Motor Boat & Yachting - January 2016 UK

The owner’s cabin with twin

berths, storage beneath

them, and an ensuite

Horseshoe seating in the

saloon can be converted to a

double berth, and there’s an

internal helm to starboard

The large raised cockpit

with full canopy and

excellent helm position

W

hile it shares the

same John

Bennett-designed

hull as the Broom

37 Continental and

Broom 37 Crown,

the Ocean 37 was actually fitted out by

Aquafibre (the moulder of all three

models and a company set up by a

consortium of Norfolk builders, including

Broom, who acquired a controlling

interest in 1971). Finished to a very high

standard, it was built between 1968 and

1983, and was a successful and popular

model with almost 200 sold. Now it’s

considered something of a classic for its

period looks and rock-solid build quality.

INSIDE

The big news with the Ocean 37 over its

sister craft is the galley location. Rather

than being on the lower level forward, it

is situated in the aft port quarter of the

upper level, which creates a wonderfully

spacious guest cabin forward, albeit

at the expense of a slightly smaller

aft cabin. The saloon feels huge, and

features a useful lower helm.

OUTSIDE

On the outside the superstructure is

inset slightly, creating a lower level

walkway around the whole boat (other

aft cabin designs stretch the raised aft

deck full beam). The outside helm

position is situated on the aft deck

rather than on a flybridge mounted on

the saloon roof, keeping the air draft low

enough for bridges on inland waterways.

ENGINES

The vast majority of Ocean 37s were

fitted with twin Perkins HT6.354 diesel

engines producing 145hp, although a

few (including this model featured here)

got the upgraded 175hp version.

PERFORMANCE

The hull was fairly unusual for a couple

of reasons. It featured an ‘aerofoil’ keel

two inches wide at the bow, fattening to

over a foot wide amidships and tapering

to three inches at the stern. Also,

despite being round bilged, with big

enough engines it was a genuine planing

hull. Top end is 18 knots, cruising is

between 12 and 15 knots.

1981 £42,500

DATA FILE

Length 37ft 11in (11.3m)

Beam 12ft 4in (3.8m)

Draught 3ft 0in (0.9m)

Displacement 8 tonnes

Fuel capacity

200 imp gal (910 litres)

Engines Twin Perkins HT6.354

175hp diesels

FOR SALE Broom Boat Sales.

Web: http://www.broomboats.com

Classic looks or just

dated? You decide

Terrifi c build

quality throughout



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  Ocean 37