BoatsChallenger 38

Challenger 38

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1972

A 1972 Howard Stern-designed masthead sloop featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder for stable coastal cruising

Designed by Howard Stern.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

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 36 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 36
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.76
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 282
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 13.9
TenderStiff

33% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 33%

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

  • Heavier than ~87% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2815 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
33.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.9
Displacement / length
281.7
Comfort ratio
35.8
Capsize screening
1.76
Hull speed
7.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1559
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1972
Designer
Howard Stern
Builder
Challenger Yachts Corp

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

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.

Moody 40 (Dixon)12.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-run 1990s cruiser featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, optimized for a balance of coastal performance
Hans Christian Christina 4012.14 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA fin-keeled cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, offering a more modern underwater profile for the Hans Christian fleet
Passport Yachts 4012.02 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Robert Perry-designed masthead sloop offering tall rig and shallow draft options for versatile cruising
Valiant Yachts 40-212.16 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter built for offshore passage-making, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff, heavy hull
Dufour Yachts 405 Grand Large12.17 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12-meter cruiser featuring a 2.03m fin keel and a balanced displacement-to-ballast ratio for stable coastal passages
O'day 4012.06 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12-metre masthead sloop featuring an extended sugar scoop stern and a taller rig on later production models

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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