Hull, Construction, and the Unsinkable Claim
The defining characteristic of every Etap is its double-skin hull construction — a hull within a hull, each skin hand-laid in fiberglass roving with ortho- and iso-resins, with closed-cell polyurethane foam injected into the space between them. That foam cures hard, acting simultaneously as insulation, soundproofing, and permanent flotation. Bureau Veritas certified the 37s as unsinkable, a distinction that carries real operational weight: the French merchant-marine agency conducted a loading test in which the vessel was flooded with eight people on the rail and all their gear aboard, the mast pulled to the water, and upon release the boat righted itself with two bunks and the galley still above the waterline. The CE Category A rating confirms the yard's confidence in open-ocean use.
The deck flange is positioned inside the hull so that hull and deck are held in compression rather than in tension, and the joint is riveted for alignment, then adhesive and glass are injected before the rail is bolted on — making the whole structure essentially one piece. All wiring runs through PVC conduits fitted with messenger lines for future circuits, and hoses are double-clamped and additionally sealed in heat-shrink tubing. Rig loads are carried by stainless-steel tie rods and shroud plates laminated into the outer hull.
Deck Layout and Cockpit
The toerail is itself a piece of lateral thinking: what appears to be a long aluminum cleat is actually a husky round rail supported by short sturdy verticals, strong enough to take a serious load while draining deck water instantly through the gaps. Bow, stern, and midship cleats are simply open sections of the same extrusion — fewer fittings to maintain, nothing to snag a sheet. The TBS anti-skid covering on deck is notably effective, and the cabintop panoramic forward-facing window does wonders for the interior light, making the saloon feel considerably larger than the waterline length would suggest.
The cockpit's standout feature is the detachable mid-cockpit traveler. Two pins retain it; pull them, stow the traveler in its dedicated locker, and clip the mainsheet block to an eye in the sole — suddenly the cockpit becomes a sociable, open space for daysailing guests. Reinstalling the traveler takes about a minute for heavy-air or racing work. It is an elegantly simple solution to a genuine ergonomic conflict.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The 37s carries a high-performance double-spreader 9/10 fractional rig by Selden with end-boom sheeting, an adjustable backstay, a gas-charged rod kicker vang, and a Furlex roller-furler carrying a generous overlapping genoa. The setup is explicitly oriented toward shorthanded sailing while retaining enough tuning range for racing.
Under main alone, the boat makes noticeable leeway — but that changes decisively the moment the jib is unfurled. The reason is the optional tandem keel, a unique design in which two separated in-line fins are connected by a ballast bulb, achieving shoal draft without sacrificing performance once the rig is in balance. The foils appear to lock in under a properly loaded rig, and performance across all points of sail becomes equivalent to a normal single fin with a well-balanced helm. The standard deep-draft option brings a conventional single fin. The fractional rig, combined with end-boom sheeting, gives the helmsman precise main control particularly useful in shorthanded conditions.
Accommodations and Galley
Below, the cherrywood interior is simple, bright, and elegant, with six-foot headroom amidships tapering to roughly five feet nine inches at the forward end of the saloon — a consequence of the sloping deck profile that also creates a three-inch step down in the sole worth memorizing. A forward V-berth and an aft owner's cabin provide separated sleeping areas.
The galley is the real tour de force. A center island houses a double sink that drains on either tack — no heel-dependent drainage problem. The island itself provides a solid brace point with both hands free while working offshore. Removing the stove cover creates a bridge between stove and island that expands counter space for food preparation. Sink covers stow in fitted spaces under the stove. The foul-weather locker is built into the head adjacent to the companionway steps. These details signal a designer who has actually sailed offshore.
The nav station accommodates a full-size chart folded once, with adequate panel space for a chartplotter in an easy sightline from the helm area.
Known Characteristics and Considerations
The inner liner — necessary to contain the foam injection — precludes direct inspection of the outer hull from inside the boat. This is a structural trade-off inherent to the double-hull concept. Buyers considering a used example should understand that everything visible from interior access points looked strong and neat when reviewed, but traditional hull survey techniques may require modification. The tandem keel's shoal-draft geometry also requires a balanced rig to perform: sailing under main alone in this configuration is notably less effective than under the full working sail plan.
The sound level under power is an exceptional 74 dBA in the cabin at 2,500 rpm producing around 6.5 knots — unusually quiet for a saildrive installation. Maneuvering is crisp, with the boat turning a circle in about one and a half boatlengths and tracking straight when backing down.
The Verdict
The ETAP 37s is a rare production boat that rewards careful study. Its unsinkable certification is not a marketing claim but a verified structural fact tested under controlled flooding conditions. The foam-injected double hull adds cost and removes some interior volume, but it delivers a safety margin that no liferaft can replicate offshore. The tandem keel is genuinely innovative but demands respect: it works superbly under a balanced rig and less well under main alone. The galley and cockpit detailing reflect real offshore thinking rather than showroom aesthetics. For a sailor who values systematic engineering over conventional wisdom, the 37s makes a compelling case.
Pros
- Bureau Veritas–certified unsinkable construction with tested real-world proof
- Detachable traveler allows the cockpit to serve both racing and social configurations
- Center-island double sink drains on either tack; galley designed for offshore use
- Exceptional engine noise isolation for a production saildrive installation
- Fractional Selden rig with gas-charged vang tuned for shorthanded sailing
- CE Category A rating confirming all-ocean capability
Cons
- Inner liner prevents direct inspection of outer hull during survey
- Tandem shoal-draft keel significantly underperforms under main alone without jib
- Foam injection adds construction cost relative to conventional single-skin builds
- Three-inch sole step in the saloon is a recurring hazard for new owners in low light
