BoatsWarrior 38

Warrior 38

Cutter · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1985–1987

A short-run 1980s cruiser featuring a shallow 1.52m draft and a heavy ballast-to-displacement ratio for steady offshore work

Designed by Bill Dixon & Angus Primrose, built by Trident Marine.

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

See her sail

The Warrior 38, on the water

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

Footage from Sail Life

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 29 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 29
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.96
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 281
TenderStiff

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

Ballast 44%

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

  • Heavier than ~75% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~85% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~82% 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 Warrior 38, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Warrior 38 is a 1985–1987 cutter-rigged sailboat designed by Bill Dixon and Angus Primrose, featuring a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg, an LOA of 11.6 meters, a beam of 4.0 meters, and a displacement of 8504 kg. Aboard *Athena*, a 1987 Warrior 38, the crew installed a 1600-watt solar array and a 300-amp-hour 24-volt lithium iron phosphate battery bank to support off-grid living, averaging 7.3 kilowatt-hours of solar generation daily.12:07 The electrical system integrates 12-volt, 24-volt, and 230-volt AC circuits, managed by a Victron Quattro 5000 inverter-charger.1:44 The crew redesigned the interior settee to a two-meter length for use as a berth and installed 32mm Armaflex closed-cell foam for hull insulation.7:42 For an Atlantic crossing, the crew installed a secondary main sheet system to address boom flex and applied Coppercoat anti-fouling to the wind vane rudder.8:35 They also installed a second spinnaker halyard and marked their 100-meter anchor chain for depth tracking.3:26 The crew monitors hull moisture levels during osmosis treatment and replaces broken hinges on the Raritan Marine Elegance toilet.2:54

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 34 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Warrior 38 on video

Sail Life - It's all been a lie... or at least this piece of trim ;)Mads performs sail drive anti-fouling and teak trim installation on his Warrior 38, Athena, in Trinidad.Sail LifeSail Life - Finishing the aft cabinMads refits the aft cabin and nav station of his 1987 Warrior 38, Athena, while on the hard.Sail LifeSail Life - Oh glorious varnish-palooza & freezer lidMads installs a continuous hinge on the Athena freezer lid and tests alternative wood finishing products.Sail LifeSail Life - EASY Starlink DC conversion & Ants EVERYWHERE 🤣Mads converts a Starlink system to 24-volt DC power and repairs the bow roller on *Athena*.Sail LifeSail Life - SCAD TM1 and Raritan Marine Elegance headA Warrior 38 owner installs a SCAD TM1 sensor and relay to prevent holding tank overflow.Sail LifeSail Life - Lewmar Hatch install and dinghy hoistMads installs a Lewmar hatch and a stainless steel trailer winch for dinghy retrieval on Athena.Sail LifeSail Life - New thru hull and Ruuvi temperature sensorsThe host installs a new bronze through-hull and integrates Ruuvi temperature sensors into a Victron Cerbo GX system.Sail LifeSail Life - The ultimate boat refit project!? 61 ft Deerfoot sailboat ⛵️A custom Deerfoot 61 refit features a plywood-and-fiberglass deck, a new keel, and a sliding helm binnacle.Sail LifeSail Life - The ultimate boat refit project!? 61 ft Deerfoot sailboat ⛵️Mads examines the heavy-duty construction and custom hatch sealing system of a 61-foot Deerfoot sailboat refit.Sail LifeSail Life - Fountaine Pajot Helia 44 Catamaran TourThe Fountaine Pajot Helia 44 features a 2.2-kilowatt solar array and a 1300-amp-hour Battle Born battery bank.Sail LifeSail Life - Dropping the keel and finding the leaks ⚠️ Fountaine Pajot Helia 44Removing a Fountaine Pajot Helia 44 keel reveals poor foam distribution and leaky, improperly sealed construction plugs.Sail LifeSail Life - Sailing to TrinidadThe 38-ft sailboat Athena completes an 80-mile passage from Grenada to Trinidad for a scheduled haul-out.Sail Life

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

  • InstalledStarlink

    The speaker is converting his Starlink system to DC power.

    aboard Sail Lifeseen December 20238:38

  • InstalledVictron

    The owner installed two Victron Smart Shunts to monitor fridge and freezer energy consumption.

    aboard Sail Lifeseen July 202310:32

  • InstalledSikaflex

    The host used Sikaflex to help secure a sacrificial Sapele block to the pedestal for mounting the cockpit table hinge.

    aboard Sail Lifeseen April 20234:35

  • InstalledDyneema

    The speaker made Dyneema loops to reposition blocks for the mainsheet and spinnaker.

    aboard Sail Lifeseen February 20235:22

  • InstalledCoppercoat

    The speaker activated the Coppercoat anti-fouling on the wind vane rudder using a Scotch-Brite pad.

    aboard Sail Lifeseen February 2023watch

  • InstalledNavionics

    Charts were downloaded for the app on their phones.

    aboard Sail Lifeseen December 202210:45

  • InstalledGarmin

    Charts were downloaded and firmware updated for the plotters.

    aboard Sail Lifeseen December 202210:44

  • BoughtWakespeed

    The wake speed controller is part of the high output alternator setup.

    aboard Sail Lifeseen August 202318:27

  • ConsideredHarken

    The owner found blocks from this brand too expensive at a local marine store

    aboard Sail Lifeseen July 202314:54

  • ConsideredIridium

    The speaker noted that the routers WAN port is not for low-bandwidth satellite devices like the Iridium Go.

    aboard Sail Lifeseen November 20213:45

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Warrior 38 may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
44.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
Displacement / length
281.0
Comfort ratio
28.8
Capsize screening
1.96
Hull speed
7.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1440
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Steel
Production
Years built
1985–1987
Units built
49
Designer
Bill Dixon, Angus Primrose
Builder
Trident Marine

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.

Hallberg-Rassy 3811.57 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1970s masthead cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a substantial 43% ballast ratio for heavy-weather stability
HOW TO SAIL AROUND THE WORLD WITH A SOUTH AFRICAN PASSPORT | Strip Searches and Locked up Abroad8:55from The Paper Boat Project (Stefan Heiberg)
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
DIY furniturefrom 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
Cheap Sailboat to Live On? 38 Foot Sailboat for $30,000 - Ep 299 - Lady K Sailing0:46from Lady K Sailing
Pearson Yachts 38511.66 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA William Shaw-designed center-cockpit cutter built for stability and comfort with a skeg-mounted rudder
Hate Heeling? These Sailboats Stay More Upright2:20from Practical Sailor
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

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.

Warrior 40A cutter-rigged cruiser with a skeg-hung rudder and a 1.52m draft, built for steady offshore passagesWarrior III (Primrose)A centre-cockpit masthead sloop featuring a fin keel and a 41% ballast ratio for stable, comfortable offshore cruisingTrident Marine Ltd. Voyager 38A masthead ketch with a fin keel and a moderate displacement-to-length ratio, designed by Angus Primrose for offshore cruisingWestwind 38A cutter-rigged cruiser by the Stadels, featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a stable, comfortable motion for blue waterChallenger 35 (Primrose)An aft-cockpit variation of the Angus Primrose 35-foot hull, built for stable cruising with a traditional long keel

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