The Dickerson 37 is an American

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by George Hazen as a

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

and first built in 1980.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 304-305. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. The design is often confused with a 1983 Bruce Farr racing sailboat design, that was also originally marketed by the manufacturer as the Dickerson 37, but is now usually referred to as the Dickerson 37 (Farr) to differentiate it from the unrelated 1980 design.

Production

The design was built by

Dickerson Boatbuilders Dickerson may refer to: Places In the United States: * Dickerson, Maryland, an unincorporated place ** Dickerson Whitewater Course near Dickerson, Maryland ** Dickerson Generating Station ** Dickerson (MARC station) Dickerson is a passenger rail ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, starting in 1980, but it is now out of production.

Design

The Dickerson 37 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

over an Airex core, with

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

wood trim. It has an aft cockpit or optional center cockpit configuration and can have masthead sloop rig, cutter rig or ketch rig, with a

mizzen mast The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation ligh ...

. All have

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

spars. It has a spooned

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a raised counter

transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...

, a skeg-mounted

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

controlled by a

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...

and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

. It displaces and carries of ballast. Aft cockpit models have of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. The boat is fitted with a British

Perkins Engines Perkins Engines Company Limited, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc since 1998, is primarily a diesel engine manufacturer for several markets including agricultural, construction, material handling, power generation, and industrial. It was establis ...

4-108

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

of for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . The center cockpit model was available with two interior arrangements. The "standard" has a forward "V"-berth, an "L"-shaped dinette berth, a main cabin settee berth and an aft cabin with two single fore-and-aft berths. The "athwartships aft berth" model provides a double berth facing starboard, in place of the two fore-and-aft berths. The aft cabin can be reached via it own

companionway In the architecture of a ship, a companion or companionway is a raised and windowed hatchway in the ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins. A companionway may be secured by doors or, commonly in ...

from the cockpit, or below by a passage from the main cabin. Ventilation is provided by main and bow cabin hatches, as well as opening ports. The aft cockpit model was factory supplied in three different interior designs: "traditional", "tri-cabin" and "short handed". The "traditional" has a bow "V"-berth, with the

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

just aft, an aft starboard double berth, with a chart table just forward, a port side "L"-shaped dinette table, with a settee berth opposite and a

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

located aft on the port side. The "tri-cabin" moves the aft double berth to the port side and creates an enclosed cabin, which includes the navigation station. The "short handed" eliminates the aft berth in favour of a larger navigation station and more aft storage, with the galley aft on the starboard side. All arrangements include a galley with a three-burner alcohol-fired stove and pressurized water. The cabin sole is of teak and holly and an

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...

locker is provided in the bow. The on-deck woodwork is all teak, including the handrails, cap rails, bow platform and the cockpit coamings. The mizzen mast is equipped with a sail sheet traveler, while only the mainsail has a boom vang. The boat is equipped with three halyard winches and the

genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

is sheeted via tracks to the two cockpit genoa winches, or four for cutter configuration boats. Jiffy reefing is installed for both the main and mizzen sails

Operational history

In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, "the overhangs and sheer have been deliberately designed for a traditional appearance, but the center cockpit and aft cabin are modern. The Dickerson 37 is designed as a cruiser for two or three couples. Dickerson has specialized in cruising ketches for many years."

References

{{Reflist Keelboats 1980s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by George Hazen Sailboat types built by Dickerson Boatbuilders

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References