Design and Construction
Trident Marine laid her up in solid fiberglass with a solid deck, avoiding cored-panel saturation risks. The bilge-keel hull draws under four feet, opening shallow marinas and drying moorings a deeper 36-footer cannot use. Her 11.16-foot beam and 29-foot waterline yield a length-to-beam ratio of 3.23, a wetted surface of 322 square feet, and an immersion rate of 1,127 pounds per inch — she trims slowly and rewards careful loading.
Rig and Handling
The ketch rig carries a 90-foot mainsheet and 36-foot genoa sheet, both 14 mm, with a 79-foot spinnaker sheet. A sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 12.02, displacement-length ratio of 246, theoretical hull speed of 7.2 knots, and capsize screening value of 1.88 describe a predictable sea boat with no pretension to the race course.
Accommodations
The 11.16-foot beam and shoal bilge keels leave cabin floor space largely unobstructed, and the three-cabin cruising layout typical of the period fits the hull volume without a centreboard trunk intrusion.
Known Issues
The iron ballast in the bilge keels will rust if bilge water stands; the solid fiberglass hull and deck otherwise show no structural defects or rigging failures across the class.
The Verdict
A pragmatic shoal-draft cruiser, the Seaforth 36 trades sprint speed for access and steadiness under a split ketch rig.
Pros
- Bilge keels give 3.74–4.04 foot draft for shallow access
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck avoid cored saturation
- 26.7 comfort ratio and 33% ballast favour settled cruising
Cons
- 246 displacement-length ratio limits light-air acceleration
- Iron bilge-keel ballast needs dry bilge vigilance
