BoatsMorgan Yachts 38

Morgan Yachts 38

Masthead Sloop · Keel/centreboard · 1969–1971

A short-run masthead sloop produced from 1969 to 1971, featuring a keel-centerboard hull for versatile draft

Designed by Charles Morgan Jr.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.

See her sail

The Morgan Yachts 38, on the water

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

Footage from All About Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

Shoal draftDraws 1.14 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 33 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 33
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.75
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 325
EasygoingPowered-up

16.1 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 16.1
TenderStiff

47% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 47%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Morgan Yachts 38, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Morgan Yachts 38 is a Masthead Sloop, designed by Charles Morgan Jr. and built by Morgan Yachts between 1969 and 1971. This 11.5-meter sailboat, with a 3.4-meter beam and 2.5-meter draft, displaces 7257 kg and was available as a sloop or yawl. It should not be confused with a later series of Morgan 38-footers introduced around 1978. Kyle Jackney, with over 40 years in the marine industry, identifies the Morgan 38 as one of the affordable used production sailboats from the 1970s–80s U.S. production era that offers good value for cruising.0:01 The Morgan 38 has a comfort ratio of 32.8, placing it within the range of moderate bluewater cruisers according to Ted Brewer's motion comfort ratio, which estimates a sailboat's motion in a seaway.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

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
46.9%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.1
Displacement / length
325.4
Comfort ratio
32.8
Capsize screening
1.75
Hull speed
7.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1101
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1969–1971
Units built
75
Designer
Charles Morgan Jr
Builder
Morgan Yachts

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.

Southerly 11010.82 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterA Rob Humphreys-designed fractional sloop with a swing keel that allows for shallow-water exploration and drying out
Southerly 110from SVN solovelanet
Pearson Yachts 3510.67 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterBoasting the longest production run of any Pearson model, this keel/centerboard sloop remained largely unchanged for 14 years
The ONE Thing We Disagreed on This Entire Refit | Step 494from Sailing Uma
Tartan Marine 34 C10.49 mSame hull family1.0 m shorterA Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop featuring a keel-centerboard hull designed for shoal water and IOR competition
Why are we driving around in the bed of a truck in Mexico? Our solar panel broke.from Sailing Adventure Can't Wait
Pearson Yachts 4012.17 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA 12-meter masthead sloop with a deep 2.87-meter draft and high ballast ratio, built for stability and speed
OPB: Sailing Across the Sea of Cortez in a Pearson 40 (Feb 2026)1:34from keeldragger
Ovni 4012.60 mSame hull family1.1 m longerA 12.6-metre cutter with a high 25.21 sail-area-to-displacement ratio, built for agile performance during her 1984-1987
Ocean Voyager 40 - A Yacht Delivery from Sri Lanka to Thailand0:49from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery
Brewer 4413.41 mSame hull family1.9 m longerA stretched evolution of the 12.8 featuring a reverse transom and a versatile keel-centerboard configuration
We're FINALLY Buying Our Dream Sailboat (PART 1) | [Ep. 09]1:25from Plan-Sea

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.

Morgan Yachts 33A Charles Morgan Jr. design featuring a fin keel and spade rudder, built for performance in a classic masthead sloop rigMorgan Yachts 28A Charles Morgan-designed masthead sloop featuring a keel-centerboard configuration for versatile shoal-water accessMorgan Yachts 35A masthead sloop with a deep 2.06-metre draft and spade rudder, built for performance and stability in deep waterMorgan Yachts 34The first production yacht from Charles Morgan Jr., this masthead sloop features a keel-centerboard hull for versatile draftMorgan Yachts 382A Ted Brewer-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff displacement

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