Wauquiez Chance 37 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Wauquiez Chance 37 means chasing a small cohort: 95 were built between 1973 and 1977, and the boat's IOR 1-ton pedigree draws buyers who want a racer-cruiser rather than a pure float. The documented strengths — upwind angle, stability, and a genuinely roomy interior — are what you are paying for, so a survey should confirm those traits are intact rather than altered beyond recognition by past refits.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Chance 37 is a masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder carrying seven comfortable berths and 1.85 meters of headroom. The forward cabin stands alone as a real cabin with two berths and storage, behind which sits a large bathroom with marine toilet, sink, and shower. The saloon holds a U-shaped dinette converting to a double berth plus two port bunks, all 2 meters long, and the dinette can be replaced by two bunks. Aft of the dinette to starboard is the extremely large galley with pressurized water and refrigerator; the forward-facing chart table sits behind the port berths with a quarter berth and oilskin locker aft of it. The large cockpit easily accommodates 8 people.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, used Wauquiez Chance 37s commonly carry autopilot, heating, inverter, self-tacking jib, AIS, chartplotter, and short-handed setups, reflecting owners who kept the IOR-era boat current for shorthanded cruising. Teak decks and a cockpit shower are often seen. Period deck hardware spans PROCTOR, BARLOW, GOIOT, LEWMAR, SEABORD, and GAASTRA, and the original 25 hp Volvo Penta MD2B diesel with alternator remains the documented propulsion, propelling the boat at 7 knots easily with a 70-hour range from a 15-gallon tank. Gas bottles are installed in a separate self-draining locker aft of the cockpit.
What to Inspect
The sourced material records no latent structural defects, but two operational points deserve a look. Grounding is possible and commonly practiced with the Chance 37, so inspect the fin keel and spade rudder for past grounding damage and confirm the hull's solid fiberglass shows no related trauma. Shower water is evacuated by a pump, and the shower drains to a locker served by that pump, so verify the pump and the large bathroom's opening porthole ventilation remain functional to avoid trapped moisture behind the forward cabin.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Chance 37 are the United Kingdom, Belgium, and France. Because the build run was short, expect to search across those regions rather than locally.
- Confirm upwind and downwind performance claims are uncompromised by rig changes
- Inspect keel and rudder for grounding history
- Verify shower pump and bathroom ventilation work
- Check that original 25 hp Volvo Penta MD2B and 15-gallon fuel system are intact
- Expect teak decks and cockpit shower on many examples; autopilot and AIS commonly fitted
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Wauquiez Chance 37. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 4 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 1 | $ 80,450 | — |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $ 40,495 | -49.7% |
| Apr 26 | 4 | $ 40,064 | -1.1% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $ 40,179 | +0.3% |
Where they're listed
Wauquiez Chance 37 listings appear across 2 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 4 (80.0%), followed by Belgium.
Country view
5 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $ 40,464 | 4 | 1 | 80.0% |
| Belgium | $ 33,825 | 1 | 0 | 20.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.