BIrchwood 370 Commando

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Hi There,
anybody out there own (or owned) a Birchwood 370. I'd be interested in hearing about owners experiences with the boat (or any Birchwood boats for that matter but particularly the 370). I'm thinking of buyong one as i like the layout so any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[petem]

See.....

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showflat.php?C...rue#Post1389906

Personally I think they're horrible. However, each to their own and if you do fancy one then make sure it's a LOT cheaper than a similarly aged Targa 37.

Pete

 

[Moody]

I do know a bit about Birchwoods, as my wife was an employee before they went bust.

Birchwood had a history of building quite solid boats. Just look at how many 33's and TS 37's are still going strong.

One of the problems was a lack of investment, particularly in hull design, hence the distinctive knuckle in the hull on all their boats for years, this was not intentionally done to differentiate Birchwood, but was as a consequence of having a limited number of moulds available, and no money to develop new hull designs.

I think you will find that the 370 shares the same hull as the TS37, so don't expect anything innovative here, as this design dates back to the early eighties.

I quite liked the layout of the 370, but I can tell you that there were issues with radar arches cracking on a number of 370's, so that is definately something to look for.

I would agree with the previous post in that if you buy one it needs to be significantly cheaper than a similar sized mainstream boat, after all the later Birchwoods are now the boating equivalent of the Rover 75.

Good Luck

Neil

 

[Chris_d]

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I think you will find that the 370 shares the same hull as the TS37, so don't expect anything innovative here, as this design dates back to the early eighties.


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Definately not the same hull, TS37 was SD but 370 is full planing and outdrive powered, good for 35knts or more so it was definately an all new hull.

 

[Switch]

I'm looking at a 2004 model, very good condition light use. Much cheaper than equivalent Sealine S38/Targa 38 and comparible with 10 year old S37's and Targa 37's. Build quality looks excellent but i'm gettig a comprehensive survey done to be sure,