As a counterpoint to all those super-sleek Euro-style cruisers of the day, the Tollycraft 37's rugged, no-nonsense look is refreshing to the eyes. And what you see is what you get. The Tollycraft 37 is a rugged, no-nonsense craft to its core. That's not surprising to anyone who knows company founder R.M. "Tolly" Tollefson. For more than a half century, Tollycrafts were a personal statement for Tollefson, an avid yachtsman who routinely cruised the Pacific Coast from Mexico to Alaska. Above all else, Tollycrafts were built for cruising. Tollefson personally tested every model his company made. "I don't believe you can run a boat company from an office tower," he told Sea, back in 1986. Like most new models that came from Tollycraft while Tollefson was at the company's helm, the 37 was conceived during one of his voyages. The details were worked out by renowned naval architect Edwin Monk Sr. In fact, the boat was one of Ed Monk Sr.'s last designs prior to his death in 1973. Monk gave the Tollycraft 37 a modified-V hull with a fine entry forward. The bow is high and broadly flared, and the boat carries a lot of sheer. The V-bottom cushions soften the bow's descent through the seas, while the entry prevents an abrupt, corresponding rise. The flared bow deflects spray. Altogether, these features make the Tollycraft 37 a very capable seagoing boat. And so does the Tollycraft 37's hull construction. Built of solid hand-laid fiberglass, the hull is tough as nails. Massive full-length stringers, made of fiberglass over dense foam, stiffen the hull and support the engines and tanks. The boat shows plenty of attention to detail, such as strategically placed stainless steel grabrails, large scuppers to quickly drain the cockpit and first-class engine controls and steering systems -- details that will impress any experienced yachtsman. With nearly 90 square feet of cockpit, the Tollycraft 37 can be a very decent fishing boat. But cruising is its real forte. Buyers in the 1970s had their choice of two practical interior arrangements, both offering three living areas. The galley-up model puts the galley along the starboard side of the saloon, leaving room for a small cabin with twin berths amidships. The galley-down model sacrifices the amidships cabin, but opens up the 100 square foot saloon. With either layout, there's a forward cabin with a double berth. And since this boat was designed in the Pacific Northwest, both arrangements also carry an inside helm for wet-weather voyaging. The skipper should have no trouble navigating from the lower helm, thanks to big saloon windows that provide excellent visibility. Tollefson built wooden boats for nearly 35 years before he switched to fiberglass in 1970. But you'd never know it by looking at a typical Tollycraft 37. Tollefson favored simulated teak non-skid planking for the cockpit sole and decks. The earliest 37s were trimmed with African mahogany and the last boats of the model, built during the mid-1980s, were trimmed in teak. However, the majority of boats built during the 1970s were given simulated teak laminate decor -- definitely low-maintenance. The vast majority of the boats that left Tollycraft's Kelso, Washington, factory were fitted with gasoline engines. The twin 454 cubic inch, 350 hp MerCruiser engines give a steady 18 knots cruising speed. The top speed is nearly 27 knots. Nevertheless, a good Tollycraft 37 is a popular item in the used boat market, and its resale value is likely to be high. In fact, asking prices -- typically $90,000 - $120,000 for an early example and $130,000 -$135,000 for a 1985 model -- are higher than the boat's original sales prices. Nothing could be a better testament to the inherent quality of Tolly Tollefson's boats. Tollefson retired in 1987 and sold the company to an investor group. In 1993 the company filed for bankruptcy and production stopped. It restarted soon thereafter under new management but closed again in the fall of 1997. The largest boat in the Tollycraft line was the 65' Cockpit MY which was built between the years of 1992 and 1997.