What’s Happening With “The Last Express 37” Hull #63

Last August we shared the story of the last Express 37, hull #63, that was partially built and living in a barn in Washington state. Sailor Darrel Louis tracked down the boat and brought her home to be completed. (You can read that story in the August 2025 issue of Latitude 38.) Recently, Darrel sent us an update of his progress. 

“Phase 2” The Build!
Fast forward six months and progress is being made, significant progress! After we got the Express 37 to Santa Cruz in July from Stevenson, Washington (thanks, Andy Schwenk), it ended up blocks from the Santa Cruz Harbor with a “professional” wood shop at our disposal. Fate-destiny-providence best describes where the Express 37 ended up for the build. I was priced out of a location at the harbor and set out to find a location for construction, convenient to the harbor. As I mentioned in the August article, I scoured the neighborhood and ended up off 7th Avenue, near the harbor, after spotting an Express 27 sitting in the back of a property. Thanks to owner Mike DiBella, who offered up the build space.

Over the course of the past 20 years Mike has been involved with a number of boat rehab projects, most recently an Express 27, which is showroom-perfect and available should one be looking for a pristine Express 27. Fate had me bump into Volker Wuestenhagen a German engineer I met at Riva on the Wharf here in Santa Cruz. Volker just happened to be a woodworker and a perfectionist. In May last year I happened to mention the project to a real estate contact, Joe Zaug, an engineer from Lawrence Livermore Labs, also a perfectionist. Joe mentioned he was retiring in October and would like to assist as well. Volker joined in July and Joe in October, and as of this article being published, all wood components for the interior have been constructed, installed and glassed in, thanks to Whitney Brooks, who came highly recommended by Bill Lee. Between Bill and Homer Lighthall, any questions I have I just source them for wisdom and direction, thankful they are available!

Most recently I made a presentation of the build at the Santa Cruz Yacht Club’s Wednesday night information series, and what do you know? After the presentation I was approached by yacht club member Gustavo Guimaraes, a retired electrical engineer. Of course during the presentation I asked for an electrician and up popped Gustavo, who now is involved in the project. Additionally, thanks to Malcolm Brown for being available to preview, map and design the boat’s electrical system. With Gustavo and Malcolm the nav system will be state of the art! And thanks to Gustavo for his knowledge of image-based 3D modeling and reverse engineering for CNC machining, as he made fabrication of several components simple. Larry Tuttle of Water Rat is on board and has the elliptical rudder in the queue, expecting to deliver by the end of May.

Of significance has been Larry Baskin, formerly of the Express 37 Bullet. Larry downsized, having sold Bullet, and happened to have a dozen perfectly good sails, which I negotiated moments after he posted them for sale. Currently, I am expecting to splash the boat I now call Carl, of Schumacher fame, in June or July, provided rigging can be completed. I did put in a call to Jesse Corlett of KKMI, whose father Chris sold the Express line of boats back in the day. I will see where that goes. And of course Brendan Busch is to be involved with rigging, final deck layout and fine-tuning of all the critical final sailing components.

Thanks, Andy Schwenk, for letting me know about this $Free Boat$. And of course the “Pauls” — Paul Yost my Express 37 stablemate with True Love in the Harbor, and Paul Wallace, a sailing student in S.F. at Spinnaker Sailing, for contributions they have made along with others at my GoFundMe account, which is titled Help Float Carl, Thanks, guys!

At completion and launch, I will have a perfectly good triple-axle trailer for sale, so speak up and let’s talk about your owning it! Six new tires, six new axle bearings and new electronic brakes. If you would like, you can follow Carl’s progress on Instagram Express_37_Carl, and if you are inclined to Help Float Carl you can donate to the cause at the GoFundMe account: Just type in Help Float Carl.

PS: Next up, the “Launch and the Starting Line” — Capt. Darrel Louis/ASA#2023205618-Merchant Mariner Credential #3572843, Santa Cruz Yacht Club #0133 since 1982.