Design and Construction
The Endeavour 37 measures 37 feet 5 inches overall, with a 30-foot waterline and 11 feet 7 inches of beam. Displacement is about 20,000 pounds, including 8,000 pounds of internal lead ballast, and hull speed is a modest 7.34 knots.
The hull is a heavy, single-skin solid fiberglass laminate. Its keel is molded integrally with the hull, with the internal lead ballast dropped in and glassed over, so there are no keel bolts to concern a buyer. The keel is a shallow, long “cruising fin” with a straight run. It’s cut away at the forefoot and ends well forward of the spade-style skeg rudder.
This shoal-draft, long-keel form deliberately trades windward ability for reduced draft. Practical Sailor noted that windward performance was purposely sacrificed for shoal draft.
The hull is reasonably well finished, and owners have described the boat as built like a tank. Below, the interior is plywood with teak trim. Owners who care about joinery have called the trim joints excellent, while the cabin sole uses Endeavour’s trademark teak parquet.
Rig and Sailing Performance
Most Endeavour 37s are sloop rigged, although cutter and ketch versions were also offered. A tall-mast option—and, later, a bowsprit—increased foretriangle area and eased ground-tackle handling. The rig is simple and unlikely to confuse a beginner.
Under sail, the Endeavour 37 isn’t fast, nor was she intended to be. The standard sloop is somewhat underpowered, and sailing performance is marginal, especially upwind. Many owners complain of heavy weather helm in stronger winds. One reader reports tacking through 115 degrees, while another notes excessive leeway. Still, many owners report satisfactory balance as long as they pay attention to trim, reefing, and sail combinations.
PHRF ratings range from 198 for the standard rig in the Gulf of Mexico to 177 for a tall rig with bowsprit racing in Florida.
The cockpit is large—bordering on too large for offshore use—with high coamings that give a sense of protection. One owner, however, found it too wide to brace against when the boat was heeled.
Deck and Cruising Practicalities
Wide, uncluttered side decks and an adequate, if narrow, foredeck make it fairly easy to move around. Forward, the rising toerail forms a mini-bulwark. Together, these features create a practical cruising platform.
The Endeavour 37 has been happily employed as a charter boat by several companies, including Bahamas Yachting Services, and has made safe ocean passages.
Accommodations
Endeavour offered two interior arrangements, both with at least six berths, decent sea berths, deep double sinks near the centerline, and chart tables. Headroom is 6 feet 6 inches.
Plan A replaces the forward V-berths with an enormous U-shaped dinette. It retains a large split forepeak for chain and sails, along with a midships head, sideboard galley, and two aft double quarter berths. The arrangement includes hot and cold pressure water, a shower, porcelain sink, copper plumbing, and an automatic sump.
Plan B is more conventional, with forward V-berths, saloon settees, and a pilot berth that raises capacity to seven. It also has a private port quarter cabin, although some owners describe that space as stuffy and cramped.
A high percentage of surveyed owners live aboard and consider the Endeavour 37 ideal for that purpose. Practical Sailor likewise found her comfortable to cruise and live aboard.
The standard late-1970s galley included a three-burner alcohol stove and oven.
Engine and Tankage
The auxiliary is a freshwater-cooled 50-horsepower Perkins 4-108 with 2.5:1 reduction. The cutter-specific installation is a 4-108 by Detroit Diesel with Warner hydraulic gear at 2.57:1.
Fuel capacity is about 65 gallons in a baffled tank. Water capacity is 101 gallons, and the holding tank carries 15 gallons.
Known Issues
Owner reports identify several recurring defects. Numerous owners have reported gelcoat crazing, a fault also found on the Endeavour 32. Other problem areas include:
- Gate valves on through-hulls, which some owners rightly replaced with sea cocks
- Side-loading refrigerators, later replaced with top-loading ice boxes
- Pumping of the Isomat spar
- Inaccessible electrical wiring
- V-berths too short for anyone over six feet
- Listing caused by water- and holding-tank placement
- Plastic Vetus hatches known to craze and drip
No owners reported structural problems involving oilcanning panels or moving bulkheads.
The Verdict
The Endeavour 37 Cutter is a straightforward, heavily built shoal-draft cruiser. She gives up upwind speed in favor of liveaboard comfort and passage-making security. Her simple rig, solid feel, and flexible layouts help explain her popularity with charter operators and liveaboards. Her known defects are mostly cosmetic or easily upgraded.
Pros
- Solid single-skin hull with an integrally molded keel and no keel bolts
- Teak parquet sole and well-liked joinery in a liveaboard-friendly interior
- Simple rig suited to newer sailors
- Proven ocean-passage capability
Cons
- Marginal upwind performance, with heavy weather helm and leeway
- Gelcoat crazing and assorted hardware faults, including gate valves, Vetus hatches, and Isomat spar pumping
- Short V-berths and a cramped aft cabin in some layouts
