Seller's Description
The classic 1978 Rafiki 37 Cutter Style Sailboat is a true bluewater cruiser designed by renowned yacht designer Stan Huntingford, famous for his elegant canoe stern designs. Pride of ownership is on display with this full-keel sailboat featuring a stunning interior and finished woodwork throughout!
The Rafiki 37 is a heavy displacement, double-ended cutter rig sailboat built for ocean cruising. Featuring a self-steering system, she is designed for long passages and comfortable living aboard. She has been maintained and updated with modern equipment while retaining her timeless charm.
Below deck, the spacious cabin boasts a beautiful solid teak interior with 6 foot 5 inch headroom, ample storage, and a practical layout for extended time on the water. The galley is well-equipped with plenty of storage and workspace, a double stainless steel sink, and both sea and freshwater options. The main salon provides generous seating, while the V-berth offers a private sleeping area.
Accommodations comfortably house up to six of your favorite sailors with a double berth in the forward cabin, a double berth at the dinette, a single berth in the starboard salon, and a single starboard quarter berth.
The canoe style cockpit is designed for single-handed sailing yet remains spacious enough for the entire crew to enjoy. The vessel’s exterior features a very robust, hand-laid fiberglass hull with an Airex core, balsa-cored decks with a recently maintained teak overlay. A complete canvas package protects all exterior wood and remains in excellent condition.
The Rafiki was repowered her with a Yanmar 57 HP diesel engine that currently only has 540 hours. Additional upgrades include a galley stove, water heater and propane system. Fuel tanks have been replaced as as the windlass, the refrigeration upgraded, water maker and diesel fired heater.
All your navigation needs are covered with a chartplotter, AIS and Iridium Go. A newer Monitor self-steering vane was added along with an Auto-Helm. Additional onboard systems include 110V AC / 12V DC electrical systems with 30 amp shore-power service.
This classic sailboat is a solidly built, highly capable cruiser that seamlessly blends vintage appeal with modern upgrades for safety, comfort, and efficiency. Whether you’re planning a long passage or a weekend getaway, this Rafiki 37 is ready to take you anywhere you point her.
Specs
- Designer
- Stan Huntingford
- Builder
- Lien Hwa Industrial Corp.
- Associations
- ?
- # Built
- 55
- Hull
- Monohull
- Keel
- Long
- Rudder
- Transom hung
- Construction
- FG w/balsa core
Dimensions
- Length Overall
- 36′ 8″ / 11.2 m
- Waterline Length
- 31′ 11″ / 9.8 m
- Beam
- 11′ 11″ / 3.7 m
- Draft
- 6′ 0″ / 1.8 m
- Displacement
- 26,500 lb / 12,020 kg
- Ballast
- 11,500 lb / 5,216 kg
Rig and Sails
- Type
- Cutter
- Reported Sail Area
- 729′² / 67.7 m²
- Total Sail Area
- 729′² / 67.7 m²
Mainsail
- Sail Area
- 353′² / 32.8 m²
- P
- 41′ 6″ / 12.7 m
- E
- 16′ 11″ / 5.2 m
- Air Draft
- ?
Foresail
- Sail Area
- 376′² / 34.9 m²
- I
- 47′ 0″ / 14.3 m
- J
- 16′ 0″ / 4.9 m
- Forestay Length
- 49′ 7″ / 15.1 m
Auxilary Power
- Make
- Volvo
- Model
- ?
- HP
- ?
- Fuel Type
- Diesel
- Fuel Capacity
- 125 gal / 473 l
- Engine Hours
- ?
Accomodations
- Water Capacity
- 195 gal / 738 l
- Holding Tank Capacity
- ?
- Headroom
- ?
- Cabins
- ?
Calculations
- Hull Speed
-
7.5 kn
Classic: 7.58 kn
Hull Speed
The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.
Formula
Classic hull speed formula:
Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL
A more accurate formula devised by Dave Gerr in The Propeller Handbook replaces the Speed/Length ratio constant of 1.34 with a calculation based on the Displacement/Length ratio.
Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio.311
Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL
- Sail Area/Displacement
-
13.1
<16: under powered
Sail Area / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.
Formula
SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64)2/3
- SA: Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
- D: Displacement in pounds.
- Ballast/Displacement
-
43.4
>40: stiffer, more powerful
Ballast / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.
Formula
Ballast / Displacement * 100
- Displacement/Length
-
361.4
300-400: heavy
Displacement / Length Ratio
A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.
Formula
D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
- Comfort Ratio
-
44.6
40-50: heavy bluewater boat
Comfort Ratio
This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.
Formula
Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam1.33)
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
- LOA: Length overall in feet
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
- Capsize Screening
-
1.6
<2.0: better suited for ocean passages
Capsize Screening Formula
This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.
Formula
CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
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