Sabre 36
Built 1985–1990 by Sabre Yachts
About the Sabre 36
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1985–1990
- Builder
- Sabre Yachts
- Designer
- Roger Hewson
- Length
- 36 ft
- Waterline
- 29.33 ft
- Beam
- 11.25 ft
- Draft
- 6.33 ft
- Displacement
- 13,200 lb
- Ballast
- 5,400 lb
- Hull / keel
- fin keel
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 20 gal
- Water
- 77 gal
- Holding
- 30 gal
- Water heater
- factory option
- Number built
- 106
- Stern thruster
- not fitted
- Steering
- pedestal cable · Edson
Tank capacities — where the figures come from
-
Fuel 20 gal
“The heavy duty aluminum fuel tank has a capacity of 20 gallons.” — brochure, sabreyachts25.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com · “The heavy duty aluminum fuel tank has a capacity of 20 gallons.” — brochure (1980s (second printing, dealer-stamped;), boatbrochure.com · “a fuel tank capacity of 102 liters” — search excerpt (1985), dailyboats.com · “Fuel Capacity 15 gals” — search excerpt (1985), s3.amazonaws.comSabre's own brochure reads 20 gallons clearly when enlarged, and a second printing (different layout, with a dealer stamp, seen in a seller's photo) says the same. We show the builder's figure, small as it is for a 36-footer; two sale listings give 15 gal and 102 L.
-
Water 77 gal
“A water capacity of 77 gallons is available in the dinette arrangement and 63 gallons in the settee option.” — brochure, sabreyachts25.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.comBuilder brochure: 77 gal with the dinette layout, 63 gal with the optional settee layout.
-
Holding 30 gal
“There are two fire extinguishers and a 30-gallon holding tank.” — brochure, sabreyachts25.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.comBuilder brochure.
-
Water heater factory option
“A shower with pressurized hot and cold water is offered as an option” — brochure, sabreyachts25.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.comSabre's 36 brochure makes hot and cold pressure water (with shower) an option; the standard washroom and galley sinks have foot pumps. No heater size or heating method given.
Tanks are often replaced or added on older boats — check the tank labels or a survey for yours.
Thrusters and steering — where this comes from
-
Bow thruster unknown
The Sabre 36 brochure mentions no thruster, and no option list was found.
-
Stern thruster not fitted
Our earlier figure of none has no source, and nothing was found either way.
-
Steering pedestal cable · Edson
“The standard 40" wheel steerer is equipped with compass, wheel guard, wheel brake, and pedestal mounted engine controls.” — brochure, sabreyachts25.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com · “S-1567 SABRE 36 ... STEERING COMPONENTS: FIG. 336-5-211T FIG. 647ST-40-7 FIG. 77111 FIG. 776AL-4AL” — search excerpt, edsonmarine.comThe builder brochure gives a 40 in. pedestal wheel steerer as standard. The chain-and-wire mechanism and the Edson brand rest only on Edson's data sheet for the Sabre 36 (pedestal, 40 in. wheel, chain-and-wire kit and idler), though Sabre's 1991 list for the sister Sabre 34 also names Edson.
Thrusters and steering are often replaced — check the units on your boat before ordering parts.
Sources disagree on hull construction — left blank rather than guessed.
Hulls 1-106, 1985-1990; replaced by the Jim Taylor-designed 362 in 1993 (Practical Sailor). Keel/centerboard version: 4.16 ft board up, 7.67 ft board down. Hull coring unconfirmed for this model: a Sabre buyer's guide says most Hewson-era Sabres have balsa-cored hulls, while keelindex describes solid hulls, so hull_material is left null. Deck is balsa-cored. No source read named the engine or tank sizes.
Engines fitted
-
Westerbeke 27 (27A) — 27 hp, diesel, single
standard
Seen across the run: a 1986 hull listed with a 1985-year Westerbeke 27 (27 hp) and a 1990 charter boat with a Westerbeke 27 (pages read); search excerpts also show a 1985 hull with its 1985 Westerbeke 27 (sailboatlistings), a 1986 hull with a Westerbeke 27 (groups.io) and a 1988 hull with a 27A (justanswer). No builder brochure reached to confirm it was the only factory engine.
Generator
No generator in the brochure.
Manuals and brochures online
- Brochure Sabre 36 brochure with specifications — sabreyachts25.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com
Hosted by the builder or an owners' association; they own the copyright.
Known problems for this model
-
Rotten floor timber under the mast step hull
The key floor timber under the mast can rot when water runs down the mast and sits there; signs include cracks near the step and shrouds that will not hold tension. One Sabre 36 owner was quoted about $20,000 for the repair.svrover.com
-
Centerboard pendant sheave boxes hull
On keel/centerboard boats, check the pendant sheave boxes for corrosion and ask when their rubber coupler hoses were replaced; the job needs a haul-out.svrover.com
-
Tapered bronze seacocks need upkeep plumbing
Sabres of this generation use tapered bronze plug seacocks that must be serviced each haul-out; neglected ones may need lapping or shims to seal.svrover.com
Steering
Edson — Pedestal chain-and-wire steering parts: good
Edson (New Bedford, MA) still sells service parts: chain-and-wire kits, sprockets, idlers, pull-pull conduit steering and internal pedestal parts, and keeps steering data sheets by boat model, many decades old.
Parts sources: Edson Marine (service parts)
Common problems (3)
-
Old or slack steering wire steering
Edson advises replacing steering wire about every five years, checking tension with the wheel locked, and inspecting under load annually; owners often find decades-old stiff wire.usna.edu · youtube.com
-
Lubrication and fastener checks steering
Chain, wire, sheaves and pedestal bearings need regular oiling or greasing, and clevis/cotter pins and bolts should be checked monthly to avoid failures.usna.edu
-
Replacing engine control cables in the pedestal steering
Swapping throttle/shift cables inside an Edson pedestal is a common owner job requiring removal of the wheel shaft sprocket pin.forums.sailboatowners.com
Edson — Traditional geared steerers (worm / rack-and-pinion) parts: good
Edson says its traditional wheels and geared steerers are still available, now built with modern materials; rack-and-pinion steerers are offered for transom-hung and inboard rudders.
Parts sources: Edson Marine (traditional steerers)
Own a Sabre 36? Add her to your boats, then share a photo — names, numbers and faces are blurred before it appears.
Other Sabre models
- Sabre 28 1971–1986
- Sabre 30 1979–1993
- Sabre 34 1976–?
- Sabre 38 Mk I 1981–1987
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.