Design and Construction
The Endeavour 37 is a heavily built yacht with a single-skin, solid fiberglass laminate hull, and her keel is integrally molded into the hull with internal lead ballast dropped in and glassed over—there are no keel bolts to concern a buyer. The keel itself is a shallow, long “cruising fin” with a straight run, cut away at the forefoot and terminating well forward of the spade-style skeg rudder. That shoal-draft, long-keel form deliberately traded windward ability for draft, and Practical Sailor noted the windward performance was purposely sacrificed for shoal draft. The interior is plywood with teak trim, and owners who care about joinery have called the trim joints excellent; the cabin sole is the Endeavour trademark teak parquet. The hull is reasonably well finished, and the boat feels solid enough that owners have described her as built like a tank.
Rig and Handling
Most Endeavour 37s are sloop rigged, though the cutter and ketch were offered, and 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, however, she is not fast, nor was she meant 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, and one reader tacks through 115 degrees, while another notes excessive leeway. Many owners report satisfactory balance as long as they mind trim, reefing, and sail combinations. PHRF ratings run 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, though one owner found it too wide to brace against when heeled.
Accommodations
Two interior arrangements were offered. Plan A drops the forward V-berths for an enormous U-shaped dinette, keeping a large split forepeak for chain and sails, a midships head and sideboard galley, and two aft double quarter berths; it includes hot and cold pressure water, shower, porcelain sink, copper plumbing, and automatic sump. Plan B is more conventional, with forward V-berths, saloon settees, a pilot berth raising capacity to seven, and a private port quarter cabin that some owners call stuffy and cramped. Both plans sleep at least six with decent sea berths, deep double sinks near the centerline, and chart tables. A high percentage of surveyed owners are liveaboards and consider the boat ideal for that life, and Practical Sailor found her comfortable to cruise and live aboard. Headroom is 6 feet 6 inches.
Known Issues
Several recurring defects show up in owner reports. Numerous owners reported gelcoat crazing, a fault also seen on the Endeavour 32. Problem areas included gate valves on through-hulls—some owners rightly replaced them with sea cocks—plus side-loading refrigerators later swapped for top-loading ice boxes, pumping of the Isomat spar, inaccessible electrical wiring, V-berths too short for anyone over six feet, and listing caused by water and holding tank placement. Plastic Vetus hatches were known to craze and drip. No owners reported structural problems with oilcanning panels or moving bulkheads.
Refits and Ownership
The Endeavour 37 has been happily employed as a charter boat by several companies, including Bahamas Yachting Services, and she has made safe ocean passages. The standard late-70s galley held a three-burner alcohol stove and oven. The auxiliary is a freshwater-cooled 50-horsepower Perkins 4-108 with 2.5:1 reduction, or the cutter-specific 4-108 by Detroit Diesel with Warner hydraulic gear at 2.57:1. Fuel capacity is about 65 gallons in a baffled tank, water 101 gallons, holding 15. Wide, uncluttered side decks, an adequate if narrow foredeck, and a rising toerail forming a mini-bulwark forward round out a practical cruising platform.
The Verdict
The Endeavour 37 Cutter is a straightforward, heavily built shoal-draft cruiser that trades upwind speed for liveaboard comfort and passage-making security. Her simple rig, solid feel, and flexible layouts explain her popularity as a charter and liveaboard hull, while her known defects are mostly cosmetic or easily upgraded.
Pros
- Solid single-skin hull with 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 (gate valves, Vetus hatches, Isomat spar pumping)
- Short V-berths and a cramped aft cabin in some layouts
