Wauquiez Chance 37 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Britton Chance oversaw towing-tank tests at the Stephens Institute in New York to optimize the Chance 37’s hull for performance. The result was a solid-fiberglass hull with minimal wetted surface for its length.

The boat displaces roughly 15,150 pounds and has a 30-foot waterline, keeping it light on its lines by the standards of its era. Its fin keel, spade rudder, and ballast-to-displacement ratio of 46.2 percent give it documented “incredible stability” and make it notably easy to handle in choppy water.

Grounding is possible and commonly practiced with this design—a telling detail for a fin-keel racer-cruiser intended for serious offshore use rather than a life confined to the marina.

Rig, Performance, and Handling

The Chance 37 carries a masthead sloop rig with a strongly overlapping genoa. It was fast downwind for its time and remains almost unbeatable upwind even today, sailing within 20 degrees of the true wind and 25 degrees of the apparent wind.

Its racing record supports that reputation. Michel Malinosky won La Rochelle week aboard a Chance 37 in 1975, and the boat easily won the first races it entered. In stronger conditions, the hull shows its racing pedigree: under spinnaker in a Force 7, it has reached 16 knots while remaining under perfect control.

A stiff canvas plan helps keep the boat dry. The deck is simple and uncluttered, with generously sized fittings from Proctor, Barlow, Goiot, Lewmar, Seabord, and Gaastra. The deck layout makes maneuvers straightforward for a short-handed crew. The large cockpit can easily accommodate eight people.

Accommodation

Below deck, the Chance 37 offers seven comfortable berths and 1.85-meter headroom, including in the forward cabin. This is a proper separate cabin, with two berths, storage beneath them, lockers on both sides, a dedicated wardrobe with drawers, and a wide main closet aft.

Immediately behind the forward cabin is a large bathroom with a marine toilet, sink, and shower. An opening porthole provides ventilation, and a pump drains the shower.

The saloon extends to port and starboard. It includes a U-shaped dinette that converts into a double berth, two port bunks, and a table with a telescopic leg. All the saloon berths are two meters long. Buyers could also substitute two more bunks for the dinette at no extra charge. Overall, the saloon is very spacious and includes a double berth.

Aft to starboard, the unusually large galley has a three-burner stove, oven, refrigerator, pressurized water, and stainless-steel sink. The forward-facing chart table is large enough to hold a radio and a full navigation spread. It’s a layout well suited to passage-making.

Engine and Systems

A 25-horsepower Volvo Penta MD2B diesel with an alternator drives the boat easily at 7 knots. Its 57-liter fuel tank provides about 70 hours of running time—a modest but adequate arrangement for a racer-cruiser of this size.

The gas bottles sit in a separate, self-draining locker aft of the cockpit. Because the shower also relies on a pump for drainage, both systems are worth checking for evidence of flooding or corrosion after decades of use.

Ownership and Upkeep

The named period deck hardware and forward-facing navigation station suggest a boat intended to be maintained by its owner. With only 95 examples built, the Chance 37 is comparatively rare. Its racing history and family-cruiser layout reward careful upkeep rather than cheap modernization.

The Verdict

The Chance 37 has two genuine sides: it’s a One Ton racer with the accommodation of a serious cruiser. Its light, optimized hull and high stability make it quick and dry, while seven berths and a proper forward cabin make it livable.

The limited fuel capacity and racing-derived fin-keel-and-spade-rudder configuration call for an owner who treats groundings with respect and maintains the keel and steering interfaces carefully.

Pros