The new Back Cove 37, the largest boat yet from this Maine builder, has lots of tradition — and lots of innovation too.
By Peter A. Janssen, Photography by Billy Black
When I drove the first Back Cove, a 29, five years ago in Miami, I thought Sabre Yachts (its parent company) had hit a home run. Indeed, the Back Cove had all the classic Maine-built Down East looks that traditionalists love combined with up-to-date performance and ease of handling and ownership that promised a wide appeal. Since then, Back Cove has introduced a 26 and a 33, also to rave reviews. Now it has launched its flagship, a 37, that has all the positive attributes of the original but also much, much more.
Climbing aboard the 37 a few weeks ago just before the Miami International Boat Show, I instantly recognized the Back Cove's family heritage: the spoon bow, the long sheer line, the low profile, the hint of tumblehome. In keeping with its lineage, it had everything you would expect in a well-built, well-balanced Down East boat. Just as important, it was not fitted out with lots of extraneous bells and whistles that often signal a boat that is built not to stray far from the dock. The visual message was this is a boat for people who love boats and who appreciate the esthetics of a just-right design. In short, I was prepared to fall for the 37 now, the same way I fell for the original 29 back then.
But wait, things change. As I stepped into the cockpit, Bentley Collins, vice president of marketing for Sabre and Back Cove Yachts who met me on the 37 (and who had introduced me to the 29 years before), said, "You'll love this." He slid open the full-length, glass doors that separate the cockpit from the salon, the most obvious change from earlier Back Coves. The doors open up the interior of the boat to the cockpit while letting in an enormous amount of light. The 37 is also the first Back Cove to have a walk-around berth in the master stateroom and the first to have a second stateroom as well. It's also the first to have a fully infused hull and deck.
At the same time, Back Cove kept its brand identity in the new 37. It is still a single diesel boat. It's still easy to run (with both bow and stern thrusters), easy to maintain and easy to live on. It's a boat you can move up to or, if you have a larger yacht, you can move down to while still having enough interior space to take your family and friends over to the Bahamas for the weekend (or week), up to Nova Scotia or to the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest. You still have the fuel efficiency of a single diesel (burning only 10.4 gph at 16.2 knots) with terrific range (486 nm at 10.8 knots or 336 nm at 24 knots). The 37 also has a deeper hull for better seakeeping, with a 17-degree deadrise at the transom and 23 degrees amidships. The engine is low, with a 9-degree shaft angle relative to the water, to keep the draft — at 3 feet 3 inches — as shallow as possible. This is because many Back Cove owners keep their boats behind their homes, where there is often a water problem. The hull is designed with a wider chine forward to minimize spray.
This is indeed a better Back Cove, the star of the brand's fleet. That's not to imply there was anything wrong with the previous, smaller iterations. Indeed, they are terrific, providing all the good looks and efficiencies that are now evident in the 37. But five years have gone by, and Back Cove has made improvements along the way. They also have a new designer in Kevin Burns. Burns comes by way of Ward Setzer, one of the best designers in the business, where he worked on several Lyman Morse boats and Northern Marine 130- and 152-footers, among others.
Burns' influence shows throughout the boat, as I noticed when we unplugged the shore cord to head away from the dock. Instead of being on one side or the other (almost always the wrong side when you tie up), it's centered, accessible through an outward-opening door in the middle of the transom. A seat fits there on brackets to complete a large U-shaped settee, making the cockpit a major social area on the boat. Access to the boat is easy; you can climb on via the swim platform and the centered transom door or on either side down two steps covered in nonskid.
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The new glass doors lead into the salon. On the port side is a regular door, but the middle and starboard side panels fold and slide open all the way to the right, creating the sense of a huge amount of open space on a 37-foot boat, similar to the treatment on some luxury mega-yachts. The salon itself is fairly traditional, with a bench seat to port and a comfortable settee with a high-low table to starboard. That area can convert to another berth if you want to cruise with a lot of people. There are two cherry grab rails overhead and accents throughout the interior. In keeping with Back Cove's easy-maintenance ethic, there is no exterior wood. Up by the galley, there's an overhead locker; open it up and a flat-screen TV drops down, viewable from anywhere in the salon.
Forward, the helm has a large wooden wheel and two side-by-side matching Stidd chairs with armrests (great for relaxing, even better in a seaway). The port chair swivels so the passenger can join the conversation in the galley or salon; indeed, the whole interior is one big social space — which extends to the cockpit if you open the glass doors. The interior also has very cool overhead lights, which you turn on and off and dim or brighten by holding your hand up to them. (Who needs switches?)
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Visibility at the helm and salon is excellent all around. There are huge side windows and even small quarter panel windows at the back of the salon. You can drive comfortably sitting or standing; there are adjustable footrests under each seat. The boat comes up on plane effortlessly — and quickly. Indeed, I timed it as 4.6 seconds, although Collins said five seconds was average. We had the trim tabs down a bit for this; the switches are located to the left of the wheel, just above the standard bow and stern thrusters. On a relatively calm day on the Intracoastal Waterway, the boat was easy to drive and predictable backing down. No surprises here. We registered 29.7 knots flat out, and that's with the more powerful, optional Cummins 600 hp diesel.
Access to the engine room (with the standard Onan 9 kW genset) is excellent, and there's room for two adults. That's because a lot of the machinery (water heater, macerator, air conditioning pumps, etc.) is in a separate compartment under the galley. The galley itself has solid counter space, a two-burner cooktop, microwave, fridge and freezer and a built-in coffee maker. Drawers are dovetailed, even the big one Collins called "the lobster pot drawer." There's a large pantry under the helm with two big shelves for dry goods and extra storage, a big plus.
Forward to starboard is the new guest cabin with a double berth and a pocket door for privacy. The master, forward, is a generous, warm area with an oversized walk-around island queen bed, massive storage underneath, a dresser on one side and a hanging locker on the other, plus a seat to perch on while putting on your shoes or whatever. It has a separate door to the head, which is comfortable and includes a shower behind its own door.
All in all, the new Back Cove 37 is a larger version of a popular Down East classic with its own contemporary personality. It's a very attractive offering if you're a cruising couple or family, whether you're heading offshore or just to the next cove. In this boat, you'll feel good about arriving at either one.
Check out additional photos of the Back Cove 37 in its online gallery.
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