Design and Lineage
The 370 and 360 share the same hull; the later boat was lengthened 10 centimeters and raised 7 centimeters along the full freeboard, which lifted cabin headroom by a corresponding amount and opened a perceptible sense of volume below. The builder described the 370 as improved on several points over the 360 while remaining a classic Wasa — a fast family cruiser built for comfortable passage-making and, in the same breath, a quick racer for club competition. Leif Ängermark drew the design in the mid-eighties, and the Swedish yard Wasa Yachts built it.
Construction
Wasa 370 hulls are hand-laid fiberglass with a fiberglass deck, and like other Wasa boats after the 55, the 370 is molded in one piece without a centerline joint. That single-shot structure gives markedly greater strength against grounding shocks and other severe loads. The bottom laminate is exceptionally thick at roughly 40 mm of solid glass-reinforced plastic; comparable modern boats of this size may manage no more than 12 mm. Around the midpoint of the production run the cockpit layout was changed, and the builder's chief explained that the sole was lifted and the coamings raised so the berths tucked under the cockpit floor could be widened by adding a center bulkhead.
Rig and Performance
The 370 carries a fractional sloop rig with a lead fin keel. Loaded draft runs about 6.4 to 6.7 feet, which limits her to larger marinas. The theoretical displacement-hull speed is 7.3 knots with a calculated maximum near 6.5; the capsize screening value is 1.88 and the motion comfort ratio 24.1. A displacement-length ratio of 199 places her among moderate racers, while a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18.3 on the reference sail — 21.3 with a 135% genoa — and a relative speed performance of 73 describe a lively, wind-driven hull. The wetted bottom surface is about 376 square feet, and the immersion rate near 1,103 pounds per inch speaks to a heavily built 11,000-pound hull carrying 4,630 pounds of lead ballast.
Accommodations
The interior is teak, consistent with most yachts of the period. The raised freeboard and longer hull directly improved standing headroom and the feeling of space below. When the cockpit was reshaped partway through production, the aft cabin gained wider and roomier berths and a larger pilot berth, a change driven by the raised sole and added center bulkhead under the cockpit.
The Verdict
The Wasa 370 is a thoughtful evolution of a proven Scandinavian cruiser-racer: a one-piece hull with unusual bottom thickness, a raised and lengthened deck mold for genuine headroom, and a rig that rewards sailing. It is a boat for owners who want authentic Wasa character without the absolute minimalism of the earlier 360.
Pros
- One-piece hull molding without mid-joint for strength under grounding loads
- Approximately 40 mm solid bottom laminate versus far thinner modern practice
- Raised freeboard and 10 cm hull stretch give real headroom and roomier aft berths
- Fractional sloop with lead fin keel and sail-area ratios suited to lively cruising
Cons
- Draft near 6.4–6.7 ft restricts her to major-marina entrances
- Displacement-length and comfort ratios place her firmly in moderate-racer territory, not a soft motoring hull
