Overview
About this vessel
PEGASUS is a race-ready NY 36. Some New York Yacht Club members engaged Naval Architect Bill Cook to design a boat for one-design racing among members and also to be competitive in handicap racing under the IOR. The New York 36 raced as a class on the annual NYYC Cruise throughout much of the 80's. A number were also sold to non-members, especially on the west coast, where class racing took place for a few years.
The Schock New York 36 is well suited to the kind of sailing found on San Francisco Bay—strong afternoon wind, short steep chop, and competitive club racing. It was designed as an IOR racer with a powerful sail plan and relatively light displacement, giving it lively performance.
The NY-36 was developed from Cook's IOR One-Ton racer Firewater. The design emphasized strong racing performance but retained a functional cruising interior so the boat could be used for club cruises and offshore passages.
The boat features a fractional-rigged sloop, a deep fin keel, and a spade rudder, giving it responsive handling and good upwind performance typical of IOR designs from the early 1980s.
Construction and Layout
The hull is fiberglass with wood trim, with a fixed fin keel and internally mounted spade rudder with tiller steering. The interior features a simple racer-cruiser layout with accommodations for up to six: a V-berth forward, main cabin settees, two quarter berths aft, an L-shaped galley with stove, sink, and icebox, a navigation station opposite the galley, and an enclosed head forward of the main cabin.
Sailing Characteristics
The NY-36 is known for strong light-air performance due to a relatively large sail plan, responsive helm and quick acceleration typical of lighter IOR racer-cruisers, and competitive handicap racing performance, particularly in club racing and offshore events.
Historical Context
The design became a small but respected one-design class in the early 1980s, particularly among New York Yacht Club members who raced them in the club's annual cruises and regattas. Some boats were later sold to sailors on the U.S. West Coast, where they also saw one-design and PHRF racing.
The Schock NY-36 is a classic early-1980s IOR racer-cruiser—fast, responsive, and relatively light for its size, with just enough interior comfort for coastal cruising. It remains appreciated by sailors who enjoy traditional performance-oriented sailboats with active helm feel.
