Roughwater launched its first 37-footer in 1981 to attract boaters seeking speed and a flybridge. She offered both, plus new styling that put her a generation ahead of the 35 in appearance.
Introduced with the 200hp Perkins T6.354, the 37 in later years was given even more punch with selection of the 250hp 8.2-liter Detroit Diesel. Buyers could have one, or two, of the big engines.
She is arranged much like the 36, roomier with more storage space but still with only one head. The yacht measures 39.5 feet overall and has a beam of 11 feet 7 inches.
With lots of power from twins, the 37 can easily top 20.
Joe Weber and Joy Gamble of Issaquah, Washington, bought a 37 early in 2000 after talking with Jim Roberts and other Roughwater owners. They were impressed by the testimony they heard, "Not to mention the fact that Roughwater boats are the most undervalued on the market," Joe says.
Their Morning Star has a glass hull and a wood deckhouse; the previous owner spent about $5,000 fixing soft wood as a condition of the sale.
She has a pair of 8.2-liter Detroit Diesels, and can hit 23 knots while cruising effortlessly at 16. They have changed upholstery, had the engines checked, and the hydraulic steering rebuilt.
As Northwest boaters, Joe and Joy watch the weather carefully. "I've had her out in about sixfoot seas and it was not a problem. From what I've heard from others is that Roughwaters are pretty good when the going gets rough."
The flybridge on the 37 is good looking, but controversial. Ed Monk, Jr., has advised some owners that Chen built a much heavier structure than the architect originally designed. The extra weight of the bridge, and of passengers and equipment, may add enough top hamper to change roll characteristics unfavorably, Monk says.
Joe Weber said his boat has ballast and he finds no problem with the added weight of the bridge.
John Wilkins of Juneau, Alaska, owns a 1984 37-footer equipped with a single Perkins diesel. "She has my trust and admiration," he says, but he plans to remove the flybridge to make the boat handle better in stormy Alaskan waters.
In an email to Wilkins in late 1999, Monk said the addition of rolling chocks along the round bilge would reduce roll, but the only way to add to the stability of the boat would be to reduce weight aloft.
Summing up his 37, one owner says: "She's not a fancy boat, she's not an expensive boat. She's an eight, on a scale of one to ten. She is not as good as the best Taiwan boats, and compared to the Grand Banks, she's a six.
"But if you are not hung up on an absolutely pristine boat, the price is great."
