BoatsPearson Yachts 385

Pearson Yachts 385

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1984–1986

A William Shaw-designed center-cockpit cutter built for stability and comfort with a skeg-mounted rudder

Designed by William H. Shaw.

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

See her sail

The Pearson Yachts 385, on the water

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

Footage from Practical Sailor

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 38 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 38
CoastalBluewater

At 1.69 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.69
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 340
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 13.2
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.

  • Heavier than ~81% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2895 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

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
47.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.2
Displacement / length
340.2
Comfort ratio
37.5
Capsize screening
1.69
Hull speed
7.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1241
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1984–1986
Designer
William H. Shaw
Builder
Pearson 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.

RM Yachts 118011.80 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Marc Lombard-designed performance cruiser featuring a wide beam, dual rudders, and a powerful cutter rig
Why This "Wooden" Sailboat Is Faster, Warmer, and Stronger - the RM 11800:47from Practical Sailor
Hallberg-Rassy 3911.85 mSame hull family0.2 m longerProduced in two versions over twelve years, this cruiser evolved from the 1991 MK I to the extended MK II with a bathing platform
EP#384 Getting Ready for the High Seas Once Again!1:04from Sailing Into Oblivion
Najad Yachts 39011.75 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn 11.75-metre masthead sloop with a 42% ballast ratio, built for over a decade to provide a stable, predictable offshore platform
My Pick for the BEST Offshore Boat at $80K8:46from Be The Captain
Morgan Yachts 38211.68 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Ted Brewer-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stiff displacement
Morgan 382 - The $30K Boat Nobody Talks Aboutfrom Practical Sailor
Sabre Yachts 38 MKII11.79 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1988-1995 production cruiser with a 1.98m draft and a skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stability
The Amazingly Cheap Sabre 34 Mk IIfrom Practical Sailor
Sadler Yachts 3811.79 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Stephen Jones-designed masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, built for performance cruising.
Packing for the winter sailfrom SEILmagasinet

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.

Pearson Yachts 386A William Shaw-designed cutter featuring an aft cockpit layout and a skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stabilityPearson Yachts 365A William Shaw-designed masthead sloop built for comfortable cruising with a stable, heavy-displacement hullPearson Yachts 38A late-production masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, built in very limited numbers just before the yard closedPearson Yachts 33-2A William Shaw-designed masthead sloop built for a decade, balancing a fin keel with spade rudder for responsive handlingPearson Yachts 390A William Shaw-designed cutter built for the charter trade that served as the hull foundation for the 419, 424, and 422Pearson Yachts 36-2A 1980s production masthead sloop with a high-aspect fin keel and spade rudder, optimized for performance cruising

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