Design and Construction
Schumacher and Alsberg's structural approach was unusually disciplined for a small performance builder. The hull is a hand-laid, vacuum-bagged layup with a 3/4-inch balsa core, and Alsberg was among the first to put vinylester resin in the outer layers specifically used vinylester resin in the outer layers of the hull to prevent blisters. The hulls were built to scantlings consistent with American Bureau of Shipping and Lloyds Register, with three layers of 18-ounce bi-directional Cofab over the core except in the keel/sump, where six were used, and a six-lamination knitted outer skin. The deck is likewise balsa-cored and joined to the hull on an inward flange with 3M 5200 and stainless screws on six-inch centers. Inspectors found no structural failures despite years of racing, and older boats examined were remarkably free of gelcoat crazing; the hull has a reputation for being virtually bulletproof, a claim given weight by two documented ocean incidents — one boat hit a whale and another was towed off the rocks at Alcatraz Island, each suffering only a bent keel.
Rig and Handling
The boat's signature is its so-called masthead-fractional rig: a large, low-aspect main paired with a small, high-aspect foretriangle, which helmsmen and trimmers find more forgiving than a true fractional layout. A double-spreader tapered aluminum Ballenger mast was standard, supported by Navtec rod rigging, with a hydraulic backstay tensioning the headstay and running backstays shaping the main. All halyards and sail controls are led aft to the cockpit and can be worked by one person standing in the companionway, while the mainsheet traveler sits just aft of the companionway. Underbody lines show flat, flared sections forward that help the 37 surf on modest waves, and a narrow-cord, slightly raked keel with a balanced spade rudder placed well aft concentrates weight amidships. The result is a stiff boat, well suited to the windy conditions of San Francisco Bay, that sails brilliantly both off the wind — where double-digit speeds are commonplace — and upwind, where dumping the main to stay flat is the fastest technique. In lighter Puget Sound air the masthead rig outperforms fractionally rigged rivals, and testers noted a wide sailing groove that rewards feathering in puffs.
Accommodations
Schumacher engaged furniture designer M. Fillmore Harty to assist with the interior, which pairs oak cabinetry, ash window frames, and a te1ak-and-holly sole with aircraft-like overhead storage compartments lining both hull sides. The standard layout is straightforward: a V-berth or sail storage forward, an enclosed head, a saloon with a bulkhead-hinged table seating four to starboard and a port settee that doubles as a berth, a starboard galley with stove and icebox, and a nav station opposite with a chart table large enough for a serious navigator. The aft section is wide open with pipe berths to port and starboard and little privacy, ventilated by two stern ports, though engine access is excellent with 360-degree reach. The MK II — only 10 built, all on the East Coast — reworked this with a real V-berth double, a U-shaped galley, and an enclosed port-quarter stateroom, plus a 1-1/2-foot taller mast. Against the Schock 35 and J/35, the Express 37's accommodations are larger but not as well appointed as the Schock.
Known Issues
Early hulls carried two structural weaknesses since corrected in production. Before hull No. 20 the main bulkhead lacked proper tabbing and in some cases cracked; from that hull onward bulkheads were bonded with a fiberglass tab bonded to the hull with a fiberglass tab and the wood thickness increased from 1/2 to 3/4 inch. The No. 1 genoa track could flex the deck and crack it, a problem that worsened when class rules allowed Kevlar sails, and was solved by an aluminum backing plate under the track. On San Francisco Bay boats the hydraulic boom-vang hose exited the mast at deck level and after five to six years several masts showed cracks there; sparmaker Buzz Ballenger answered with a reinforcing sleeve and a watertight aft deck lead. These are documented, localized, and addressable.
Refits and Ownership
Engine specification shifted during the build: before hull No. 25 the standard was the Yanmar 2GMF 18-horsepower two-cylinder, after which Alsberg upgraded to the 3GMF 27-horsepower three-cylinder. Most boats left the factory with tillers, though a few MK IIs had a T-shaped cockpit with a 48-inch wheel and one owner retrofitted a 36-inch Edson. The deck-crack and bulkhead fixes are well understood by the fleet, and the open aft layout makes mechanical work straightforward even if the space can be loud with the engine running.
The Verdict
The Express 37 is a purpose-built ocean racer that translated a TransPac podium into a durable, well-structured one-design with a real interior. It rewards skilled short-handed sailing and remains competitive across wind ranges, though its cabin privacy and early-production details demand a careful look.
Pros
- Stiff, well-built balsa-cored hull with ABS/Lloyds scantlings and blister-resistant vinylester outer layers
- Forgiving masthead-fractional rig with all controls led aft for short-handed sailing
- Fast off the wind and close-winded upwind, with a wide groove and PHRF around 72–76
- Active fleets and a known, fixable set of early structural issues
Cons
- Open aft berths and sparse head lack cruiser privacy
- Early hulls (pre-No. 20) need bulkhead tabbing verification
- Deck-track and mast-hose cracks require fleet-specific inspection on bay boats
