Design and Construction
The Santana 37 is built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, a monohull with a fixed fin keel and an internally-mounted spade-type rudder anchor. The solid fiberglass hull and deck, paired with lead ballast, reflect the late-1960s Mull-Schock approach: light enough to be quick, but with enough embedded weight low to stand up to sail. A 30-foot waterline on a 37-foot hull supports a hull speed of 7.34 knots, and a displacement-length ratio of 248 keeps her in the moderate-displacement band. The spade rudder gives a responsive helm the fin-keel layout complements.
Rig and Handling
The Santana 37 carries a masthead sloop rig, described in the record as a fractional sloop masthead sloop configuration anchor. With 678 square feet of sail area and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.83, she is in the lively, easily-driven category for a 15,000-pound boat. The PHRF racing average handicap for the T or TR model is 135, with a high of 132 and low of 138, placing her among quicker mid-size keelboats of her generation. The long waterline and fin-and-spade plan translate sail area into speed without needing crew weight to keep her flat.
Accommodations
The 11.67-foot beam and 37.67-foot length gave Mull a substantial platform for a 21-unit series. No interior arrangement details are provided by the available sources.
The Verdict
The Santana 37 is a low-production Gary Mull design distilling the late-1960s Schock performance philosophy into a 37-foot masthead sloop. With only 21 built, she is rare, but the numbers — a 44 percent ballast ratio, a 17.83 sail-area-to-displacement ratio, and a PHRF of 135 — show a boat engineered to sail above her size.
Pros
- Gary Mull design with performance cruiser pedigree from W. D. Schock Corp.
- Strong ballast-to-displacement ratio (44%) and sail-area-to-displacement ratio (17.83) for lively handling.
- PHRF 135 indicates competitive speed among mid-size keelboats of her era.
- Only 21 built, making her a distinctive and uncommon find.
Cons
- Very limited production (21 hulls) complicates parts, class support, and resale liquidity.
- No interior accommodation details available.
- Out of production since 1972; no factory support lineage for this specific model.
