Santana 37

Description

The Santana 37 is an American sailboat designed by Gary Mull as a performance-oriented racer-cruiser, suitable for club racing, coastal cruising, and occasional offshore passages. It features a fiberglass monohull with a fin keel and spade rudder for responsive handling and upwind pointing, a wide beam for stability, and a masthead sloop rig that supports a generous sail plan for light-to-moderate winds. The design balances speed (high sail area/displacement ratio) with seaworthiness (low capsize screening formula), offering a spacious interior for weekend overnights while maintaining a classic Mull hull shape for agile performance. Introduced in 1969 by W.D. Schock Corp in the United States, the Santana 37 was Mull's collaboration with the builder during the early IOR era, drawing on his expertise in fast, versatile designs like the Santana 35. Production ran until 1972, with only 21 units built, making it a rare classic. It was marketed as an affordable alternative to custom racers, with early reviews praising its stiffness in breeze and value, though the spade rudder's exposure to damage was a noted drawback (often mitigated with protective skegs by owners). The low production stemmed from market shifts toward larger boats, but surviving examples remain popular in vintage fleets.