BoatsWright Princess 36

Wright Princess 36

Masthead Ketch · Long Keel · 1972–1982

A long-keeled masthead ketch available as a cutter, offering a stable 1.37-metre draft for versatile cruising

Designed by Arthur Edmunds.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

See her sail

The Wright Princess 36, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from 59° North Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 30 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 30
CoastalBluewater

1.81 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.81
LightHeavy

309 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 309
EasygoingPowered-up

13.8 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 13.8
TenderStiff

35% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 35%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

What the fleet has seen

The Wright Princess 36, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Wright Princess 36 is a 36-foot Masthead Ketch, designed by Arthur Edmunds and built by Wright, Allied Yachts, and Allied Boat Company Inc. from 1972 to 1982. It features a Long Keel hull, a 1.4 m draft, and a displacement of 6531 kg. Allied Boat Company built the Princess 36 as a shoal-draft ketch, known for heavy construction and a 4.5-foot draft, with a 27-foot waterline and a 14,000-pound displacement.9:42 The ketch rig and moderate sail-area-to-displacement ratio prioritize comfortable motion and forgiving handling over high-performance upwind sailing.8:31 The Princess 36 was available as a cutter or ketch, with a center cockpit version called the Contessa built in small numbers. Around 1980, a bowsprit was added for the Princess 36 MKII, also offered as a cutter or ketch. The design is noted for its practical interior layout, including a V-berth, a quarter-berth, and a convertible settee in the main cabin.14:37 Aboard 59° North Sailing, the Princess 36 is described as well-suited for cruising areas like the Bahamas due to its shallow draft.43:24

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 2 times across 2 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Wright Princess 36 on video

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
34.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.8
Displacement / length
309.1
Comfort ratio
30.4
Capsize screening
1.81
Hull speed
7.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1081
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1972–1982
Units built
140
Designer
Arthur Edmunds
Builder
Wright, Allied Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Vancouver 34 Pilot10.44 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA Robert B. Harris-designed cutter featuring a deck saloon for protected cruising on a stable, long-keeled hull
GGR2026 Weekly Q&A: Joshua One Design Mystery, Tapio’s Canopy Rule & Big Changes Revealed!31:02from Golden Globe Race Official
Morgan Yachts Out Island 3610.92 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1970s production cruiser featuring a 1.14-metre draft and a heavy ballast ratio for stability in shallow waters
AMAZING MACHINES! How They Make Sailboat Sails12:02from Practical Sailor
Henry R. Hinckley Pilot 3510.90 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens fiberglass classic designed for Hinckley, featuring a long keel and available as a sloop or yawl
Don’t Launch Without This: The Essential Sailboat Maintenance Guide7:51from Practical Sailor
Cape Dory 3611.01 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthProduced from 1978 to 1990, this long-keeled cutter was later marketed as the Robinhood 36
10,000 Mile Gear Review After Solo Sailing an Atlantic Circuit0:01from Atom Voyager
Bayfield 3610.97 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Haydn Gozzard-designed cutter with a long keel, built for steady, comfortable passage-making.
Bayfield 36 – A Cheap Bluewater Sailboatfrom Practical Sailor
Shannon Yachts 38 PH11.51 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA long-keeled cutter designed by Stadel for offshore stability, offering a comfortable motion and steady passage-making
A Sailboat With No Keel? Shannon Shoalsailer 351:37from Lady K Sailing

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Wright Princess 36 MKIIDistinguished by a bowsprit added in 1980, this long-keeled masthead ketch offers a stable, traditional cruising platformWright Contessa 36A centre-cockpit ketch derived from the Princess 36, featuring a long keel and a convenient below-deck walk-throughWright Yacht Co. Wright 40A keel-centerboard ketch featuring an extended stern and reverse transom based on the Allied Mistress hullMistress 39 MKII (Allied)An Arthur Edmunds-designed aft cockpit ketch featuring a distinctive clipper bow and a stable, long-keeled hullSovereign Princess 24A masthead sloop featuring an extended bowsprit for extra length and the option for inboard power or wheel steering

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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