BoatsCabo Rico 38

Cabo Rico 38

Cutter · Long Keel · First built 1977

An aft-cockpit evolution of the Tiburon 36, offering a heavy-displacement cutter platform for stable blue-water sailing

Designed by W. I. B. Crealock, Dennis Garrett & William Crealock.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

See her sail

The Cabo Rico 38, on the water

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

Footage from Hold Fast!

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 39 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 39
CoastalBluewater

At 1.67 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.67
LightHeavy

375 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 375
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.3
TenderStiff

37% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 37%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Cabo Rico 38, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Cabo RICO 38 is a long-keel cutter designed by W.I.B. Crealock, Dennis Garrett, and William Crealock, built by Cabo Rico Custom Yachts, Inc. from 1977 to the present. It measures 11.6 meters LOA, with a 3.5-meter beam, 1.5-meter draft, and displaces 9525 kg. The design is based on the earlier Tiburon 36 but features an aft cockpit, with a pilothouse version also available.0:41 Aboard *Hold Fast!*, a Cabo RICO 38 named *Coralia* completed a summer coastal passage through New England, stopping at Boston, Marblehead, Salem, Gloucester, Rockport, Newport (Rhode Island), and Cape Henlopen.9:41 During this passage, a squall in Gloucester caused several boats to drag anchor, emphasizing the importance of proper anchor-setting technique.3:49 The vessel sailed through the Cape Cod Canal and Buzzards Bay at eight knots under sail alone.4:17

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 36 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Cabo Rico 38 on video

S/V SeaSprite Refit Update 18-20 Sep 2026Sea SPRITE 30 toerail stripped and midship cleats planned for scarfing into the rail at Phipps Footworks.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update 9 September 2026Two Epoch 300Ah batteries replace two Group 24 AGMs in the Sea Sprite 30 refit.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update 8 September 2026Sea SPRITE 30 refit begins at Phipps Boatworks after shrink wrap removal and interior clearing.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update - 4 Sep 2026The S/V SeaSprite has not moved from its current location in six years.Hold Fast!The Wreck of the Schooner Mary LouisaA ballad recounts the nor'easter wreck of schooner Mary Louisa on the Ocracoke breakers.Hold Fast!S/V Coralia - Coastal Sailing from Port Canaveral to Stuart FLA wind generator maintains battery levels during a 36-hour storm with 40-knot gusts in Stuart, Florida.Hold Fast!S/V SeaSprite Refit Update Late May 2026A Sea SPRITE 30 refit replaces DC breakers with digital switching and converts the icebox to a cold-plate refrigeration system.Hold Fast!Trawler Breaks Free of Mooring. Docks Itself Perfectly Across the River. A Grand Banks trawler breaks free at Sunset Bay Marina and drifts across the Indian River unassisted.Hold Fast!S/V Coralia - Offshore Sailing from Cape Hatteras to Cape CanaveralA Cabo Rico 38 completes a 48-hour January offshore run from Hatteras to Cape Canaveral, nearly pinned against the Gulf Stream by a late wind shift.Hold Fast!S/V Coralia - Sailing to New EnglandA Cabo RICO 38 sails Chesapeake to Boston, choosing Shinnecock Inlet to avoid night entrances at Montauk and Block Island.Hold Fast!Fall Sailing on the Chesapeake BayThe crew maintains seven knots in flat water while sailing through the Chesapeake Bay.Hold Fast!We Owe You An ExplanationThe crew of the vessel Ketzel confirms communication protocols on VHF channel 27.Hold Fast!

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
37.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.3
Displacement / length
374.6
Comfort ratio
39.4
Capsize screening
1.67
Hull speed
7.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1202
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1977
Units built
200
Designer
W.I.B. Crealock, Dennis Garrett, William Crealock
Builder
Cabo Rico Custom Yachts, Inc

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.

Allied Boat Co. Mistress 3912.09 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA heavy-displacement Arthur Edmunds ketch available in both aft and centre cockpit configurations for stable cruising
Allied Boat Company: The Fiberglass Sailboat That Changed Everythingfrom Lady K Sailing
Downeaster 3811.58 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1974-era cutter with a 35.4 comfort ratio, built for stable, long-distance voyaging on a heavy-displacement hull
Why Sailors Still Want This Slow Old Cruiser – Down East 38from Practical Sailor
Island Packet 370/37911.53 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA long-running cutter produced from 2003 to 2019, featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stable 1.3-metre draft
How Much Does Solar Cost? Solar Panels For Sailboats, For Dummies! Ep 269 - Lady K Sailing0:47from Lady K Sailing
Bristol Yachts 3911.89 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 1966 masthead sloop with a long keel, built for five years as a precursor to the long-running Bristol 40
Bristol 40 for $40,000 - Can You Make it Work?from Practical Sailor
Tayana 3711.18 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA Robert Perry-designed long-keel cutter with a heavy displacement and a production run of nearly 600 hulls
This $59,900 Sailboat Is READY to Sail Away Today! - Ep 359 - Lady K Sailing0:48from Lady K Sailing
Shannon Yachts 38 PH11.51 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA long-keeled cutter designed by Stadel for offshore stability, offering a comfortable motion and steady passage-making
A Sailboat With No Keel? Shannon Shoalsailer 351:37from Lady K Sailing

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Cabo Rico 38 PHA pilothouse evolution of the Crealock hull, offering protected watch-keeping in a heavy-displacement cutterCabo Rico 34A heavy-displacement cutter designed by W.I.B. Crealock, featuring a long keel for steady, comfortable blue-water cruisingCabo Rico 36A stretched-stern evolution of the 34 that lifts the transom clear of the water for improved performanceCabo Rico 42 PilotA 2005 pilothouse evolution of the Paine-designed cutter, featuring a long keel and a high comfort ratio for stable offshore

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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

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