Whatever Happened to Express 37 Hull #63?
Somewhere in a forgotten barn in Washington, a sailing legend waited, wrapped in dust and silence. My heart pounded as we drove east along the Columbia River Gorge to rescue the last Express 37 ever built and whose ultimate fate was to be the landfill. Whichever the case, the Discovery-Recovery and Delivery is an anomaly, as I came across this “yet-to-be-assembled” hull #63 in Stevenson, Washington, thanks to Andy Schwenk. I’m not sure if I should thank him or curse him for the information he passed on about this “free mystery boat somewhere in Oregon or Washington.”
I purchased Express 37 hull #39 Main Squeeze (currently in Santa Cruz) last year from Joe Thomas Booker, a longtime Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Joe had owned her since 1986; it was time to let go. My infatuation with the Alsberg Brothers Boatworks Express boats started during the heyday of Santa Cruz boatbuilding. At the time (1980s), I was sailing a brand-new Don Trask J/24, bright red no less, and my
partner Phil Myers (RIP) and I called the boat Salsa. We were not exactly welcome as we were smack in the middle of Olson 30s, Moore 24s, Santa Cruz 27s, and the Wilderness boat explosion. I recall being in Moss Landing at the end of a race and Tom Connerly and Howard Ruderman, longtime Moore 24 owners, walked by and I overheard “So that’s what a J/24 looks like.” I’m not sure they approved. Tom and I have spent many offshore miles together — Mexico, Hawaii — since those days.
The first time I saw an Express 27 was coming into the harbor after the Wednesday night races. There she was with Terry Alsberg, Junior Morgan and several others. Sleek with its contoured bow, exposed wooden stern and fractional rig, it was a departure from other boats built around that time, although similar, in that the bow and rigging mirrored the successful Moore 24 to a great degree. This was the early ’80s, after Terry Alsberg left Ron Moore’s shop and got together with Carl Schumacher and came up with the design. Needless to say, it was a big deal, and the Express line (27-, 34- and 37-ft) was
launched. Over the span of around six years, they produced 117 27-ft hulls, 28 34-footers, and 63 37s. Sixty-two 37s were floated. #63 has never hit the water; not even the keel was attached. The elliptical keel still sits on a dilapidated pallet where it was left 30+ years ago in Santa Cruz.
