Wooden Ships Comments on this 37′ Arthur Holt Gaff Ketch
Designed by Arthur Holt and built by Arthur Holt Ltd, Heybridge in 1977.
This was the 3rd boat built to this design with her very traditional working boat lines, generous beam and a stout bilge for good stability. The build is extremely robust using mainly iroko which was available as extremely good quality timber at the time of her build.
The first owners were looking for a cruising boat for the Western Isles to take children and grandchildren in comfort and safety. She is designed to be sailed short handed with a manageable gaff ketch rig which splits the rig down into smaller more easily handled components. Her mainsail is gaff but the mizzen is Bermudan which makes it easy to set and there less chance of the mizzen creating weather helm issues.
The spacious interior offers 87′ berths with a large double in the forepeak. The saloon has excellent headroom under the coachroof of nearly .
This is a very solid and well built traditional vessel with good space on deck and below, well maintained and nicely presented.
Specifications
Length on Deck: 36’8”
Beam: 12’2”
Draft: 5’
Sail Area: 797 sqft
Construction
Hull
Carvel planked in iroko fastened with bronze screws to laminated iroko frames.
Frames of 2.5” square at 13” centres.
External lead ballast keel fastened with bronze keel bolts.
Sawn iroko floors across the centreline.
Decks and Cockpit
Straight laid solid iroko deck screwed to iroko deck beams. Seams caulked and payed with a butyl rubber compound. Bronze tie rods between carlins and beamshelf.
Deck beams fixed to an iroko beamshelf with a heavy clamp for added stiffness.
Heavy iroko hanging knees and lodging knees fastened through with bronze bolts.
Low bulwark all round mounted on galvanised steel fixings. The bulwark is raised slightly off the deck to allow easy freeing, this also means there is no standing water at the deck edge to cause rot.
Galvanised stanchions and guard wires. Galvanised fairleads and bollard cleats.
Self draining cockpit well with painted iroko coamings. Thwarts either side lift to give access to lockers beneath.
Wheel steering with manual hydraulics and a ram onto the rudder stock. Tiller steering can be easily used from the cockpit. Transom hung rudder with new hangings in 2026.
Superstructure
Coachroof with painted iroko coamings and bronze portlights.
Laid iroko coachroof deck on iroko deck beams. Caulked and payed in the same fashion as the main deck.
Sliding companion hatch in the coachroof offset to starboard.
Centreline forehatch in front of the mast.
Rig
Spars
Gaff ketch rig on deck stepped wooden masts.
Gaff rigged main mast stepped in a galvanised tabernacle.
Bermudan rigged mizzen in a galvanised tabernacle.
Varnished wooden booms, gaff yards and bowsprit.
Bowsprit can be easily brought in to reduce length for mooring.
Standing and Running Rigging
Galvanised wire standing rigging with rigging screws to external galvanised chain plates.
Hanked on staysail. Wykeham Martin roller furling jib.
Running rigging falls to an iroko pin rail by the mast with belay pins.
Sails

Mizzen, mainsail, staysail and jib in tan.
Large jib in cream.
Topsail on a jackyard in tan.
Storm jib.
Asymmetric spinnaker.
Mizzen staysail.

Winches
4 x Harken 20 self tailing sheet winches mounted on the deck near the cockpit.
Machinery
Engine
Thornycroft 70hp 4cyl diesel engine.
Centreline fixed 3 blade bronze propeller. New propeller 2026.
Tanks
Stainless steel fuel tank.
Large volume plastic water tank in the forepeak under the double berth.
Batteries and Electrics
2 x 12 volt 110ah domestic batteries. 1 x 12 volt 105ah start battery.
240 volt shore system with battery charger. 240 volt sockets throughout the boat.
Solar panels with a Marlec charge regulator.
1500 watt pure sine inverter.
Accommodation
Berths and Headroom
8 berths including a double and 2 singles in the forepeak, 2 pilot berths in the saloon and 2 saloon settee berths.
General Description
Companion ladder into the main cabin with galley to port and chart desk to starboard.
The chart desk faces aft with a small iroko seat. Navigation instruments to hand.
Large and spacious saloon with a centreline dropleaf varnished mahogany saloon table. A settee berth either side plus a pilot berth each side under the side decks.
Starboard side door going forward with heads compartment to port and hanging locker to starboard. Taylors diesel cabin heater on the bulkhead.
Door into the forepeak which has a large double berth to port and 2 single berths one above the other to starboard. More storage right in the bows.
LED lighting throughout the interior plus numerous USB sockets.
Galley
L shaped galley at the aft of the main cabin. Plastimo Neptune 4500 2 burner gas stove with grill.
Single stainless steel sink with hot and cold pressurised water.
Good storage space around the galley.
Microwave and work top oven for use when plugged into shore power.
Heads
Jabsco manual sea toilet discharges directly overboard.
Hand basin with pressurised hot and cold water plus manually pumped water from a foot pump.
Shower with hot and cold pressurised water. Shower drains into a sump tank which is emptied with an electric pump.
Equipment

Steering compass
Raymarine ST60+ log and sounder
Raymarine ST60+ wind
Raymarine ST6002 autopilot
Navicom RT-550 DSC VHF
Compact SX-25 VHF
Garmin GPS 128
Clock and barometer
Bunk and berth cushions
Jabsco manual sea toilet
Calorifier for domestic hot water
Plastimo Neptune 4500 gas stove
Bulkhead mounted television
Taylors diesel cabin heater
LED interior lighting
USB sockets throughout the cabin
Numerous 240 volt 3 pin sockets around the cabin
Mainsail
Mizzen
Staysail
Jib
Large jib in cream
Topsail on a jackyard in tan
Storm jib
Asymmetric spinnaker
Mizzen staysail
Wykeham martin jib furling
4 x Harken 20ST sheet winches
Main and mizzen covers
Staysail cover
Simpson Lawrence Francis 800 electric anchor windlass
Plough anchor with chain
2nd plough anchor
Fishermans kedge anchor
Mooring warps
Fenders
2 boat hooks
Boarding ladder
3 part all over winter cover (new 2026)
Manual bilge pump
Auto electric bilge pump
Fire extinguisher in each cabin
Smoke alarm
CO alarm

This 1977 Arthur Holt Ltd 37' Arthur Holt Gaff Ketch is listed for sale in Devon, England. With a 37ft layout, inboard engine setup and used condition, this boat is suited to buyers looking for sail options in this location. View full details, photos and specifications for reference RB692863 on Rightboat.