Design and Construction
Robert Harris drew the Vancouver 36 as a bluewater ocean cruiser, and only 13 examples were built, making her a comparatively rare design. Durbeck's Inc in Sarasota, Florida began construction in 1977, but the company failed in 1983; Hidden Harbor Boatworks, also in Sarasota, carried the design forward until it too 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, and the deck is solid fiberglass with minimal teak trim above. Factory boats left the mold in three states of completion — hull-and-deck kits joined for owner finishing, engines installed, or fully ready-to-sail — which means a used example may reflect wildly different levels of original fit-out. Test sailor Richard Sherwood described her entry as fine, bilges hard, and maximum beam well aft, while Richard Jordan noted a powerfully straight raked bow, a canoe stern, and a stepped cabin trunk echoing the pilothouse deck mold of the 42-foot sistership.
Rig and Handling
The cutter rig carries 685 square feet of sail under aluminum spars, with a Bermuda mainsail. The mainsheet traveler sits on the cabin roof and sheets mid-boom, while the shrouds are mounted inboard and the genoa is led outboard to the toe-rail — a practical split that keeps the foredeck clear for short-handed work. A wheel steers the keel-mounted rudder. Jordan summed her up as a "no nonsense tank" meant to go places, a heavy and strong bluewater cruiser rather than a light-air sprinter. The 35-horsepower Volvo MD17C diesel is there for docking and maneuvering, but Jordan called the engine in this application woefully underpowered, a real consideration given the boat's 18,000-pound mass.
Accommodations
Below, the Vancouver 36 was offered with several cabin plans, but the typical layout favors long-range living over maximum berths. A large bow stateroom with a double berth to port leads aft to a workbench on the same side and a large ensuite head with shower. The main cabin adds a settee berth to port and a pilot berth to starboard, sleeping four in all — Sherwood flagged the unusual arrangement as built for distance, not crowds. The galley sits to starboard aft at the companionway foot with a three-burner stove and a 12-cubic-foot icebox; a navigation station is to port. Unusually for a 36-footer, the cabin includes a fireplace. Storage is generous: an anchor chain locker and large sail locker forward, plus a large sail locker, wet locker, and engine compartment aft of the companionway. The cabin sole is a substantial 2 inches thick, and ventilation comes from four deck hatches and two cowl vents. The cockpit is deliberately small — seating four — to free interior volume.
Known Issues
The principal operational caveat comes from period review: the installed Volvo diesel is widely judged inadequate to the boat's weight, so buyers should expect modest docking power.
Refits and Ownership
Because boats left the factory as kits, partially finished, or complete, ownership history varies enormously in how much original work remains. The 140-gallon fresh water and 65-gallon fuel tanks suggest long passages were intended, and the pilot-house variant broadens the design's appeal to cold-weather cruisers. 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 keep them distinct.
The Verdict
The Vancouver 36 (Harris) is a small-series bluewater cutter with genuine offshore bones: thick cored hull, long keel, and a cabin planned for weeks aboard rather than weekend headcount. The engine is her weak link, and provenance matters given the kit-versus-complete production path.
Pros
- Heavy, strong bluewater construction with 1.25-inch cored hull
- Thoughtful long-range interior with ensuite head, fireplace, and large tankage
- Cutter rig with inboard shrouds suited to short-handed sailing
Cons
- Volvo MD17C diesel described as woefully underpowered for 18,000 lb displacement
- Only 13 built; kit completion means uneven original fit-out across survivors
- Small cockpit and just four berths limit casual charter appeal
