Gozzard 36 Sailboats for Sale

The Gozzard 36's bluewater credentials are genuine. Its modified fin keel with skeg-hung rudder represents a mid-production evolution from the full-keel designs Ted Gozzard favoured earlier in his career, and the result is a boat that tracks well offshore while still drawing under five feet — useful for gunk-holing and transit of the Intracoastal Waterway. The cutter rig, with a long bowsprit and generous foretriangle, carries a lot of canvas for its length, and the wide twelve-foot beam combined with a firm bilge and low external lead ballast makes for a stiff, reassuring motion at sea. Some reviewers note that the wide shroud base limits close-hauled sheeting angles, and this is simply a characteristic to accept: the Gozzard 36 is a reaching and running boat, not a racing machine, and owners consistently report comfortable passages in conditions that would unsettle a more tender design.

Layouts on the Used Market

The interior arrangement is unlike almost anything else on the brokerage market, and understanding it is essential before viewing a boat. Gozzard dispensed with the conventional V-berth forward very early in the design and instead developed what owners often call the "Transformer" interior: a pair of angled settees in the bow that slide together on centerline to form a double berth, a hinged bulkhead that opens or closes the forward area to create a private stateroom, and a large quarter berth aft that can similarly be enclosed as a quarter cabin. The galley sits to port with a two-burner stove and oven, and there is a proper nav station to starboard with a full-length dinette. A separate shower stall is incorporated into the head — unusual on a thirty-six-footer.

Across examples on the market, the fundamental layout is consistent, though interior details vary according to what the original owner specified. Some boats have teak and holly soles throughout; others feature different wood choices for cabinetry. The cockpit configuration also evolved: boats built after the early nineties typically carry the fixed hard dodger and windshield that became a Gozzard signature, and later hulls feature a fold-down stern gate serving as a swim platform. Earlier examples without the fixed windshield occasionally have owner-fitted canvas dodgers added in their place.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Used examples are almost uniformly well-equipped for offshore passage-making, reflecting the profile of their owners. Dodger and bimini combinations are essentially universal, and the hard windshield on later hulls is already integrated into the design. Radar, chartplotter, and autopilot are commonly fitted, as are watermakers and inverters — the baseline cruising suite one would expect on a boat in this class. Solar panels are widely seen, often installed by owners upgrading the boat for extended offshore or liveaboard use, and dinghy davits over the stern are a frequent fitment given the boat's layout and the preference of its owners for extended cruising.

Hot water systems and onboard heating are commonly found across the market, again reflecting use patterns that extend into higher latitudes or cooler seasons. Spinnakers in various forms are often carried; asymmetric spinnakers are a somewhat less common owner upgrade, typically seen on boats set up for shorthanded offshore sailing. AIS transponders, lithium battery banks, and furling mains appear with some regularity among more recently refitted examples. Starlink satellite internet, EPIRBs, and life rafts round out the safety and communications picture on the boats prepared for bluewater passages — present across a meaningful portion of the fleet but not universal.

What to Inspect

The Gozzard 36 is a well-built boat, but no fiberglass cutter of this vintage is without inspection priorities.

Begin with the deck and cabin sole, checking for delamination in the balsa-cored construction. The core is eliminated around through-hulls from the factory, which is a thoughtful precaution, but decades of use can allow moisture ingress at deck hardware, portlights, and chainplates. Tap methodically around deck hardware, the cockpit sole, and along the cabin sides.

The sliding and hinged bulkhead system that makes the interior so flexible is a genuine feature, but inspect each moving bulkhead and the forward settees carefully for wear, misalignment, or damage to the mechanisms. These components see heavy use and are unique to this design, making repair a more bespoke task than on a conventional interior.

Engine specifications changed substantially across the production run: early hulls had smaller Westerbeke diesels while later boats received the 63-horsepower unit as standard. Whatever the fitted engine, check belts, hoses, and fluid condition carefully; black fluids are a maintenance red flag. The engine sits low in the bilge and access is good, but service history matters on any aging diesel.

All standing rigging should be carefully surveyed — the oldest hulls date to the mid-1980s and warrant a full survey regardless of apparent condition. Check for wire fatigue, toggle wear, and the condition of chainplates — on a balsa-cored deck, chainplate penetrations are an especially important area. Electronics and navigation instruments on earlier boats are likely outdated and should be budgeted as a refit item.

The cockpit, while a genuine pleasure at anchor, is notably large and may be slow to drain if swamped. Verify that cockpit drains are unobstructed and adequate in diameter. Finally, the abundant teak brightwork — butterfly hatches with leaded glass, cockpit trim, interior joinery — is one of the boat's greatest visual assets and one of its most demanding maintenance requirements; assess its condition honestly and budget accordingly.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Gozzard 36 circulates most actively on the North American market, with examples found along the eastern seaboard, the Great Lakes, and down through the Caribbean and Mexico. A portion of the fleet has found its way to European waters, particularly the Mediterranean — Greece and Italy being the most common locations — reflecting the boat's appeal to serious cruisers who have sailed it across oceans. The small production run means patience is sometimes required, but examples do appear with reasonable regularity given the boat's longevity and the tendency of owners to hold onto them for many years.

A short checklist before making an offer:

• Moisture survey of balsa-cored deck and hull, particularly around hardware and chainplate penetrations
• Operation of all sliding and hinged bulkheads and settee conversion mechanisms
• Engine service records and fluid condition; identify which horsepower variant is fitted
• Full standing rigging survey, including toggles and chainplates
• Cockpit drain size and condition
• Condition of teak brightwork and an honest estimate of varnishing commitment
• Navigation electronics inventory and refit budget for outdated instruments
• Presence of offshore safety equipment: EPIRB, life raft, flares

For the buyer who values handcrafted quality, a genuinely livable and reconfigurable interior, and offshore capability in a sub-five-foot draft package, the Gozzard 36 is difficult to match at any price point in the used market. The factory is still operating in Goderich, Ontario, and the Gozzard family remains knowledgeable and accessible for support — a reassurance that is genuinely rare when shopping for a boat of this age.