You can say, that Tartan made a model of the 37 that they called the shoal draft model. It was the same as the CB model but without the CB. It did not sell well and was quickly dropped. I have sailed on a Tartan 37 with the centerboard stuck in the up position. The boat lost its otherwise sterling windward performance and did not tack as reliably in heavier air and a chop as it did with the board down.

In the kind of confined sailing areas that many coastal sailors end up sailing in the difference would turm a boat with nice sailing characteristics int a boat that could drive you crazy.

People have gone most most of the way around the world in all kinds of unsuitable craft (Webb Chiles open boat for example) but that does not prove that sailing a boat designed to use a centerboard without using it is a good idea.

Jeff