New York 36 Buyer's Guide
The New York 36 is a William E. Cook design built by W. D. Schock Corp. between 1980 and 1985, with 88 completed — an American one-design racer-cruiser conceived for New York Yacht Club racing that also serves for family cruising. For a buyer on the used market, the appeal is a limited-production IOR-era fractional sloop with a real cruising interior, though the small build count means patience is required to locate a specific example.
Layouts on the Used Market
Every New York 36 carries the same cruising interior: sleeping for six with a double V-berth forward, a U-shaped settee and two aft quarter berths in the main cabin, an L-shaped galley to port amidships with a two-burner stove, icebox, and sink, and a navigation station opposite to starboard. The head sits just aft of the bow cabin on the port side with a shower. A 40-gallon water tank and 20-gallon fuel tank are standard. West-coast boats sold to non-members were raced as a one-design class there, so some used examples may show heavier race wear or masthead rig conversions from the original fractional sloop.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The standard Volvo 2002 13-horsepower diesel is sized for docking and maneuvering rather than passage-making, so buyers should assess electrical charging capacity for cruising use. The original fractional rig used a taller mast for light-air Long Island Sound conditions, and many boats were later sailed with masthead configurations — a rig conversion is a common used-market variation worth checking against sail inventory. The as-built sailplan includes a 150-percent genoa and a large spinnaker, so a full racing inventory is a meaningful value signal on a given boat.
What to Inspect
Verify the rudder and tiller steering gear on the internally mounted spade rudder, confirm keel-bolt integrity on the fixed fin keel, and check the galley and head plumbing given the original L-shaped layout and shower enclosure.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Regional availability centers on the US west coast, where non-NYYC member boats were sold and raced as a class. Elsewhere the boat is rare. For a shopper, the checklist is brief: confirm original fractional or converted masthead rig and matching sails, survey the spade rudder and fin keel attachment, and validate the Volvo 2002 for docking use. A clean example with a full sail inventory is a distinctive one-design club racer with real weekend-cruising amenity.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholson 36 | 36.25' | $ 29,000 | 17 | 0 |
| Dehler 36 | 35.92' | $ 88,931 | 12 | 4 |
| Finngulf 36 | 35.89' | $ 61,607 | 10 | 3 |