Design and Construction
The She 36 is fundamentally sound, and owners confirm the hull's integrity at the material level: the gelcoat on the topsides is original and very thick. Outside she is all GRP, while the interior carries all the hallmarks and charm of a classic timber yacht rather than a modern molded liner. At around 5½ tons displacement the boat feels substantial without being sluggy, and the fin-and-skeg configuration gives her the directional stability a skeg-hung rudder rewards.
Rig and Handling
As a Three-Quarter Ton derivative the She 36 is a safe and fast offshore cruising boat, and the sailing itself is described by owners as faultless and vice free apart from a tendency to roll on a windy spinnaker run. That rolling is manageable by swapping the spinnaker for twin headsails — a boomed-out genoa to windward and another headsail set flying. Beyond that, she gives the sort of go-anywhere confidence that lets an owner sail her single-handed, short-handed, or with three or four friends in comfort. Her sweet underwater lines and balanced overhangs are not just pretty; they underpin a boat that is entirely at home in difficult waters and adverse weather.
Accommodations
Below, the She 36 demands the standard limbo dance to clamber over a high bridgedeck, then a steep companionway descent typical of boats of this era, but the payoff is a practical offshore interior. The galley and chart table areas are extensive and designed to be used at sea, the amidships heads compartment offset to port is surprisingly voluminous for a yacht of this vintage, and a snug pilot berth to starboard complements the forecabin V berths that also work well. The layout reads as a racer-cruiser compromise that favors function under way over saloon volume.
Known Issues
The only documented behavioral shortcoming is the downwind rolling tendency on a windy spinnaker run, controlled rather than cured by twin headsails. The thick original gelcoat and sound hull speak to a build that has aged without the osmosis scares common to thinner 1970s laminates.
Refits and Ownership
Owners have shown the platform readily accepts modern cruising kit. The wheel steering was converted to tiller on one well-followed example to gain cockpit and stern locker space, ease windvane use, and shed weight in the stern. The original slab-reefing boom gave way to twin-line reefing, the DECCA Navigator to a Garmin GPS and later a chart plotter with AIS, and the cool box to a keel-cooled fridge. A 1998 bottom strip and re-coat has held well. Repowering to a 3-cylinder 30hp Beta with a 17in folding two-blade prop delivered very good performance, while a stowable bowsprit with an additional furler carries a furling flat reacher. Upgrades also span an electric anchor winch with 35lb CQR and 40 fathoms of chain, a deck anchor locker, Ebersbacher hot air heating with a diesel wing tank that can also feed the engine, a 30L calorifier with 240v immersion, radar, spray hood, dodgers, and a cockpit tent, plus a Monitor windvane and Simrad tiller pilot. Battery capacity grew to 1 x 60ah and 2 x 110ah deep cycle, with shore power and two added bilge pumps rounding out the self-sufficiency.
The Verdict
The She 36 is a fundamentally sound Sparkman & Stephens racer-cruiser whose fin-and-skeg lines, thick original gelcoat, and timber-charm interior make her a compelling offshore candidate at modest outlay. She is fast and safe, easily single- or short-handed, and her only real vice — downwind rolling — is a known and manageable trait rather than a flaw.
Pros
- Sweet fin-and-skeg lines with balanced overhangs and S&S tumblehome
- Thick original topside gelcoat and fundamentally sound GRP hull
- Extensive sea-oriented galley and chart table; voluminous offset heads
- Faultless, vice-free handling with go-anywhere confidence
- Readily upgraded to modern cruising and self-steering standards
Cons
- Rolls on a windy spinnaker run
- High bridgedeck and steep companionway limit easy below-decks movement
- Originally racer-spartan: needs owner refit for fridge, heating, and tankage
