Design and Construction
The hull is solid fiberglass, and the deck is likewise solid glass rather than a cored panel. At a loaded displacement near 16,125 pounds with 7,167 pounds of iron ballast, the Medway 36 carries a ballast ratio of 44 percent — a figure higher than 73 percent of comparable designs, which gives her a settled, deliberate feel in a seaway. The length-to-beam ratio of 3.21 and a displacement-length ratio of 256 place her among "moderate racers" by the standard index, yet 54 percent of similar sailboats are categorized as heavier, so she is no extreme lightweight. Her motion comfort ratio of 31.1 is reported as more comfortable than 73 percent of similar designs, and the capsize screening value of 1.77 marks her as a vessel the formula would admit to offshore work.
Rig and Handling
The ketch rig splits the sail plan across two masts, and the known sheet specifications give a practical sense of the running rigging a buyer inherits: jib and genoa sheets of about 35.8 feet at 14 mm diameter, a mainsheet of 89.4 feet, and spinnaker sheets of 78.7 feet at the same 14 mm. The fin keel draws between 6.0 and 6.3 feet depending on load, which restricts her to major marinas with sufficient depth. The theoretical hull speed is 7.4 knots, and the immersion rate of roughly 1,182 pounds per inch means she sits heavily to her load — a useful number when judging how provisions and water affect trim. With a wetted surface near 387 square feet, she is a voluminous hull whose beam of just over 11 feet gives her more interior room than half of all similar designs.
Accommodations and Layout
The Medway 36's proportions tell the accommodation story without inventing detail: a waterline of 30.4 feet and beam of 11.16 feet yield a hull that is beamier than the median comparable cruiser, and the comfort ratio confirms a stable platform at anchor and under way. The ketch configuration allows shorter, more manageable sails than a sloop of equal area would carry, and the 502 square feet of total sail area spread across the two masts keeps the sail-area-to-displacement ratio at 12.59 — modest, but adequate for a boat whose design brief favored livability over velocity. Tankage of 71 gallons water and 42 gallons diesel supports extended cruising within the constraints of her draft and marina access.
Known Issues
The principal cautions are inherent to the design rather than to faults: the 6.0-to-6.3-foot fin-keel draft limits her to deeper harbours, and the solid-glass hull and deck, while robust, offer no buoyancy benefit from coring and demand careful through-hull and chainplate inspection as with any 1970s fiberglass yacht. The 14 mm sheet diameters are period-standard and not a defect, but aged running rigging should be expected on a boat of this vintage.
Refits and Ownership
With fewer than 100 built between 1976 and 1982, the Medway 36 is a scarce Laurent Giles cruiser whose ownership pool is small. The Volvo Penta MD3B diesel of 36 horsepower is the original plant, and any surviving example will likely have seen injector, cooling, or transmission work over four decades. The ketch rig's extra mast and associated standing rigging mean doubled inspection points at the mizzen chainplate compared with a sloop, and the hull encourages confident but still prudent survey practice.
The Verdict
The Medway 36 is a thoughtfully proportioned ketch for the sailor who values comfort and stability over racing pace. Her high ballast ratio, strong comfort index, and manageable two-mast sail plan make her a plausible coastal and offshore cruiser, tempered by a draft that keeps her out of shallow anchorages and a small production run that limits spares familiarity.
Pros
- Ballast ratio of 44 percent, higher than 73 percent of similar designs anchor
- Comfort ratio exceeding 73 percent of comparable boats
- Ketch rig splits sail area for easier handling
Cons
- Fin-keel draft of 6.0–6.3 feet restricts marina access
- Fewer than 100 built, complicating parts and surveyor familiarity
