The C&C 37/40 is a Canadian LOA fibreglass monohull sailing yacht, designed in 1988 by Robert W. Ball of Cuthbertson & Cassian (C&C Designs) as a replacement for the earlier C&C 37 dating from 1981. The C&C 37/40 is a recreational keelboat of moderate displacement, intended as a cruiser/racer or oceangoing racer (depending on model). The yachts have a masthead sloop rig, with a fin keel and an internally-mounted spade-type rudder. Over 110 of the 37/40 type were built before the Canadian plant closed in 1994. The design is no longer produced.
There are three basic models of the C&C 37/40: the Custom 37/40 R "racing" model, the 37/40+, and the 37/40 XL (Extra Light). The boats were essentially semi-custom with the factory offering different mast, rigging, and keel options. Other factory options included standard or lighter weight racing laminate layups for the hull, rudder, and deck, as well as different companionway, cockpit and transom configurations (open or closed), and various interior options and modifications.
Production history C&C Yachts was a builder of high-performance fiberglass monohull sailboats with production facilities in Canada, Germany, and the United States. C&C designed and constructed a full range of production line cruiser-racer boats, as well as custom one-off and short production run racing and cruising boats. C&C boats ranged in size from as small as to as large as . C&C also produced a line of bluewater cruising boats in the to range under its Landfall brand. In addition, C&C designed sailboats for production by a number of other manufacturers such as CS Yachts, Mirage Yachts, Northern Yachts, Ontario Yachts, Paceship Yachts, and Tanzer Industries.
C&C was founded in 1969 as a public company in Canada, which resulted from a joint venture among several predecessor companies and design teams. At the peak of its market success, the company supplied 50% of the Canadian market and 20% of the US market. The company name, C&C Yachts, came from the names of two of the founding designers, George Cuthbertson and George Cassian.
Along with the C&C 30 and C&C 34+, the C&C 37/40 made up a group of new C&C designed and produced aft cabin boats that went into production in the late 1980s under the guidance of Robert Ball, the chief in-house designer at C&C Yachts from 1973 to 1991. First introduced in 1988, this second version of the C&C 37 is a completely different design from Robert Ball's earlier C&C 37 dating from 1981. Initially intended as an updated replacement for the earlier 37, the 37/40 gradually stretched out during the design process until its final overall length was almost . In an interview Robert Ball said they started out drawing a nice 37-foot interior, then just stretched the ends to give the boat more grace and style.
+ Number of C&C 37/40 built by year, based on known, publicly registered Hull Identification Number (HIN). Actual numbers built are slightly higher in some years. Build Year 37R (37/40 R) 37+ (37/40+ & 37/40 XL) 1988 3 1 1989 10 39 1990 7 30 1991 0 5 1992 0 0 1993 1 8 1994 0 3
The last boats in the 37/40 series came off the production line in 1994, just before a devastating fire destroyed the C&C factory in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Name and marketing
All construction drawings from the design phase refer to this boat as the "new 37+". It was first offered as the C&C 37R and C&C 37+ but soon was marketed as the C&C 37/40R and C&C 37/40+ due to its actual LOA of . Early purchasers of the new boat began to request a mix of the standard features of both the "R" and the "+" combined in their orders so an "XL" (Extra Light) version was developed to meet this demand. On the design of the 37/40 Robert Ball said:
I really love that design, and feel it really was/is the culmination of all the past experience, and designs that I did . . . .
The fun part was that the goal of the basic design was ‘A Fast Boat’ without any distortions for handicap rules . . The rule being used mostly was PHRF and keeping the name at 37 when the boat was actually longer than that was a tongue-in-cheek effort to fool the handicappers when it was introduced . . . After the boat was sailing and presumably sailing better than a 37 footer, they would change the rating – but by then we would have at least created ‘notice’ in the marketplace – HA . . . . . In truth I did have a 37.49 foot design ready, but pleaded with marketing to lengthen it. Indeed it was the longest waterline 37 footer, the most interior 37 footer, maybe the fastest 37 footer . . . . BUT it was also the most expensive 37 footer . . . . The marketing guys pushed for the name change(s) . . .
Everyone that I have run into – love the boat . . . .
In 1990 C&C Yachts found itself in financial difficulty, resulting in production of the 37/40 halting in 1991 after hull number 79. When the C&C 37/40 went back into production (with hull 80) in 1993 an attempt was made to re-brand the 37/40 series as the "C&C 40" with new marketing literature and brochures produced. At this point in production the length code in the Hull Identification Number (HIN) was changed from 37 to 40 (for the boats built in 1993 and 1994) though the hull number continued in sequence. There were no significant changes in the design at this time. Confusingly, some marketing literature from this period continued to reference the C&C 37/40 name.
One online source, Sailboatdata.com, lists the 37/40 series as both the C&C 37/40, and also as the C&C 37-2,
Design
To come up with a fast boat for IMS racing (or PHRF) designer Robert Ball aimed for maximum all-around speed relative to sailing length by providing a large rig, low center of gravity, narrow waterline beam, and weight concentrated amidships (to minimize pitching). Gentle handling characteristics result in a boat that is easy to sail, and make a boat sail faster in practice, so a big, stall-resistant keel and rudder were an important part of this design. The keel is large and deep, with an elliptical profile and narrow chord length where it joins the hull. There is a partial skeg -ahead of the big rudder to help dampen the quarter wave, improve tracking, and to fair in a more substantial rudder shaft.
Combining a load waterline of almost with modest waterline beam and generous sailing waterline length resulted in a slim, fair underbody, with low wetted surface.
Hull and deck The construction of the C&C 37/40 utilizes aircraft grade pre-impregnated balsa core material and Kevlar with fibreglass fabric, the hull and deck are laid up using vinyl ester resin for strength, blister resistance and light weight. The C&C 37 Plus series are built up with isophthalic (Hydrex®) gelcoat, C&C's exclusive Kevlar hybrid, E-Glass, pre-impregnated end-grain Baltek AL-600 balsa ( balsa core in hull and in deck) and Hydrex® resin. Hydrex®, a modified isophthalic vinyl ester resin, has higher hydrolytic stability (ability to resist chemical decomposition in the presence of water), toughness and is more crack resistant than conventional resins. The layups of the R and XL series use Kevlar hybrid exclusively with Hydrex® resin on both sides of a core of Balteck AL-600 aircraft grade balsa. All materials are Lloyd's Register approved as suitable for use in the marine market. These exclusive C&C laminate schedules result in hulls and decks which despite significant weight reduction are stronger than the conventional glass laminates of the time. They are not only much lighter, but stiffer and more rigid. Additional unidirectional glass is used in highly stressed areas with aluminum and Coremat® hardware backing. The boot stripe is molded in the hull for fairness to the hull surface and to reduce maintenance requirements.
All the interior liners are overlaid and bonded to the hull and deck. The hull to deck joint is bonded with adhesive and then mechanically fastened with stainless steel bolts through the signature C&C slotted aluminum toe-rail. The fixed elliptical fin keel has an eight percent foil at the root with reduced chord and an extended trailing edge-hull fillet for interference drag reduction, and an eleven percent foil at the tip to help lower the centre of gravity (Vertical Center of Gravity or VCG). A keel and centreboard combination is an option. The displacement–length ratio (D/L) ranges from 206 to 231, depending on model. The opening transom of the + and XL model is simple to operate and transforms to a walk through transom and swim platform including an integral folding ladder providing easy access to the water. The R version has an open transom.
Rudder and Steering Wheel steering is standard (though a tiller was an option on the 37R). The rudder is an internally-mounted spade-type with a "spitfire wing" planform. The rudder is constructed of two molded composite shells which are bonded together and injected with two-part foam for added strength. The rudder post is all stainless steel with a flat stainless steel plate reinforcing weldment positioned within the rudder. The rudder post passes through the hull with a water-tight, close tolerance fit between the shaft and the nylon bearing. The rudder post is brought up through the cockpit sole, with the steering quadrant mounted on top. The pedestal system is cable-linked with the radial drive wheel (rudder quadrant) being connected to the rudder post by a keyway and lock nuts. Access to the system is achieved via the removable fiberglass cover located in the cockpit sole. This design provides excellent support for the rudder stock. The rudder may be removed by loosening the bolt, rollers and radial drive wheel. The rudder must be supported from below during this procedure.
Ballast The elliptical planform keel is designed by C&C and fabricated by Mars Metal Company (MarsKeel). The keel is of lead alloyed with antimony for added strength and cast to exacting tolerances. In addition to providing the yacht's stability, the foil shape of the keel produces hydrodynamic lift while sailing to weather, enhancing upwind performance.
The factory keels choices included the shoal (shallow) keel with a centreboard, giving a draft of ; a somewhat deeper shoal wing keel, draft of ; a deeper elliptical fin keel with "beaver tail" bulb shoe, draft of ; or the deep elliptical fin racing keel, draft of ).
The keel is fastened to the hull by means of eight stainless steel bolts of up to diameter, which are cast into the lead. These bolts project through the bottom of the boat and are bedded with sealing material to prevent water leaks. The bolts are secured by stainless steel nuts and washers which are visible in the bilge.
Mast and Rigging
The spars are designed by C&C and fabricated by Offshore Spars. The standard boat has a keel stepped non-tapered double spreader masthead sloop rig, with rod rigging and a hydraulic backstay adjuster. A taller rig was available as an option and came standard on the R and XL variants. This tall rig is a triple-spreader mast, tapered above the upper spreaders, with all rod rigging, plus running backstays (runners), checkstays, and an adjustable babystay for mast bend control. The backstay is split, with two hydraulic rams, on the boats with walk through transom (37+ and XL). The masthead, gooseneck and boom end are custom machined aluminum, welded to the one piece extrusion. The aerodynamic spreaders are secured to the mast via machined, continuous aluminum spreader bars. They precisely fit the spreader bases and traverse the mast and along with separate support bars carry the compression loads exerted by the shrouds. On the 37R (and 37XL) mast the middle and lower spreaders are slightly swept back, 2° for the middle spreaders, 4° for the lowers.
The standard rig has an I (foretriangle height) of ; the tall rig, I of ; and the R (racing) rig, I of ).