockpit.
It suits sailors who want performance and shallow-water access without giving up a private aft cabin and a proper shower.
Pros
- Folds to a 3.0 m beam for trailering and opens to 7.8 m, with amas that provide directional stability
- Rotating carbon wing mast and carbon bowsprit
- Vacuum-bagged vinylester and foam construction, with Kevlar reinforcement and positive buoyancy
- Centre cockpit with a self-draining sole, enlarged swim transom, and protected bulkhead
- Private aft double, bow V-berth, convertible dinette, seating for six, and a spacious moulded shower
Cons
- Limited electrical generation from the 9.9 hp outboard’s 8 amp alternator
- Manual head and a simple galley rather than a full cruising-galley fitout
