Design and Construction
Robert Harris drew the Vancouver 36 as a bluewater ocean cruiser. Durbeck's Inc. of Sarasota, Florida, began construction in 1977, but the company failed in 1983. Hidden Harbor Boatworks, also in Sarasota, continued building the design until it closed in the late 1980s, ending production. A pilot-house version appeared in 1987.
The hull is solid fiberglass, 1.25 inches thick, with an Airtex core. The deck is solid fiberglass, with minimal teak trim above. Factory boats left the mold at three levels of completion: as joined hull-and-deck kits for owners to finish, with engines installed, or fully ready to sail. As a result, used examples may differ widely in their original fit-out.
Test sailor Richard Sherwood described the boat’s entry as fine, its bilges as hard, and its maximum beam as well aft. Richard Jordan noted the powerfully straight, raked bow, canoe stern, and stepped cabin trunk, which echoes the pilothouse deck mold of the 42-foot sistership.
Rig, Steering, and Handling
The cutter rig carries 685 square feet of sail beneath aluminum spars, with a Bermuda mainsail. The cabin-roof traveler sheets the mainsail at mid-boom. The shrouds are mounted inboard, while the genoa leads outboard to the toe rail—a practical arrangement that keeps the foredeck clear for short-handed work.
A wheel controls the keel-mounted rudder. Jordan called the boat a “no nonsense tank” meant to go places: a heavy, strong bluewater cruiser rather than a light-air sprinter.
The 35-horsepower Volvo MD17C diesel is there for docking and maneuvering, but Jordan considered the engine in this application woefully underpowered. Given the boat’s roughly 18,000-pound mass, that’s a significant operational consideration.
Accommodations and Stowage
Several cabin plans were available, but the typical Vancouver 36 layout favors long-range living over maximum berth count. Forward is a large stateroom with a double berth to port. Moving aft on the same side, there’s a workbench and a large ensuite head with a shower.
The main cabin has a settee berth to port and a pilot berth to starboard, bringing total sleeping capacity to four. Sherwood identified this unusual arrangement as one designed for distance rather than crowds.
The galley is aft to starboard, at the foot of the companionway, and includes a three-burner stove and a 12-cubic-foot icebox. The navigation station is opposite, to port. Unusually for a 36-footer, the cabin also has a fireplace.
Stowage is generous. Forward, there’s an anchor-chain locker and a large sail locker. Aft of the companionway are another large sail locker, a wet locker, and the engine compartment. The cabin sole is a substantial 2 inches thick, while four deck hatches and two cowl vents provide ventilation.
The cockpit is deliberately small, with seating for four, to free more volume below.
Tankage and Intended Use
The boat carries 140 gallons of fresh water and 65 gallons of fuel, capacities that suggest long passages were part of the original brief. The pilot-house variant extends the design’s appeal to cold-weather cruisers.
Known Issues and Ownership Considerations
The main operational caveat comes from period reviews: the installed Volvo diesel was widely judged inadequate for the boat’s weight, so buyers should expect modest power for docking and maneuvering.
Ownership histories can vary enormously because boats left the factory as kits, partially finished vessels, or complete boats. The amount and quality of original owner-completed work may therefore differ considerably from one surviving Vancouver 36 to another.
The Harris boat is often confused with the later, unrelated Tony Taylor Vancouver 36 built in the UK. The Harris design is usually tagged with his name to distinguish the two.
The Verdict
The Vancouver 36 (Harris) is a small-series bluewater cutter with genuine offshore bones: a thick, cored hull, a long keel, and accommodations arranged for weeks aboard rather than maximum weekend headcount. The engine is her clear weak point, and provenance matters because of the mix of kit-built, partially finished, and factory-completed boats.
Pros
- Heavy, strong bluewater construction with a 1.25-inch cored hull
- Long-range interior with an ensuite head, fireplace, and large tankage
- Cutter rig with inboard shrouds suited to short-handed sailing
- Generous stowage for extended cruising
Cons
- Volvo MD17C diesel described as woefully underpowered for the 18,000 lb displacement
- Only 13 built
- Kit completion led to uneven original fit-out among surviving boats
- Small cockpit and only four berths limit casual charter appeal
