Design and Construction
Van de Stadt laid down the Excalibur 36 as a large ocean cruiser and offshore racer for her era, and the numbers still describe that brief. At a length overall of 10.97 metres with a waterline of 8.01 metres and a beam of just 3.01 metres, she is long and slim: her length-to-beam ratio of 3.61 means she is narrower than 88 per cent of comparable sailboat designs. That narrow body, paired with a displacement of roughly 14,450 pounds and a lead fin keel of about 5,500 pounds, gives a ballast ratio of 41 per cent — higher than 58 per cent of similar boats. The displacement-to-length ratio of 363 places her among the "ultra heavy cruisers," with only 15 per cent of peer designs weighing more.
The hull and deck are solid fibreglass, moulded by Tyler Boat Company Ltd and built to the exacting Lloyds +100A1 standard. Like most Tyler hulls, the laminate has lasted well and presents a low risk of osmosis. A spade rudder and fin keel give her a draught around 1.82 metres, dependent on load, which limits her to major marinas but anchors her downwind stability.
Rig and Handling
The Excalibur 36 carries a sturdy masthead rig stepped on the coachroof, with sheet dimensions that tell the story of a manual, rope-driven deck: the mainsheet runs 27.4 metres at 14 mm diameter, while jib and genoa sheets are 11 metres and the spinnaker sheet 24.1 metres, all at 14 mm. Writing in Yachting Monthly, reviewers found her long, slim, weatherly and sea-kindly, with a comfortable motion in a seaway — a verdict echoed by the Motion Comfort Ratio of 33.4 to 37.4, which the data ranks as more comfortable than 93 per cent of similar designs.
On the race course she was no passenger. She won the RORC Class II Championships in 1963, 1964 and 1965 and was highly successful in that class throughout. Under power the calculated maximum is only about 3.8 knots through a shaft drive, but her theoretical hull speed reaches 6.8 knots under sail. The wetted surface of about 312 square feet and an immersion rate of 904 pounds per inch round out a hull that is slow to accelerate but steady once moving.
Accommodations
Below, the Excalibur 36 offers traditionally designed accommodation for six, arranged as a single cabin with settee and quarter berths totalling five, plus a galley and a head. The layout works well at sea, which is the more meaningful test for a boat with this passage record. The trade-off is volume: with only 10 feet of beam, space is restricted, and the single-cabin plan reflects a period priority on sea-keeping over salon square footage.
Known Issues
The solid Tyler hull has lasted well and carries a low risk of osmosis, so the principal structural watch-item is simply the passage of time on a fibreglass laminate now decades old rather than any systemic fault. The low osmosis risk means a buyer is unlikely to face the blistering remediation common to some later production boats, though any survey should still confirm hull moisture readings.
The Verdict
The Excalibur 36 is a slender, heavily built van de Stadt sloop that punched above her size in RORC racing and then proved herself offshore. She is a good option as a first offshore cruiser for someone who values sea-kindly motion and a tough Lloyds-standard hull over interior volume. The narrow beam and deep fin keel are the defining compromises: restricted cabin space and major-marina-only draught in exchange for weatherliness and comfort in a seaway.
Pros
- Long, slim hull with comfort ranking above 93% of similar designs
- Solid fibreglass construction to Lloyds +100A1 with low osmosis risk
- Won RORC Class II Championships three years running and serious ocean passages
- Heavy ballast ratio and ultra-heavy-cruiser displacement for stability
Cons
- Restricted accommodation due to just 10 ft beam
- Draught around 1.82 m limits her to major marinas
- Only about 3.8 knots maximum under engine
- Few built, so spares and class support are limited
