Pacific Seacraft Crealock 37

Our boat is a 1982 Pacific Seacraft Crealock 37. She is a yawl rig with a removable inner forestay. Check out her official specifications here.

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What we like

1. We love the yawl rig and our mizzen mast. It serves as a balancing sail more than providing power. Plus, we’re suckers for that romantic sailing look.

2. Surprising amounts of storage. Since we removed the Jabsco manual head and infrastructure, we have a large amount of storage under the V-Berth. We can comfortably fit our camping gear, climbing gear, and endless spares. There is also ample storage under the settees. We feel this is a major upgrade from our previous boat.

3. Stunning lines in the water. W.B. Crealock knew he was designing a beautiful boat sure to turn heads. From her teak toerails to her canoe stern, her bronze port lights, and deep bulwarks, we have yet to meet someone who thinks she’s ugly. She may not win Wednesday night fun races, but she’ll look pretty wherever she sails.

5. Seaworthy and sturdy. We’ve buried the rails a few times since owning Kismet, and yes, we may have had too much sail area out, but wow, did she sail smooth. It’s true that Pacific Seacrafts heel very early, but it’s a smooth ride in all the sea conditions we’ve experienced thus far. Her high bulwarks provide excellent foot holds, and make us less afraid Moses will fall overboard. She has ample scuppers and a well protected cockpit. Everything runs to the cockpit as well, minimizing time spent on deck and in front of the mast.

6. She has soul. As we delved deeper into Pacific Seacraft history, the more we fell in love with the company and the Crealock design. Her dark interior mahogany may seem cave-like at times, but it contributes to her old soul. Her age also gives her soul and we like that she’ll keep us busy with projects here and there.

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What we wish we could change

1. The A/C location. The previous owners installed a marine air conditioner, a must for living aboard in Florida. The only downside is they chose to put it in the double closet. This means we have about one tenth the space we would otherwise have. We are looking at options to move it or simply get rid of it.

2. A busy quarter berth. The water maker, inverter, battery monitor, and extra cushions are mounted on the side of the quarter berth and makes it nearly impossible to use the berth for sleeping. If we can move some parts we will but for now it will house our extra sails.

3. The engine is loud, and old. Even though her age gives her soul, it also means things will break more frequently. We think our Universal Diesel engine is the original from 1982, and it is loud to the point that if you are at the helm you cannot hear anything outside the cockpit. We plan to insulate the engine room to help with the noise. In a few years, we’d like to replace the engine, but that is a project for future Shipleys.