Shaw gave it a powerboat-like interior, including a forward double berth and two swivel chairs in the saloon. The redesigned hull also has a conventional 12-foot-4-inch beam, in contrast to its predecessor’s slender 30-foot waterline.
Design and Construction
The 37-2 has a solid fiberglass hull with a white finish, a molded blue boot-top with double stripe, and a blue cove stripe. Its two-tone beige deck is a balsa-cored molding with molded non-skid. Pearson used an outboard-turning hull-to-deck joint finished with vinyl trim.
Below the waterline, the yard applied its exclusive Blister-Bloc gelcoat for peace of mind against bottom blistering. External lead ballast is carried in an innovative shallow-draft wing keel, opening up shoal and open-water cruising. Practical Sailor notes that the 1981 boat’s 6-foot-6-inch deep fin was replaced by a 4-foot-8-inch shoal-draft keel with winglets for gunkholers. Some owners say the winglets slightly improved pointing ability.
Fixed ports are set into the hull. At the stern, the deck layout includes a walk-through transom and a swing-down swim ladder.
Rig and Handling
The rig and deck layout were designed for short-handed cruising across a wide range of wind conditions. The 37-2 is a masthead sloop with double swept spreaders and a tapered spar. It carries a fully battened mainsail with lazy jacks for easy furling, along with a self-tacking, roller-furling Solent jib.
The sail-handling systems are controlled from the cockpit. Harken roller furling, internal wire-rope and jib halyards led aft, and continuous-line internal jiffy reefing led aft all help keep the crew in the cockpit. Lewmar #40ST self-tailing mainsheet and #52ST primary winches are backed up by a #30 jibsheet winch. A cabin-top traveller with tag lines and a recessed inboard genoa track with double cars complete the short-handed setup.
Accommodations
Below, the 37-2 has the feel of a small motoryacht. The forward stateroom contains a walk-around double island berth that can be left made up. Locker and shelf stowage flank the berth, and the cabin also includes a bureau and hanging locker.
In the main cabin, an L-shaped dinette to port converts into a double berth. To starboard, swivel armchairs surround a hi-low table for dining or cocktails. Plush wall-to-wall carpeting, bright warm colors, good lighting, a vinyl headliner, oak trim, and shaded ports throughout give the saloon its liveaboard character.
The galley is built around an electric range and microwave, with refrigeration. Aft, the oversized head includes a full stall shower, an electric toilet, and linen and wet lockers. The futuristic navigation station was engineered to accept the latest marine electronics. A standard entertainment center included a multi-speaker stereo, color TV, and video cassette player.
Machinery and Systems
A 34 HP, fresh-water-cooled Yanmar diesel with alarm protection drives a two-blade solid propeller through a bronze shaft. A 4KW sound-enclosed generator provides house power away from the boat’s 50-amp shore-power system. Reverse-cycle air conditioning was available as a factory option.
Three FRP and plastic water tanks supply the domestic system, which includes a six-gallon hot water heater, hot and cold pressure water, and a deck shower. The sanitation system has a 25-gallon holding tank with offshore discharge. Bronze ball valves serve all underwater thru-hulls, and Pearson fitted both manual diaphragm and electric bilge pumps. Together, these systems reflect the boat’s shore-power-friendly cruising brief.
Verdict
The Pearson 37-2 is a purpose-built coastal cruiser that trades the race-bred edge of the earlier Pearson 37 for a beamy, comfortable interior and a shoal wing keel suited to marina hopping and gunkholing. Its cockpit-led, short-handed rig and walk-through transom make it an easy boat to handle and live aboard.
Pros
- Shallow wing keel opens up shoal and open-water cruising
- Short-handed, cockpit-led rig with a self-tacking jib and lazy jacks
- Powerboat-like interior with an island berth, swivel chairs, and a full stall shower
- Blister-Bloc gelcoat and bronze through-hull valves as standard
Cons
- Built for marina use rather than all-round performance
- Heavy cruising outfit and shoal keel limit windward ambition
- Period entertainment equipment and electric-galley gear date the specification
