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1987 37' President's Aft Cabin Jim Payetta: If you are looking to move up to a mid 30s aft cabin motor yacht, there is certainly plenty of models on the market to choose from. This week on "Foot-itis", we take a look at one of your options, the double cabin 37-foot President motor yacht. Joining me once again is Mike Burns from Clift's Marine Sales. |
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Jim Payetta: So Mike, we are looking at a pretty traditional layout, with the hard top and the enclosure.
Mike Burns: Yes which makes this boat really comfortable. You can use the space in all different weather. One particular thing I like about this boat, is Taiwanese boats are renowned for wood. Some Taiwanese companies put it on the exterior as well. This one just has the simulated wood grain on the deck, and on all outside and inside as well, so a very low maintenance boat when it comes to the exterior.
Jim Payetta: The fly bridge configuration here is a little bit different in the seating.
Mike Burns: It has nice moulded steps to get up to the bridge. With lots of seating up on the bridge, and even the back rests on the seat can actually come off- so you can actually be part of the conversation if you have a real crowd on board.
In the cabin particularly like the color of the teak, with it's really nice finish throughout. There are little ornate things, the spindles between the main salon and the galley down and the dinette down area that make this boat.
You are standing on the engine, so you have to raise this section of the cabin. But some of them did come with lower stations. This one was customized so it did not have that lower station. But you do have the dinette off down to port, and a nice galley area up to starboard.
Jim Payetta: I like some of the little things that they did, like that great wood pillar that is going in between the salon and the galley there.
Mike Burns: You would never know that it is carrying up all the controls to the fly bridge; it looks like it is meant to be there.
On this particular boat, they actually customized the forward cabin a little bit. It used to be two bunk berths, and now they actually lowered the upper bunk neighborhood and put a little leaf in there to extend it out. I really like that modification, it makes the room really versatile.
Jim Payetta: The aft cabin stateroom is gorgeous. It is a full beam stateroom so there is tons of room, back there.
Mike Burns: Absolutely, and it has a really nice pedestal bed back there.
Ted Rankine: In the sea trial, the first thing you notice is that the 37' President rides in the water, rather than on top of it. Thanks to its weight of over 20,000 pounds, you will not be bouncing off any waves in this boat. Even with its weight, the twin 454 Mercruiser inboard engines brought the President to life with no hesitation on acceleration or through the entire power curve, and provided us a hole shot in a very respectable 8 seconds.
Once up on plane, we throttled back to a more comfortable and more fuel friendly cruising speed, at 3,300 rpms, and still had no problems keeping the hull up on plane. The 454 is one of the most popular big blocks in the marine industry, easy to get parts for, but can be thirsty when you kick open the 4 barrel carbs.
The turning radius at speed is much wider than you may be used to. In straight running and through the turns the ride was sure-footed and dry. Thanks in part to the hard lines that carry well forward to the flared bow, that give this motor yacht some of its very classic lines.
Jim Payetta: If you are looking to move up to an aft cabin fibre glass motor yacht in that 35 to 40 foot range, there is certainly plenty of models on the market to choose from. Models from names like Carver, Sea Ray, Wellcraft, Silverton and many more. But if you happen to be a fan of wood interiors, you can find a 37' President; they are definitely worth checking out.
* taken from a transcript of our Footitis Used Boat Profiles on PowerBoat TV 2004 Episode 12 - Order A Copy of the Show
