Design Brief & Intent
The design brief for the PJ-36 was demanding: craft a vessel that was sufficiently seaworthy and comfortable for extended bluewater cruising, yet fast enough to dominate the highly competitive offshore racing circuits of the era. The hull lines were evolved from the successful wood-built Gaia Class, but modified to take full advantage of fiberglass construction. In an era when GRP was still a relatively unproven material, Nautor and Palmer Johnson built the boat to Lloyd’s 100A1 specifications, utilizing thick, hand-laid laminate schedules that far exceeded modern standards.
To appeal to discerning American yachtsmen, Palmer Johnson oversaw the high-end yacht-finish details, ensuring the interior joinery reflected their heritage of luxury. Below decks, the cabin features a rich cabin sole and warm mahogany or teak joinery with a high-end, hand-rubbed finish. Unlike the sparse, utilitarian interiors of dedicated racing machines, the PJ-36 offered a luxurious, warm refuge. The layout, developed in collaboration with interior designer Olle Enderlein, was optimized for offshore passage-making, providing a snug U-shaped settee to port, a functional galley, a dedicated navigation station, and comfortable berths for up to seven crew members. Every cabinet, locker, and bulkhead was structurally glassed to the hull, contributing to the boat's immense stiffness and monocoque integrity.
Sailing Performance & Handling
The PJ-36 is a true product of the Cruising Club of America (CCA) design era, though its underwater profile represents a massive leap forward. S&S drew the yacht with a split lateral plane—featuring a deep fin keel and a separate spade rudder on a partial skeg. This was a radical departure from the full-keeled hulls of the mid-1960s, heavily inspired by the design office's work on the America's Cup winner, Intrepid. This underwater configuration vastly reduced the wetted surface area, resulting in exceptional agility and lower frictional drag.
Analyzing the vessel's technical specifications reveals a displacement of 14,300 pounds paired with a staggering ballast-to-displacement ratio of 55.5 percent. This incredibly high ballast ratio—highly unusual by modern standards—makes the PJ-36 exceptionally stiff. When a gust hits, the boat heels to its sweet spot and then stands up resolutely, converting wind pressure directly into forward drive rather than excessive heel.
Its heavy-displacement nature is further illustrated by a displacement-to-length ratio of 366.59. This translates to an incredibly smooth, motion-dampening ride in a heavy seaway. Instead of slamming over waves like lighter, modern flat-bottomed designs, the PJ-36 slices through head seas with authority, a characteristic reflected in its reassuring motion comfort ratio of 37.23. The capsize screening ratio of 1.6 confirms its exceptional physical safety margin and suitability for serious ocean crossings.
At the same time, the conservative sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 14.88 points to a modest mainsail plan. This is a classic masthead sloop that relies on large, overlapping headsails for power. In light air, she requires a large genoa or a spinnaker to stay competitive, but once the breeze builds, she comes into her own, tracking straight and steering with a remarkably light touch.
Known Issues & Triage
Given that these classic hulls are now well over fifty years old, prospective buyers must approach them with a rigorous inspection protocol. While the solid fiberglass hull is nearly indestructible, several age-related areas require careful triage.
A primary concern is deck delamination. The deck structure features a balsa wood core sandwich construction. Over decades of service, water can seep through compromised bedding compound around old stanchion bases, genoa tracks, and deck hardware. If left unaddressed, this water migrates, causing the balsa core to rot and the GRP skins to delaminate. Any soft spots, elevated moisture readings, or flexing underfoot require localized core replacement, which entails skinning the deck, scraping out the rotten wood, and laminating in new closed-cell foam or marine plywood.
Another common point of vulnerability is the keel-stepped mast and its galvanized steel mast step. Because the aluminum mast passes through the deck, rain and condensation naturally run down into the bilge and pool around the galvanized metal step. Over time, galvanic corrosion can rot the base of the aluminum mast tube and degrade the steel step itself. Surveyors frequently check this area for structural compromise, and repair typically involves dropping the rig, cutting away corroded aluminum, and fabricating a new, raised mast step out of GRP or stainless steel.
In the bilge, owners often report a persistent, foul odor emanating from the deep keel pocket. The lower section of the keel has internal voids that can slowly weep stagnant bilge water. Accessing this area from above is notoriously difficult due to the cabin structure. S&S Swan veterans often resolve this by carefully cutting an inspection port in the fiberglass bilge liner to flush out, dry, and permanently seal these lower cavities with epoxy or closed-cell foam.
Finally, early GRP layups are prone to osmotic blistering. While rarely structural on a laminate of this thickness, a blistered hull will require a thorough peeling of the gelcoat, a period of drying, and the application of a modern epoxy barrier coat system.
Modernization & Upgrades
Many PJ-36 hulls have undergone extensive restorations, driven by owners who appreciate the pedigree of a classic S&S design. The most significant modernization involves the auxiliary engine. The original low-horsepower engines, such as the older Volvo Penta or Westerbeke units, are frequently replaced with lightweight, reliable freshwater-cooled diesels from Yanmar or Beta Marine in the 20 to 30 horsepower range. This repower not only improves reliability but also saves weight and frees up valuable space in the engine compartment.
Replacing or removing the original screw-down teak decks is another highly common project. Many hulls featured teak overlays that were fastened with thousands of screws directly into the cored fiberglass deck. To eliminate future leak paths, modern refits generally involve peeling the old teak, repairing any underlying core damage, and opting for a modern vacuum-bagged teak deck without fasteners, or more commonly, filling the screw holes, fairing the deck, and painting it with a high-durability non-skid finish like Awlgrip.
Electrical systems are also prime candidates for complete overhauls. Veteran owners typically strip out the original 1960s wiring, replacing it with modern marine-grade tinned wire and ABYC-compliant distribution panels. To support extended cruising, many owners install lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery banks, smart high-output alternators, and low-profile solar arrays mounted on the hatch garage or canvas dodgers. Rigging upgrades often include replacing wire-to-rope halyards with modern high-modulus Dyneema lines and swapping out the old underpowered winches for modern, self-tailing alternatives, significantly reducing the physical effort required to trim the massive genoa.
The Verdict
The Palmer Johnson S&S 36 is an pedigree-rich, exceptionally built blue-water cruiser that represents the gold standard of classic yacht design. Built at the dawn of the fiberglass era, its over-engineered hull and remarkable stiffness make it an incredibly safe and comforting passage-maker. It is not a boat for those who demand modern wide-beam interior volumes or effortless light-air acceleration, but for the traditionalist who values heavy-weather security, exquisite maritime joinery, and a timeless aesthetic, the PJ-36 remains a highly coveted prize.
Pros:
- Outstanding heavy-weather stability and stiffness due to a massive 55.5 percent ballast ratio.
- Exceptional build quality with hand-laid GRP hulls constructed to Lloyd's standards.
- Comfortable, motion-dampening ride that slices through head seas without slamming.
- Beautiful classic lines, narrow beam, and traditional hand-finished mahogany or teak interiors.
- High pedigree design by Sparkman & Stephens with active international community support.
Cons:
- High risk of wet balsa cores and deck delamination from decades of aged hardware leaks.
- Prone to galvanic corrosion at the base of the keel-stepped aluminum mast and galvanized step.
- Narrow interior cabin volume and limited aft-cabin accommodation compared to modern designs of the same length.
- Relies heavily on physically demanding, large overlapping genoas for performance in light wind.
- Deep draft and tight interior access can make routine maintenance and plumbing routing challenging.
