Pacific Seacraft · Sailing yacht

Pacific Seacraft 37

The Pacific Seacraft 37 is an 11.25 m (36′11″) canoe-sterned cruiser with a fin keel and a skeg-hung rudder that W. I. B. (Bill) Crealock designed for himself in the mid-1970s. Cruising Consultants in Newport Beach built 16 of them as the Crealock 37 from 1977 to 1979; Pacific Seacraft bought the moulds in 1980, built the boat in Fullerton, California, until the company went bankrupt in 2007, and has offered it from Washington, North Carolina, since 2008 – the name changed from Crealock 37 to Pacific Seacraft 37 in the mid-1990s. Boats were rigged as sloop, cutter or, rarely, yawl, with the standard fin keel or the shallower Scheel keel, and in 1997 the yard sold a Classic and a better-equipped Voyagemaker version. The engine depends on the year: Universal or Yanmar 4JHE diesels on earlier boats, the 51 hp Yanmar 4JH2E in the yard’s lists of 1997 to 2000 and the 56 hp 4JH3E from 2002, so read the plate before ordering parts. There is no owner’s manual online; the yard’s archived equipment lists, FAQ and parts lists come closest, and the yard itself still does refits.

Manuals & documents
Equipment & its manuals
Specifications
Good to know
Videos & how-tos
On the marketplace

Manuals & documents

Pacific Seacraft’s website still shows its pages of 2008; the yard’s earlier equipment lists, brochures, FAQ and parts lists from Fullerton, California, and its pages of 2012 to 2014 are linked as archive.org copies. The yard has published no owner’s manual. The reviews come from Practical Sailor and Good Old Boat. We host no manuals or drawings.

Pacific Seacraft 37 on the yard’s website: main data, layout and photos Product page pacificseacraft.com · EN
Refit checklist of the yard: hull and deck, rigging, plumbing, engine, electrics, tanks Servicing guide pacificseacraft.com · EN
Pacific Seacraft today: the 2008 purchase and the move to North Carolina Product page pacificseacraft.com · EN
Specification sheet and features & equipment list, September 2002 (Yanmar 4JH3E, Harken winches, option prices) Archived maker page web.archive.org · PDF · EN
Voyagemaker features and equipment on the yard’s website, prices of June 1997 (Yanmar 4JH2E) Archived maker page web.archive.org · EN
Classic features and equipment on the yard’s website, prices of June 1997 Archived maker page web.archive.org · EN
Voyagemaker features and equipment on the yard’s website, June 2000 Archived maker page web.archive.org · EN
Pacific Seacraft 37 brochure with specifications and interior photos (Yanmar 4JH2E era; archived 2005) Archived maker page web.archive.org · PDF · EN
Pacific Seacraft 37 brochure, 14 scanned pages (archived 2004) Archived maker page web.archive.org · PDF · EN
PS 37 on the yard’s North Carolina website, 2012: main data Archived maker page web.archive.org · EN
Updated specification for new Crealock-designed boats, 2014 (vinylester, keel bolts, Edson CDi, portlights, hatches) Archived maker page web.archive.org · EN
The yard’s FAQ database for the PS 37, 2006 (engine cooling, coolant, fuel filter, tanks, portlights, heater) Archived maker page web.archive.org · EN
The yard’s parts finder, 2002: chainplates, backing plates and kits for the PS 37 Archived maker page web.archive.org · EN
The yard’s parts finder, 2002: opening portlights, screens and gaskets Archived maker page web.archive.org · EN
Crealock 37 boat review: construction, rig, engine and fuel tank Boat test practical-sailor.com · EN
Pacific Seacraft 34 and 37 compared: laminate, chainplates, rig and engine access Boat test practical-sailor.com · EN
Crealock 37 / Pacific Seacraft 37 review, issue 133 (2020): history, Cruising Consultants and Pacific Seacraft boats compared Boat test goodoldboat.com · EN

Equipment & its manuals

Standard equipment as the builder’s documents list it. Boats were ordered with options and refitted since — check what is actually aboard.

Item	Model	Manual / page	Note
Saildrive	Volvo Penta saildrive¹Only the 16 Crealock 37s built by Cruising Consultants (1977–1979): a Volvo saildrive forward of the skeg; the Pacific Seacraft boats have a shaft and an aperture for the propeller	—	Good Old Boat names no saildrive model; read the plate on the leg.
Engine	Universal^2,3Earlier Pacific Seacraft boats: Practical Sailor writes that the yard used both Universal and Yanmar diesels over the years, without naming the Universal model or the years	—	The yard’s refit list offers repowering, so the engine in a used boat may not be the original one.
Engine	Yanmar 4JHE^2,4Named by Practical Sailor as the engine then fitted to the Crealock 37: four cylinders, 100 cu in, naturally aspirated	Yanmar operation manual JH(2) series, 49961-201372 (covers the 4JHE; Yanmar Europe download, archived)	Practical Sailor calls it about the ideal size for the boat and praises the installation.
Engine	Yanmar 4JH2E^5,6,7,8,9,10Yard lists of 1997 (Classic and Voyagemaker) and June 2000 and the brochure: four cylinders, 51 hp, fresh-water cooled, 80 A alternator, mechanical fuel pump with an electric back-up pump, seawater strainer on a bulkhead and a waterlift muffler	Yanmar 4JH2E Parts & service page	The closed cooling circuit also runs through the water heater and a purge tank in the cockpit seat locker; the yard recommends long-life coolant (see the tips).
Engine	Yanmar 4JH3E^11,12Spec sheet of September 2002: four cylinders, 56 hp, fresh-water cooled, 3″ exhaust, 80 A alternator, Yanmar ‘C’ panel under a clear cover in the cockpit, hour meter below deck	Yanmar 4JH3E Parts & service page	For new builds the yard announced in 2014 a ‘new Yanmar engine configuration’ with the impeller pump at the front of the engine, without naming the model – read the plate.
Propeller	2-blade solid bronze^6,11,2,3Standard in every yard list from 1997 to 2002, on a shaft with a packing gland reached through the removable cockpit sole	—	Practical Sailor recommends a feathering propeller for better handling in reverse; the yard’s refit list offers a Max-Prop, a shaft saver and a dripless shaft seal.
Propeller	Max-Prop 3-blade (option)^11,3Option in lieu of the standard propeller in the 2002 spec sheet	Max-Prop feathering propellers Parts & service page
Fuel system	40 US gal aluminium · 31 US gal GRP^{6,7,11,2,13,3}Removable 151 l (40 US gal) aluminium tank with gauge and cleaning port (yard lists 1997–2000); removable 117 l (31 US gal) GRP tank with gauge and cleaning port (2002)	—	Practical Sailor: the aluminium tank sits in the bilge under the saloon sole and comes out without taking joinery apart. The black coating on metal tanks is the yard’s corrosion protection; the refit list offers custom GRP replacement tanks and an extra tank.
Fuel filter	Racor (‘MA 400’ in the yard’s lists)^6,7,11,14Racor filter with water separator in the 1997 and 2000 lists; ‘Racor MA 400’ in the 2002 spec sheet	—	Yard FAQ (2006): Racor with a 2-micron element, which worked well for the yard, though some prefer the less fussy 4-micron one. Read the model on your filter housing before ordering elements.
Winches	Harken 46.2 STC × 2 · 16 STC × 3^{6,5,7,11,2,12}Yard lists of 1997, 2000 and 2002: two two-speed self-tailing genoa sheet winches and three single-speed self-tailing 16s for mainsheet and halyards, on chrome-plated bronze deck hardware	Harken Radial & Classic winches Parts & service page	Lewmar rope clutches in 1997 and 2000, Spinlock in 2002; Practical Sailor’s older review names Lewmar 16 self-tailers on the halyards. New builds from 2014 got larger chrome self-tailers and the cabin-top winches moved aft.
Windlass	— (option)^11,2No windlass in the yard lists; options in 2002: Muir VRC 1000 or Lighthouse 1501 electric windlass	—	Practical Sailor: a raised GRP boss forward of the anchor cleats takes the optional windlass and keeps water out of the chain pipe.
Anchor	2 bow rollers · stern roller^6,11,3All yard lists: stainless stem fitting with two anchor rollers and locking pins, divided chain locker for two rodes, stern chain locker to starboard with deck pipe and roller	—	An extended bow platform with bobstay was an option in 2002; the refit list offers a new bow pulpit with double anchor roller.
Steering	Edson pedestal, quadrant & cable^{6,5,7,12,2,1,3,15}Voyagemaker 1997: Edson pedestal wheel steering with brake and single-lever engine control; Classic 1997: pedestal wheel steering, make not named; June 2000: Whitlock pedestal; the 2014 new-build list calls quadrant and cable the earlier arrangement	Edson chain & wire steering: planning, installation and maintenance guide EB-381	An emergency tiller is in every list. The boat was designed for tiller steering and early boats often have one; the yard’s refit list offers wheel-to-tiller and tiller-to-wheel conversions.
Steering	Edson CDi (geared)^11,12,16Spec sheet 2002: Edson CD-I wheel steering with single-lever engine control among the featured equipment; new builds from 2014: CDi linear drive instead of quadrant and cable	Edson CDi steering system: installation guide & owner’s manual EB-417
Instruments	Ritchie SP-5 compass^11,6,12Spec sheet 2002: Ritchie SP-5 pedestal compass standard; B&G Network speed/log, depth and wind on a pedestal pod with a repeater at the chart table as an option; new builds 2014: bronze-based Ritchie compass in polished stainless	—	Every list has VHF coax run inside the mast to the chart table; an ICOM VHF was an option in 2002.
Autopilot	B&G Network PLD (option)^11,5Option in 2002 (B&G Network PLD, type 1); no autopilot in the standard lists	—	The 1997 Classic list says the packing gland was laid out so that an autopilot is easy to fit later.
Stove	Force 10, 2 burners + oven^11,12,6,17Spec sheet 2002 and new builds 2014: Force 10 two-burner propane stove with oven and broiler; 1997 and 2000: gimballed stainless two-burner propane stove with oven and broiler, make not named	Force 10 (Port Coquitlam, BC): support and contact
Gas system	Propane, locker for 2 × 20 lb^6,11,3Vented propane locker at the stern for two 20 lb (9 kg) tanks; one empty 5 gal / 20 lb tank supplied	—	The refit list offers inspecting or replacing the LP gas system.
Fridge	Ice box 8 cu ft · SeaFrost (option)^5,6,11,8Standard: 8 cu ft (about 225 l) ice box with poured foam insulation and a hand pump-out to the sink; options in 2002: SeaFrost two-plate engine-driven refrigeration/freezer with shore assist, or SeaFrost BD3 12 V	—	The 1997 Classic list has a shelf in the cockpit locker for later refrigeration; the brochure shows refrigeration aft in the galley.
Heater	Espar diesel (option)^11,18Option in 2002: Espar diesel heating with three registers	—	Yard FAQ: if it will not start, the fuel line has lost its prime – run the heater’s fuel pump on its own to re-prime it; about ten failed starts from the switch lock the heater out until it is serviced at the factory.
Water heater	6 US gal (23 l)^6,11,9All yard lists: six-gallon water heater heated by the engine’s cooling circuit or by shore power	—	It sits in the engine’s closed cooling circuit: air trapped between the heater and the purge tank can stop the coolant flow (yard FAQ).
Water pump	Pressure pump + foot pumps^6,11Electric pressure water to galley, head and shower, foot pumps in galley and head, accumulator tank in 2002; make not named	—
Toilet	Marine head + 16 US gal holding tank^6,11,8,3All yard lists: marine head with a 16 US gal (61 l) holding tank and manual overboard pump-out; the brochure calls it a ceramic marine head	—	Electric shower sump pump with overboard discharge. The refit list offers converting to a fresh-water or electric head.
Bilge pump	11 GPM electric · 25 GPM manual^6,11Electric automatic bilge pump with Ultra float switch (11 GPM in 2002) and a 25 GPM manual pump in the cockpit that the helmsman can work	—
Batteries	3 × 105 Ah^6,7,11,3Three deep-cycle batteries of 105 Ah each with a four-position switch (1997, 2000); three sealed Lifeline AGM batteries of 105 Ah (2002)	—	The refit list offers replacing, moving or adding battery banks and a larger alternator.
Shore power	110 V · 30 A^5,6,7,11110 V shore power (30 A cord in 2002); AC/DC panel at the chart table with 8 AC and 20 DC breakers in 2002 (16 DC in 1997 and 2000; 3 AC and 13 DC on the Classic); seven GFI-protected 110 V outlets	—
Inverter	Heart Freedom 10 (option)¹¹Option in 2002: Heart Freedom 10 inverter/charger; a Heart battery monitor was offered as well	—
Furler	Harken Unit 1.0 (option)^11,19Option in 2002: Harken roller furling on the headsail and on the staysail; Practical Sailor’s test boat of 2001 had Harken furlers on the headstay and the inner forestay	—	Cutters carry running backstays because of the inner forestay (Practical Sailor).
Mast & rigging	LeFiell, painted aluminium^6,11,2,19,3Aluminium mast and boom painted with two-part polyurethane, six-sheave masthead, external halyards, airfoil spreaders, wiring conduit; 9/32″ 1×19 stainless standing rigging with forged chrome-bronze open-body turnbuckles; two single-line reefs (all yard lists)	—	Practical Sailor names LeFiell as the mast maker. The refit list offers sloop-to-cutter conversions, new rigging and chainplates and repainting the spars.
Sails	Ullman (options, 2002)¹¹In the 2002 spec sheet the sails are options: Ullman 8 oz full-batten mainsail with two reefs, roller-furling staysail and 120 % high-clew genoa, cruising spinnaker, Harken lazy jacks	—
Hatches & ports	Bomar 19″ × 2 · 10 opening ports^{6,11,20,12,21,22,3}Two 19″ Bomar double-opening hatches, four 7″ × 12″ and six 4″ × 7″ opening ports and two Vetus cowl vents (yard lists 1997–2002); bronze or chrome-plated bronze portlights; new builds from 2014: cast stainless portlights and low-profile stainless hatches with Oceanair screens	—	For the oval portlights the yard sold gasket 0091053 by the foot, bedded in marine sealant (FAQ 2006). The refit list includes rebedding portlights and hatches and replacing the round Vetus dorade boxes with teak ones.

Specifications

Years built	1977–1979 as the Crealock 37 by Cruising Consultants, Newport Beach (16 boats); from 1980 by Pacific Seacraft in Fullerton, California, until its bankruptcy in 2007 (auction in September 2007); since 2008 by Pacific Seacraft in Washington, North Carolina^{1,11,23,24,25,26}
Hulls built	16 by Cruising Consultants; Pacific Seacraft has published no total for the 37 – Good Old Boat (2020) speaks of several hundred, the yard of well over 2000 Pacific Seacraft yachts of all sizes^1,27
Versions	Crealock 37 until the mid-1990s, then Pacific Seacraft 37; sloop, cutter or (rarely) yawl; standard fin keel or shoal Scheel keel; Classic and Voyagemaker in 1997; single-hander’s package for the cutter in 2002; the 16 Cruising Consultants boats have stick-built interiors and a Volvo saildrive^1,2,5,6,11
Designer	W. I. B. (Bill) Crealock^11,28,1
Builder	Cruising Consultants Inc., Newport Beach (1977–1979); Pacific Seacraft Corp., 1301 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton, California (1980–2007); Pacific Seacraft LLC, Washington, North Carolina (since 2008; US manufacturer code PCS, listed as in business)^1,11,25,29
Hull	Hand-laid solid GRP hull with biaxial glass, built to ABS-approved plans; vinylester resin in the first laminate from the late 1988 model year; deck cored with balsa and with plywood under hardware (yard lists 1997–2002; Good Old Boat says decks were plywood-cored until the mid-1990s); new builds from 2014: 100 % vinylester, stitched biaxial E-glass, Divinycell foam deck core as an option^6,11,30,1,12
Length overall	11.25 m (36′11″)^11,31,26
Waterline length	8.46 m (27′9″)^11,31
Beam	3.30 m (10′10″)^11,31
Draft	Standard keel 1.78 m (5′10″), Scheel shoal keel 1.50 m (4′11″) on the yard’s pages since 2000; 1.68 m (5′6″) and 1.35 m (4′5″) in the 1997 lists, 1.65 m (5′5″) and 1.35 m in the brochure; a Pacific Seacraft dealer says delivered boats measure about 5′10″ and 4′8″ (1.42 m)^{7,11,31,6,8,1}
Displacement	7.26 t (16000 lb) at half load (yard lists 1997–2002 and brochure); 7.35 t (16200 lb) on the yard’s website since 2008^6,11,8,31,26
Ballast	Lead: 2.81 t (6200 lb) with the standard keel, 2.90 t (6400 lb) with the Scheel keel^11,6,8
Keel	Lead fin keel bolted on with stainless keel bolts bedded in epoxy; rudder on an integral skeg with a manganese-bronze gudgeon; the Scheel shoal keel has a shaped bulb; 1″ instead of ¾″ keel bolts on new builds from 2014^6,11,1,12
Sail area	Sloop 57.5 m² (619 sq ft), cutter 70.4 m² (758 sq ft)^11,6,31
Rig dimensions (I, J, P, E)	I 13.41 m (44.0 ft), J 4.80 m (15.75 ft), P 11.63 m (38.17 ft), E 4.34 m (14.25 ft)^11,6
Air draft	14.55 m (47′9″), the yard’s ‘mast clearance’^11,6,8
Limit of positive stability	140° (141° in the 1997 Classic list)^11,6,5,8
Fuel tank	151 l (40 US gal), removable aluminium tank under the saloon sole (yard lists 1997–2000); 117 l (31 US gal), removable GRP tank (2002)^6,7,11,2
Water tank	About 322 l (85 US gal) in two tanks with inspection ports^6,11
Holding tank	61 l (16 US gal), with manual overboard pump-out^6,11
Engine	Yanmar 4JH2E, 51 hp (1997–2000); Yanmar 4JH3E, 56 hp (2002); earlier boats Universal or Yanmar 4JHE (Practical Sailor)^6,7,11,8,2
Cabins	Forecabin with an offset double berth to starboard and the enclosed head with shower forward; saloon with L-shaped dinette to starboard and settee to port; chart table and quarter berth to port; one head; a V-berth forecabin and a ‘reverse L’ saloon with bulkhead table were options^6,11,8
Berths	6: offset double forward 1.98 × 1.27 m (6′6″ × 50″), dinette converting to a 1.27 m double, port settee 1.93 × 0.61 m (6′4″ × 24″), quarter berth 2.13 × 1.07 m (7′ × 42″)^6,11
Headroom	1.93 m (6′4″)^11,6,8
Warranty	Ten-year limited hull warranty (2002); new builds from 2014: 10 years on the hull and 1 year unlimited^11,12
Awards	American Sailboat Hall of Fame, 2002¹

Good to know

Pacific Seacraft has no owner’s manual online. The yard’s features and equipment lists of 1997, 2000 and 2002 (linked as archive.org copies) come closest to an inventory, and its FAQ database of 2006 answers questions on engine cooling, fuel filters, tanks, portlights and the heater. The company in Washington, North Carolina, is still in business and lists refit work for older boats on its website, so ask the yard for parts and drawings.^{6,7,11,32,29,3,33}
Check which engine a used boat really has before ordering parts: Practical Sailor says the yard used Universal and Yanmar diesels and names a Yanmar 4JHE, the yard’s lists of 1997 to 2000 give the 51 hp Yanmar 4JH2E, the 2002 sheet the 56 hp 4JH3E, and for new builds from 2014 the yard announced a new Yanmar configuration without naming it. Repowering is on the yard’s refit list, so the plate on the engine is what counts.^{2,6,7,11,12,3}
If the engine runs hot after the coolant has been changed, look at the purge tank: the yard routes the closed cooling circuit through the water heater and a square metal purge tank in the cockpit seat locker. Fill that tank only about three-quarters full – full to the top, it can stop air in the hoses from escaping. If the temperature still rises, the yard’s FAQ describes bleeding hot coolant at the hose nipple on the water-heater side of the tank. The yard recommends long-life (red or orange) coolant.^9,10
The chainplates are stainless straps bolted through the topsides; Practical Sailor has seen them bleed rust down the hull after long passages, and the yard’s refit list includes inspecting and replacing rigging and chainplates. In 2002 the yard’s parts finder listed the PS 37 chainplates individually: upper P3700800, aft lower P3700806, forward lower P3700807 and backstay P3700808, each with a backing plate (suffix B) and as a kit (suffix SK).^2,19,3,34
On an older boat, have the hull checked for osmosis and the deck for wet core: the yard put vinylester resin in the first laminate only from the late 1988 model year, and according to Good Old Boat the decks were cored with plywood until the mid-1990s and with balsa after that (with plywood under hardware). The yard’s refit list includes rebedding portlights and hatches and repairing structural glass and core.^30,1,6,3
Do not trust a single draft figure: the yard printed 5′6″ and 4′5″ (1.68 and 1.35 m) for the standard and Scheel keels in 1997 and 5′10″ and 4′11″ (1.78 and 1.50 m) from 2000, and a Pacific Seacraft dealer says delivered boats measure about 5′10″ and 4′8″. Measure your boat, or ask the seller which keel it has, before planning shallow anchorages or a haul-out cradle.^6,7,11,1

Videos & how-tos

Links to YouTube, nothing embedded. The maker’s own channel comes first; the rest are channels we found clear and correct for this model.

W. I. B. (Bill) Crealock interview about cruising yacht design Video Max Seacraft · EN · 58 min
Is this bluewater sailboat big enough for a family? Pacific Seacraft 37 (a 1988 boat refitted at the yard) Video Project Atticus · EN · 15 min
A smaller boat built to go anywhere: full tour of a Crealock 37 Video Learning the Lines · EN · 13 min
Pacific Seacraft 37 hauled out: hull design and inspection for a survey Video IVT Yacht Sales, Inc Yacht Dealer & Consultant · EN · 4 min

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Sources

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