Mull had worked with the builder since 1965 and drew the 37-footer as part of the early Santana line, alongside the Santana 22 and 27. Its specifications place it at the performance-oriented end of the cruising spectrum for its era.
Design and Construction
The Santana 37 is a fiberglass monohull with wood trim, a fixed fin keel, and an internally mounted, spade-type rudder. The hull and deck are solid fiberglass, paired with lead ballast.
The boat measures 37.67 feet overall, with a 30-foot waterline, an 11.67-foot beam, and a 5.58-foot draft. Displacement is 15,000 pounds, including 6,600 pounds of lead ballast. That gives it a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 44 percent, reflecting the late-1960s Mull-Schock approach: light enough to be quick, with enough weight carried low to stand up to sail.
The 30-foot waterline supports a hull speed of 7.34 knots, while a displacement-to-length ratio of 248 puts the Santana 37 in the moderate-displacement range. The fin keel is paired with a spade rudder for a responsive helm.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Santana 37 carries a masthead sloop rig, described in the record as a fractional sloop masthead sloop configuration. It has 678 square feet of sail area and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.83, placing it 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 a low of 138. That places the boat among the quicker midsize keelboats of its generation. Its long waterline and fin-and-spade arrangement translate sail area into speed without requiring crew weight to keep the boat flat.
Accommodations
The 37.67-foot length and 11.67-foot beam gave Mull a substantial platform for this 21-boat series. However, the available sources provide no details about the interior arrangement.
The Verdict
The Santana 37 is a rare Gary Mull design that distills W. D. Schock Corporation’s late-1960s performance philosophy into a 37-foot masthead sloop. Its numbers—a 44 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio, a 17.83 sail-area-to-displacement ratio, and an average PHRF handicap of 135—describe a boat engineered to sail above its size.
Pros
- Gary Mull design with a performance-cruiser pedigree from W. D. Schock Corporation.
- Strong 44 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio and 17.83 sail-area-to-displacement ratio contribute to lively handling.
- An average PHRF handicap of 135 indicates competitive speed among midsize keelboats of its era.
- With only 21 built, it’s a distinctive and uncommon find.
Cons
- Production was limited to 21 boats, complicating parts availability, class support, and resale liquidity.
- No interior accommodation details are available.
- The model has been out of production since 1972, with no factory-support lineage for this specific boat.
