This fractional-sloop cruiser is built around a double-skin, foam-filled hull that both the builder and Bureau Veritas certify as unsinkable. Alongside that unusual safety credential, the 37s offers a bright cherry interior and several thoughtful deck and cockpit details that reward a closer look.
Design and Construction
The 37s is built as a hull within a hull. Each shell uses hand-laid fiberglass in polyester resin. During construction, the hull and lining are held several inches apart while closed-cell polyurethane foam is injected between them double-skinned hull is built of hand-laid fiberglass.
Once hardened, the foam provides flotation, insulation against condensation, and soundproofing. More foam is placed forward because a flooded vessel tends to settle by the bow. Despite the double-skinned construction, the arrangement isn’t obvious from inside; the available volume is used well.
The deck flange sits inside the hull, holding the two in compression. The joint is first riveted for alignment, then injected with adhesive and glass. Finally, the toerail is bolted on, creating an exceptionally strong union. Bulkheads are laminated to the outer hull, while all reinforcing and mounting plates are aluminum. Stainless-steel tie rods and shroud plates laminated to the outer hull carry the rig loads.
ETAP’s unsinkability claim isn’t merely marketing. The builder’s CEO explained that the French merchant-marine agency sets stringent requirements for the label. To qualify, the 37 was loaded with eight people on the rail and all their gear inside, then flooded while the mast was pulled down to the water. When the mast was released, the boat righted herself. Two bunks and the galley remained above the waterline, and the crew could sail on.
By then, ETAP had built more than 6,000 unsinkable boats, so the method was proven rather than experimental.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The 37s carries a high-performance Selden double-spreader 9/10 fractional rig, with an adjustable backstay and a gas-charged rod-kicker vang. A Furlex roller furler handles a generous overlapping genoa.
Her hull draws on the proven performance shape of the 32s, with low wetted surface, a long waterline, a canoe-style underbody, and a flattish sheer. The well-drawn, tapered stern also contributes to her behavior under sail; test sailors credited it with good downwind running and tracking in following seas.
Testers found the 37s close-winded and easy to tack. She made about 6 knots to windward and on reaches, with a balanced helm. Under power, the Volvo engine pushed her to 6.5 knots at 2,500 rpm while the cabin registered only 74 dBA. She also turned within roughly one and a half boatlengths and backed straight and easily.
Deck and Cockpit
The toerail is a quietly clever piece of engineering. At first glance it resembles a long, patterned aluminum cleat, but it’s actually a husky, very strong round rail that lets deck water drain instantly. The bow, stern, and midship cleats are simply open sections of the same rail.
The decks have an excellent TBS anti-skid surface, while the cabintop uses a more conventional dimpled pattern. There’s ample room to walk around on deck, and the cockpit has ergonomic teak seating. A forward-facing panoramic window sits at the leading edge of the coach roof.
The mid-cockpit traveler is detachable. For daysailing, it can be unpinned and stowed in its locker space, opening up the cockpit.
Accommodations
Below, the simple, bright interior is finished in light, warm cherrywood and laminate. The layout is fairly conventional, with a rather pointy V-berth forward and a pleasant owner’s cabin aft.
Headroom is 6 feet, dropping to about 5 feet 9 inches at the forward end of the saloon. There is also a 3-inch step down in the sole.
The galley centers on a double sink set into an island. This arrangement allows the sink to drain on either tack and gives the cook a solid brace while underway. Beside the companionway steps, the stylish head includes a dedicated wet locker for foul-weather gear.
Systems and Keel Options
The wiring runs through PVC conduits fitted with messenger lines, making it possible to add circuits later. Hoses are double-clamped to the through-hulls and sealed in heat-shrink tubing. Both details suggest a builder thinking ahead to the owner’s maintenance needs.
For shoal-draft sailing, ETAP offered an optional tandem keel. It uses two separated in-line fins joined by a ballast bulb, providing an alternative to the deeper fin for thin-water cruising.
Verdict
The ETAP 37s is a genuinely distinctive 37-foot cruiser. Her double-skin, foam-filled construction provides real, certified unsinkability without an obvious penalty in interior space. Details such as the draining toerail, stowable traveler, and conduit-run wiring show a builder addressing practical problems thoughtfully.
She’s also close-winded, balanced, and easy to handle. Her documented ability to right herself after being flooded is a rare and concrete safety credential.
Pros
- Certified unsinkable hull, with forward-biased foam and a proven builder track record
- Strong, water-shedding toerail incorporating the bow, stern, and midship cleats
- Bright cherry interior, center-island galley sink that drains on either tack, and dedicated wet locker
- Close-winded, balanced handling, with easy tacking and a tight turning circle
- Thoughtful systems installation, including conduit-run wiring and double-clamped, sealed hoses
Cons
- Pointy V-berth and saloon headroom that drops to 5 feet 9 inches limit comfort forward
- Shoal-draft buyers must choose the optional tandem-keel variant rather than the standard fin
