BoatsHallberg-Rassy 38

Hallberg-Rassy 38

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1977–1986

A 1970s masthead cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a substantial 43% ballast ratio for heavy-weather stability

Designed by Olle Enderlein.

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

See her sail

The Hallberg-Rassy 38, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from The Paper Boat Project (Stefan Heiberg)

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 34 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 34
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.72
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 276
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.8
TenderStiff

44% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 44%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Heavier than ~75% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2907 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Hallberg-Rassy 38, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Hallberg-Rassy 38 is a masthead sloop designed by Olle Enderlein and built by Hallberg-Rassy between 1977 and 1986. It features a fin keel with a rudder on skeg, measures 11.6 meters LOA, has a beam of 3.5 meters, a draft of 1.8 meters, and displaces 8499 kg. The model has a sail area to displacement ratio of 14.8 and a comfort ratio of 34.0. A Hallberg-Rassy 38 was among the vessels severely damaged by Hurricane Beryl in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou, sustaining structural damage after being driven ashore or colliding with other boats.watch

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
43.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.8
Displacement / length
276.2
Comfort ratio
34.0
Capsize screening
1.72
Hull speed
7.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1272
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Iron
Production
Years built
1977–1986
Units built
202
Designer
Olle Enderlein
Builder
Hallberg-Rassy

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

Warrior 3811.58 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-run 1980s cruiser featuring a shallow 1.52m draft and a heavy ballast-to-displacement ratio for steady offshore work
Sail Life - Galley test fit & varnish - DIY sailboat restoration / repair update0:03from Sail Life
Aragosa Yachts 3811.61 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1988 masthead sloop with a 35% ballast ratio, designed by Ted Brewer for balanced offshore performance
Ted Brewer - Aragosa 38 Boat Tour. I'll show you my boat0:01from Velero Regina
Catalina Yachts 3811.61 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens hull updated with a taller rig and balanced spade rudder for improved coastal performance
NEW 2026 BOAT AUCTION - END OF SUMMER2:48from Sailing Solé
Moody 37611.53 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bill Dixon-designed center-cockpit cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stable, comfortable hull form
Selling it All for Waves: The Quest for Our Dream Sailboat Throughout Asia3:26from Stella Overboard
Westerly Yachts Ltd. Oceanranger 3811.58 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn Ed Dubois-designed center cockpit cruiser, evolved from the Corsair II to offer a spacious, stable platform for passage
Aquastar Oceanranger 38 (FURIE), with Hugh Rayner - Yacht for Sale - Berthon International0:52from Berthon International
Tartan Marine 380011.58 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1994-1999 production cruiser featuring a shallow 1.62-meter draft and a bulb-fin keel for versatile coastal access
Tartan Yachts and the Catalina Fallout: How One Brand Survivedfrom Practical Sailor

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.

Hallberg-Rassy 37A German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for offshore comfort with a stiff, stable hull and balanced performanceHallberg-Rassy 382A masthead sloop with a 43% ballast ratio, designed for offshore stability and a comfortable, stiff motion at seaHallberg-Rassy 41A masthead ketch designed by Olle Enderlein, offering a split-rig configuration for balanced handling on long passagesHallberg-Rassy 35A shallow-draft fin-keeler with a 1.3-metre draft, built for coastal cruising and ease of access to shoal anchoragesHallberg-Rassy 40A German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability with a high comfort ratio and a partial skeg rudderHallberg-Rassy 29An Olle Enderlein-designed masthead sloop with a high ballast ratio, built for offshore stability and cruising comfort

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Hallberg-Rassy 38, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Hallberg-Rassy 38

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue